Isabella; or The Pot of Basil

Question 1

“_____ Isabel, ____ ______ Isabel” Very beginning

Answer 1

Fair
poor simple

Question 2

“a young _______ in ______ eye”

Answer 2

palmer
Love’s

Question 3

Why is
“They could not” used within the first stanza?

Answer 3

Keats continually uses negation to heighten the tragedy of the lovers fall, as the promise of “they could” is immediately taken away. This is significant because from the outset the reader is aware that their love will inevitably succumb to the rules of society which forbid their union.

Question 4

“some _______” first stanza

Answer 4

malady

Question 5

What is the significance of
“He might not in house, field or garden stir”? Second stanza

Answer 5

Keats negates the concept of the pastoral ideal of love through the negative “not” which foreshadows the futility of their relationship. The boundless limit of love presented by the “house, field or garden,” reflects Keats’ Romantic lens on his poetry which contributes to the tragedy of their fallen love when Lorenzo is murdered as he suggests that love is unattainable in the cultural hierarchy which promotes inequality amongst both class and gender.

Question 6

what is a “lute-string” and why is this important?
“her lute-string gave an echo of his name”

Answer 6

This is a medieval instrument which employs the courtly romance between Lorenzo and Isabelle as it emphasized the aspects of nobility and chivalry in the medieval period. Keats perhaps could be suggesting that Madeline and Lorenzo’s love has transcended the limitations imposed by society as courtly love was the term used between a noble man and a maiden, this indicates his nobility as a lover. The elongated phonetic effect of “echo” appeals to the senses, conveying their everlasting love.

Question 7

“her _________ gave an ____ of his name” Beginning of poem

Answer 7

lute-string
echo

Question 8

“her face ___ _______ to the same ______” beginning of poem

Answer 8

was turned
skies

Question 9

“constant __ ___ _________ would he watch”

Answer 9

as her vespers

Question 10

“_________ days and days did he ___ pass” Beginning

Answer 10

Honeyless
let

Question 11

“______ quest” beginning of poem

Answer 11

timid

Question 12

“_____,/________ how I love thee ,_______ how near/My soul is to ______” near beginning of poem

Answer 12

believe
believe
believe
doom

Question 13

“_____ upon the air” near beginning of poem

Answer 13

tread

Question 14

What is the significance of “tread upon the air”?

Answer 14

The visual imagery provided by “tread upon the air” invites the reader to the dreamworld which they have accessed in order to be together; out of the societal confinements of the real world. Moreover, as “air” describes a free and unconfined space, this expresses the loves transcendence from the “age of reason” which dominated the 17th into 18th and into the 19th century and was a time in which pure love could not exist due to the constraints of society and the politics of love. Their love is further reinforced as “air” also is a necessity for sustenance in living beings, therefore Keats could be foreshadowing Isabella’s tragic fall when Lorenzo is murdered as their love is presented as being something necessary to her survival, as essential as “air”.

Question 15

“twin _____ by the _______ blown apart” near beginning of poem

Answer 15

roses
zephyr

Question 16

Explore
“twin roses by the zepher blown apart” near beginning of poem

Answer 16

The unity of the “twin roses” suggests that both lovers follow one tragedy, foreshadowing that with the murder of Lorenzo, the death of Isabella would shortly follow. The “zepher”, hints to the pastoral, a gentle breeze could possibly indicate that their love is so fragile built on the foundations of forbidden secrecy that even the “zephyr” could blow them “apart.”
It is implies that they will meet an inevitable fate due to omnipotent forces these are almost mythical in effect in the governance of society. Societal order is arguably exposed by Keats as being oppressive over aspects of love. In turn, the “zephyr” could symbolize the shaped expectations of love embedded by a materialistic, capitalist driven society which the 19th century arguably was. The unification of Isabella and Lorenzo as a couple is thus predetermined by social opinion as wrong, they are tarnished by their social class and so will be inevitably “blown apart” by the force of societal limitations. If the “zephyr” was to symbolise the boundaries imposed by society then it could in turn be assumed that in accordance to perceptions at this time, the love between a noble lady and a poor man was against nature which the natural imagery (“roses” “zephyr”) may signify. Moreover, the “roses” itself may insinuate certain tragic fate as the thorns on them could suggest difficulty in their unity. The classical mythological association to “zepher” as well contributes to the idea that their love can only exist in the dream world out of the entrapment of reality which emphasises Keats as a Romantic poet and so assumes love as being an existence which can only be an entity in an idealistic world.

