Lamia Flashcards
Context:
What is the context of Lamia?
“Lamia” reimagines the Greek myth of a woman transformed into a serpent, exploring themes of love, illusion, and deception.
The poem reflects Romantic ideals by highlighting the destructive consequences of idealizing beauty and love, contrasting appearance with deeper truth.
Plot summary:
What is the plot summary?
Lamia, a beautiful serpent transformed into a woman by the god Hermes, falls in love with the young philosopher Lycius.
Despite their passionate love, Lycius is ultimately destroyed when he learns the truth about her identity, revealing the tragic cost of illusion and the dangers of idealized love.
Quotes:
What are the important quotes? (there 7)
Her eyes torture fix’d and anguish drear (…) pain and ugliness were left - painful process to become human - shows the world’s corruption believing that she is not beautiful as she is. - Lamia is no longer intricate and as beautiful as she was before. - hyperbole.
Love and pale (…) The life she had so entangled in her mesh - paints Lamia to be the villain. predatory and spiderlike. - metaphor. His love and attraction is so big for Lamia he doesn’t know what to feel. ‘love and pain’ juxtapose each other.
Did you blind yourself from his quick eye - metaphor for romantic poets trying to escape philosophy and attaching themselves to the power of imagination. ‘quick eye’ he sees and knows everything. she knows something bad is going to happen. Powerlessness. So far she has been able to control most things and now she cannot. Fear.
She burnt, she loved the tyranny - role reversal. at the start of the poem it was Lycius who was blinded but now it is Lamia who is blinded.
Old Appollonius, from me keep hid - she knows something bad is going to happen. Powerlessness. So far she has been able to control most things and now she cannot. Fear.
Philosophy will clip an Angel’s wings - philosophy will destroy beauty in everything. even the most beautiful things it made if it isn’t rational it will remove it. Makes everything dull. Philosophy feels like it has a sense of duty to have everything in order. Keats criticises this.
Lycius arms empty of delight (…) his limbs of life - both of them are dead. Whose fault is it.
who do the three main characters represent
Lamia - the power of the imagination
Lycius - the romantic poet
Apollonius - philosophy and rationality
What is Keats ultimate message with the resolution of the poem
Philosophy and rationality destroys a romantic poets power of imagination
- romantic poets are consumed by the imagination and it destroys them
Philosophy can also save someone from ruin.
Aspects of Tragedy: Victim or Villain
How can tragic victims and villains be seen?
Tragic Victim (Lamia, Lycius and Apollionius)
Lamia Victim: the treatment of her after her and Lycius fall in love. He becomes tyrannical
Lycius: Victim - he is entranced by Lamia
Apollionius: Victim: He thought it was his duty to make things right.
Tragic Villain:
Lamia: Villian - she kills Lycius and traps him and deceives him
Lycius: Villain - did he want to be deceived in order to run away from Philosophy?. He invites his friends over which leads to his downfall. His treatment of Lamia
Apollonius: Villain - he destroys all happiness.
