Keats - Isabella or The Pot of Basil

Question 1

T: How is the theme of love and tragedy presented in the poem?

Answer 1

• Isabella and Lorenzo’s love is pure but doomed due to societal and familiar pressures
• Their love is thwarted by her brother’s greed, leading to Lorenzo’s murder and Isabella’s descent into madness
  Tragedy is heightened by the imagery of loss and death, such as the haunting description of Lorenzo’s body

Question 2

T: How does Keats critique greed in the poem?

Answer 2

• Isabella’s brothers are emblematic of capitalist greed, prioritising wealth and power over family
• Their actions lead to violence and destruction, contrasting sharply with the purity of Isabella and Lorenzo’s love

Question 3

T: How is Isabella’s grief portrayed after Lorenzo’s death?

Answer 3

• Isabella’s mourning becomes obsessive, symbolised by her nurturing of Lorenzo’s basil pot
• Her grief drives her to isolation, madness and ultimately death, embodying the Romantic preoccupation with intense emotions

Question 4

S: What is the structure and form of the poem?

Answer 4

• Written in ottava rima (8-line stanzas with ABABABCC rhyme scheme)
• Combines elements of romance, tragedy and gothic horror
• Structure creates a lyrical and rhythmic quality, balancing beauty and despair

Question 5

S: How does Keats use pacing to enhance the narrative?

Answer 5

• The story begins slowly, emphasising the idyllic love of Isabella and Lorenzo
• The tone shifts abruptly after Lorenzo’s murder, becoming darker and more gothic, reflecting Isabella’s descent into madness

Question 6

I: How does Keats use natural imagery to depict love?

Answer 6

• Lorenzo is described in natural terms, symbolising purity and vitality (“His soul is to the underworld gone”)
• Nature is also tied to Isabella’s nurturing of the basil pot, blending beauty and grotesque

Question 7

How does imagery of death contrast with love in the poem?

Answer 7

• Lorenzo’s murder and decaying body are vividly described highlighting the horror of his death

Question 8

Q: Highlights Isabella’s innocence and foreshadows her tragic fate

Answer 8

“Fair Isabel, poor simple Isabel”

Question 9

Q: Depicts the purity of Isabella and Lorenzo’s love

Answer 9

“With every morn their love grew tenderer”

Question 10

Q: Symbolises Isabella’s unrelenting grief and her nurturing of Lorenzo’s remains

Answer 10

“Sweet Basil, which her tears kept ever wet”

Question 11

Q: Reflects Isabella’s withdrawal from the world after Lorenzo’s death

Answer 11

“And she forgot the stars, the m0on and sun”

Question 12

Q: Gothic imagery describing Lorenzo’s decaying body

Answer 12

“The thing was vile with green and livid spot”

Question 13

Q: Critique of Society

Answer 13

“Why were they proud?.. Because their marble founts, gushed with more pride than do a wretch’s tears?”