Question 17

“and not my passion shrive” near beginning of poem
Explore

Answer 17

The poem contains examples of religious imagery, such as in reference to Lorenzo being a ‘palmer’ which is significant in establishing their love early in the poem as a pure conception. Just as the pilgrim (“palmer”) seeks a shrine where he may worship God, Lorenzo needs a woman to worship, through whom he may worship in “Love’s eye”. Keats uses the word ‘shrive’, (i.e. confess) and so arguably it could be suggestive that just as a “palmer” cannot be at peace until he has confessed his sins , Lorenzo similarly has the necessity of confessing his love in a way that is indicative of being sanctified by God.

Question 18

What quote suggests forbidden love near beginning of poem?

Answer 18

“before the dusk/Had taken from the stars its pleasant veil”

Question 19

“before the _____/had taken from the stars its _______ ____”

Answer 19

dusk
pleasant veil

Question 20

What is a hyacinth?

Answer 20

This is a flower of the lili family, a common funeral flower which therefore foreshadows their inevitable tragic death.

Question 21

“richest _____ in ______ flowers” near beginning/middle

Answer 21

juice
poison

Question 22

What could Keats mean by
“richest juice in poison flowers”
near beginning/ middle

Answer 22

• the “rich[ness]” of love there is “poison” as in this case, their love is in fact a substance that is capable of causing death.
• As a Romantic poet Keats emphasises that love is the “richest juice”, which juxtaposes the perception of her brothers whom visualise love as a commodity to exploit for monetary gain and thus allows a moral message to communicate to the audience of the debased substance of marriage during the 1800’s.
• Through implying the danger of love with “poison” near the beginning of the poem, Keats both foreshadows the tragic inevitability of the constructs fate but also structurally emulates the gradual death of their relationship, the “richest love”, which begins with Lorenzo’s death and eventually ends in Isabella’s over a long period.
• It is also significant that directly after the mention of “poison” the brothers are introduced, suggesting the spread at this point forward of the deterioration of their fate.

Question 23

“enriched with ________ _________” near beginning/middle

Answer 23

ancestral merchandise

Question 24

explore
“enriched with ancestral merchandise”
near beginning/middle

Answer 24

• Keats illustrates “fair Isabella”’s monetary value to her “two brothers” as “merchandise” in which belongs to them to exploit.
• At this point the dominance of the patriarchal society is evident in demonstrating the demise of the lovers as the “ancestral” privilege of the brothers act as a symbol for the hierarchy of society who set the boundaries in which entrap those at their mercy.

Question 25

“red-_____ accounts” early middle

Answer 25

lined

Question 26

What can be said about the
“red-lined accounts” early middle?

Answer 26

• Their ‘red-lined accounts’ is reminiscent of neat account books at the same time as suggesting the human blood for which their accumulation of wealth was responsible.
• As Keats depicts the two brothers as a symbol of the cruelty of the social ranking in which the elite dominate
• foreshadowing the death of Lorenzo in being an addition to the “red-lined accounts”.

Question 27

“________ pride and __________ cowardice” early middle

Answer 27

hungry
gainful

Question 28

“hawks of ship-mast forests’
Explore

Answer 28

Keats uses the image of ‘hawks of ship-mast forests’ to suggest that, just as birds pounce on their prey, so the brothers fell rapaciously on the trading vessels which put into port.

