"Ode on Melancholy" : Literary devices
"Ode on Melancholy" is a notable literary work by John Keats. A complete discussion of this literary work is given, which will help you enhance your literary skills and prepare for the exam. Read the Main texts, Key info, Summary, Themes, Characters, Literary devices, Quotations, Notes, and various study materials of "Ode on Melancholy".
Literary devices
Literary Terms
- Ode → The poem is a type of ode, which means it is a serious, thoughtful poem about a deep subject.
Figures of Speech:
- Imagery → Words that help us see pictures in our mind. Example: “deep, deep upon her peerless eyes” – we can imagine her eyes.
- Personification → When feelings or things act like people. Example: Sadness (Melancholy) is shown as a woman.
- Allusion → A small hint to something from old stories or history. Example: “Lethe” is from a Greek myth—it’s a river that makes people forget.
- Metaphor → Saying one thing is something else (without “like” or “as”). Example: Joy is shown as someone who always says goodbye.
- Symbols → Using objects or images to represent bigger ideas.
- Lethe → Symbol of forgetting or escape from pain.
- Wolf’s-bane, Nightshade, and Poisonous Plants → Symbol of death and self-destruction.
- Weeping Cloud → Symbol of nature’s sadness.
- Rainbow and Flowers (peonies) → Symbol of beauty and how short it lasts.
- Beauty, Joy, and Melancholy (as women) → These feelings are shown like real people.
- Temple of Delight → Symbol of deep happiness or pleasure.