Why Did Shelley Choose the God Adonais to Symbolize Keats
Adonais is a notable literary work by Percy Bysshe Shelley. 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, to various questions of Adonais.
Answer
Why did Shelley choose the God Adonais to symbolize Keats?
Or. What are the similarities between Adonais and Keats?
“Adonais: An Elegy on the Death of John Keats” (1821) is an iconic elegy in English literature. Percy Bysshe Shelley (1792-1822) draws parallels between the figure of Adonais from Greek mythology and the poet John Keats. Here are similarities between Adonais and Keats as depicted in the poem.
Youth and Beauty: Adonais and Keats are depicted as embodiments of youth and beauty. Keats, like Adonais, represents youthful exuberance and artistic beauty. Shelley mourns Keats’s untimely death, likening him to Adonais:
I weep for Adonais—he is dead!
This line draws a parallel between Keats and the mythological figure of Adonais, emphasizing their shared youthful and beautiful qualities.
Premature Death: Adonais and Keats both suffer premature deaths. A boar killed Adonais, while Keats’s life was cut short by tuberculosis. Shelley mourns Keats’s early demise, lamenting,
Oh, weep for Adonais! though our tears
Thaw not the frost which binds so dear a head!
This mournful cry reflects the tragic similarity in the premature deaths of both Adonais and Keats.
Unjust Treatment and Criticism: Adonais and Keats both faced ridicule and misunderstanding during their lives. Adonais’s story involves themes of jealousy and tragedy. Keats, too, experienced harsh criticism and mockery for his poetry during his lifetime.
Immortality through Art and Spirit: Adonais’s spirit lives on through mythology. Keats’s poetry and spirit endure despite his physical death. This ensures his immortality. Adonais’s beauty and myth endure through time. Similarly, Keats’s poetry and spirit are immortalized through Shelley’s elegy. Shelley articulates this idea, saying,
Yet reigns o’er earth; the third among the sons of light,
This symbolizes Keats’s enduring presence and influence despite his physical absence.
Through these parallels, Shelley honours Keats’s life and art. He aligns him with the mythological figure, Adonais. This is how Shelley emphasizes both figures’s tragic beauty and immortal nature.