Question 29

“these men of cruel ____” early middle

Answer 29

clay

Question 30

What can be said for the rhyme “Apennine” with “eglantine”

Answer 30

the rhyme is phonetically laboured suggesting the disorder to come soon of Lorenzos’ death

Question 31

“a ____ greeting to these ________” middle

Answer 31

fair
serpents

Question 32

“with ____, and ____, and bracing ___________ dress” middle

Answer 32

belt
spur
huntsman’s

Question 33

“________ dark”-Lorenzo middle

Answer 33

amorous

Question 34

What is amorous?
“amorous dark”-Lorenzo, middle

Answer 34

relating to sexual desire and night time=dreamworld

Question 35

“she chanted ________” middle

Answer 35

merrily

Question 36

“the two brothers and ____ ___________ ___” middle

Answer 36

their murdered man

Question 37

“they passed the _____,/ into a ______ quiet for the _________” middle

Answer 37

water
forest
slaughter

Question 38

What could be suggested by
“these men of cruel clay” ? early middle

Answer 38

• that they are as much victims as they are villains as it is the inherent superiority of their position in the hierarchy imbedded to them by society rather than a primal evil which causes them to kill Lorenzo.
• The conditioning they have endured is therefore significant in reviewing the message of Keats in highlighting the moral evil which society has created which entraps everyone.
• As they approached the murder of Lorenzo as “sick and wan” it could possible indicate that the murder is not an act that they relish in doing, but rather that it must be done.

Question 39

“she chanted merrily” middle , before death

Answer 39

• The verb “chant” through its repetitive insinuations is significant in alluding a sense of continuation, through this Keats could be suggesting a cyclical pattern in the lovers tragedy to demonstrate that love has always been unattainable due to the boundaries set by society.
• This cyclical structure therefore assumed from the repetitive “chant” perhaps could imply the prompt death of Lorenzo as it may be perceived then as the circle of life in which all beings must eventually die.

Question 40

What is the significant of
“two brothers and their murdered man”? middle

Answer 40

the past participle ‘murdered’ forces the reader to see both the living man and the corpse at the same time which enhances the feelings of pathos for Lorenzo as Keats strengths the sense of tragic foreboding of the inevitability of his death.

Question 41

“Lorenzo’s _____ with love” middle

Answer 41

flush

Question 42

“Lorenzo’s flush with love”

Answer 42

• “flush” could illustrate the effect of his love with Isabella which had previously been described as the “richest juice of poison flowers”, and so the idea that the “poison” of their forbidden love has similarly “flush[ed]” Lorenzo, it is implicit of the associations to being ill.
• It could also be said that “flush” may interpret cleansing and therefore Keats could be reasserting the purity of their love as something which remains wholesome even in death.

Question 43

“richer __ ___ being a ________” middle after death

Answer 43

by his
murderer

Question 44

“________ unrest” middle after death

Answer 44

feverish

Question 45

“the _____ of Winter comes from ___ ______” middle after death

Answer 45

breath
far away

Question 46

“the breath of Winter comes from far away’ middle of play after death

Answer 46

• “Winter” has strong associations to death, particularly of nature, as it is the coldest season of the year and therefore the personification of “Winter” being given a capital is suggestive in that it will similarly bring death to Isabella by the end of the play though it is at this point “far away”.
• The prolonged period of time until death thus is illustrated by Keats as a liminal boundary in which Isabella transcends between through the loss of her lover leaving her in a purgatory between living and death, conveyed as she noticeable “by gradual decay from beauty fell”.

Question 47

“by gradual _____ from ______ fell” middle of play after death

Answer 47

decay
beauty

Question 48

“to see their sister in her ______ _______” middle after death

Answer 48

snowy shrowd

Question 49

explore briefly
“to see their sister in her snowy shroud”

Answer 49

A “shroud” is often a garment for a dead body and therefore as they “see their sister in her snowy shroud”, this suggests that they know through killing Lorenzo they have in turn killed her too. Keats here then blurs the boundary between villain and victim as they are now victim to their guilty conscience in which they cannot escape in their sleep.

Question 50

“when the ____ shadow _____” middle after death

Answer 50

pale
spake

Question 51

“kept all _______ fear _____,/From the poor girl by _____ of their light”

Answer 51

phantom
aloof
magic

Question 52

“I am a ______ now….Upon the ______ of human-nature _______/Alone.”-Isabella
middle after death

Answer 52

shadow
skirts
dwelling

Question 53

“if spirits could go ___” -Lorenzo

Explore
middle after death

Answer 53

mad

This is significant as Keats creates death into a pure ‘existence’ and so a path into the dreamworld where love can exist where spirits can’t get “mad”. The fact that Madeline can see Lorenzo illustrates her state of purgatory due to her deterioration from the loss of her lover and thus Keats foreshadows her own death so that the lovers can be unified in the freedom death provides.

Question 54

What is a seraph?
“as though I had/A Seraph chosen from the bright abyss” middle after death

Answer 54

the highest order of angel

Question 55

“thy ___________ makes me glad”
middle after death

Answer 55

paleness

Question 56

“sad Isabella’s _______ ache”
middle after death

Answer 56

eyelids

her exterior equates that of her dying interior and in turn Keats here implies her decent to death.

Question 57

“happy days, __ _____ __ ___”
Middle after death

Answer 57

or else to die

Question 58

What does it mean by
“To dig more fervently than misers can”?
Middle after death

Answer 58

fervently-passionately and intensely
misers-a person who hoards wealth

Question 59

“To ___ more ______ than _____ can”
middle/end
Explore

Answer 59

sig
fervently
misers

It is conveyed that indeed love is the “richest juice” as like a “miser”, a person whom hoards wealth, Isabella equivalently “dig”’s for the wealth she has found in love with Lorenzo. Thus through the lens of Romanticism, Keats employs tragedy as of corollary (natural result) through the way that their forbidden love has transcended the social order of the great chain of being but has ultimately led to their inevitable tragic fall due to the course of inevitability to return order that their love had disrupted.

Question 60

“______ of the grave”
middle/end

explore

Answer 60

kernel

Arguably through the use of the noun “kernel” Keats suggests that even through the juxtaposition of “kernel” which indicates life and “grave” which implies death that in death their love can be preserved in its purity, and the Romantic field of eternal love is pursued by Keats which in turn communicates tragic undertones as to achieve true love death must first come.

Question 61

What is a
“minstrel’s song”?
middle/end

Answer 61

This is a medieval singer, who would sing heroic poetry to a musical accompaniment for the nobility

Question 62

“‘Twas _____-cold, _____ indeed, but not dethroned” middle/end

Answer 62

Love
dead

Question 63

Explore
“‘Twas Love-cold, dead indeed, but not dethroned”

Answer 63

• Even in death Isabella’s love for Lorenzo was not “dethroned” through her brothers murderous act as death had preserved it through its transcendence of Lorenzo from the real world where love cannot exist to the dream world
• Keats enforces the suspension of belief within the reader through the lens of Romanticism in which love is perceived as a superior existence that can exceed the limitations of reality.
• Elements of tragedy are therefore apparent as the fall of Lorenzo will have to lead to the inevitable fall of Isabella due to their single entity as lovers.

Question 64

What is the structural significance of
“and still she kissed, and wept”

Answer 64

The syndetic listing of “and” structurally slows the pace of the poem, possibly elongating time to reflect Isabella’s passing of reality into the dream world in which the unit of time cannot be measured; and thus allows the reader to understand the terminal illness of “Love” in which is a “poison flower”.

Question 65

“through the cold ______-____” middle/end

Answer 65

serpent pipe

Question 66

“and she forgot the _____, the ____, and ___” middle/end

Answer 66

stars
moon
sun

Question 67

“her tears _____ ____ wet” middle/end

Answer 67

ever wet

Question 68

“her tears _____ ____ wet” middle/end

Answer 68

kept ever

Question 69

“her _____ eyes” early end

Answer 69

dead

Question 70

“why it _________, as by _____ touch” early end

“her tears kept ever wet”

Answer 70

flourished
magic touch

Question 71

“_______ did she go to _____-______” early end

Answer 71

seldom
chapel-shrift

Question 72

Explore
“seldom did she go to the chapel shrift”-end

Answer 72

• The continuation of religious imagery is significant in emphasising the sanctity of their love from God, cementing their relationship as pure and good.
• evident that the two lovers worship each other, Lorenzo a “young Palmer” who worshiped Isabella, and Isabella who replaced the time she spent at the “chapel-shrift” with her devotion to Lorenzo.
• Adversely, Keats could be implying that it was the murder of Lorenzo that has caused her to abandon her religious beliefs because of the undeserved death of her lover leaving her with a loss of faith.
• Possibly this explores the cruelty of the hierarchical world in which the the great chain of being suppresses both women and the poor into conforming to their materialistic ideals, suspending the true religious messages of God in order to maintain their authority of society.

Question 73

“as _____ on wing”- end

Answer 73

bird

Question 74

What is the effect of
“weeping through her hair”?-end

Answer 74

• The long hair and crying depicts Isabella as a stereotypical feminine character, perhaps Keats could have been presenting Isabella in this way in order to accentuate the tragedy to an audience who would feel pity for a vulnerable, helpless woman who has lost her man.
• The continual verb “weeping,” hints to the reader that Isabella remains in a state of despair, alluding to the mythical aspect of love being attained in a dream world.
• The idea of love being almost surreal arguably indicates that love cannot exist in the realms of reality.

Question 75

“the thing was _____ with _____ and _____ spot”-end

Answer 75

vile
green
livid

Question 76

What is significant of
“the thing was vile with green and livid spot”-end

Answer 76

• The brothers in this instance are presented as products of their time in the age of reason, demonstrated by their factual review of Lorenzo’s head which is indicative of their lack of conscious for what they have done.
• There inability to see the basil pot for the metaphorical continuation of love reflects that in the reality of social order, love can not exist.
• Their dehumanization of Lorenzo’s head which they refer to as a “guerdon” (prize) reflects the sentiment of the aristocracy towards the lower class who they did not see as equals.

Question 77

What is a guerdon?
“The guerdon of their murder they had got”-end

Answer 77

prize

Question 78

“will die a death too ____ and _________“-end

Answer 78

lone
incomplete

Question 79

“she oftentimes would ___/After the _____ in his wanderings”-end

Answer 79

cry
pilgrim

Question 80

“she oftentimes would cry’After the pilgrim in his wanderings”

Answer 80

• The religious imagery of “pilgrim” hints that their love will continue after death in heaven, allowing catharsis for the reader as the lovers will be reunited in a place of purity.
• “pilgrim” also elevates their relationship to a superior standard, sanctified by God. However the enjambment of the line separates “she” (Isabella) and “the pilgrim” (Lorenzo) this is significant in reflecting how they have been separated physically by his murder.
• The present tense of “wanderings” is significant in suggesting that perhaps Lorenzo is not dead, meaning that their love can survive on after death.

Question 81

What is pine?what is forlorn?
“And so she pined and so she died forlorn

Answer 81

suffer a mental and physical decline
forlorn=abandoned lonely

Question 82

“And so she pined and so she died forlorn”

Answer 82

• the syndetic listing use of “and” is significant in reflecting how her grief continues alongside her ever lasting love.
• “pine” indicates both mental and physical decline, arguably Keats uses the depravity of her lover to account for her own mental death and physical deterioration.
• Tragedy is used as a vehicle to engineer the fall of the protagonists in the poem, in effect this heightens the meaning of love to the reader because of Madeline and Lorenzo’s apparent inseparability where they can no longer live without each other’s love.
• Keats seems to be critical of love, indicated by the use of “forlorn” which suggests that Madeline has been abandoned by Lorenzo
• however Keats may rather be highlighting the disappointment love brings when it inevitably leaves you deprived of what brings your life and purpose.