Lamia Flashcards
Context:
Written in 1819 and published in 1820
Renowned for its comparisons to epic poetry (epic poetry is a genre of literature that involves lengthy narrative poems. These characters typically interact with gods or other supernatural forces)
Written in rhyming couplets and iambic pentameter (10 syllables per line)
Plot summary
begins in a forest
Hermes is looking for a nymph that is known for her beauty
Meets Lamia who is a serpent who speaks in a woman’s voice
Bargains with him. she will show him where the nymph is if he turns her into a human
Lamia transforms
She and Lycius meet
Her and Lycius arrive at her house (its made from magic) and stay there as lovers
Lycius remembers the outside world and wants to invite his friends over for a wedding feast.
Lamia begs him not to but he forces her
Lamia uses her magic to make the house even more beautiful
Appollonius fixes his eyes on Lamia - can tell that she is a serpent and says to outloud
Lamia vanishes and Lycios dies
Quotes
To find where the sweet nymph had prepared her secret bed - highlights patriarchy and the selfishness of Lamia as she sacrifices the nymphs privacy for her finding love.
sweet body fit life - shows the admiration for the human body.
Striped like a zebra, freckled like a pard - shows how ethereal Lamia is as well as exotic. Is Lamia predator or prey? Victim or Villain (‘zebra’ and ‘pard’)
Let me have once more a woman’s shape and charming as before - leads the reader to question why it got taken away from her - also highligjts femineity
Her eyes torture fix’d and anguish drear - painful process to become human
Nothing but pain and ugliness were left - Lamia is no longer intricate and as beautiful as she was before. - hyperbole.
More beautiful than ever a twisted braid - ‘twisted braid’ - shows how intricate her beauty was before her transformation.
His eyes had drunk her beauty up (…) and still the cup was full - metaphor - her beauty is overflowing.
Swoon’d murmuring of love and pale with pain - His love and attraction is so big for Lamia he doesn’t know what to feel. ‘love and pain’ juxtapose each other.
the life she had so entangled in her mesh - paints Lamia to be the villain. predatory and spiderlike. - metaphor.
if twas too far that night for her soft feet - shows how Lycius is blinded by Lamia and entranced by her.
gray beard, sharp eyes and smooth bald crown - ‘gray beard’ has connotations of wisdom. describing Appollonius but also philosophy.
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.
the ghost of folly haunting my sweet dreams - foreshadowing to both the deaths of Lamia and Lycius.
love, jealous (…) hovered and buzzed its wings - Lamia’s magic is wearing off. The honeymoon phase is wearing.
let my foes choke and my friends shout - patriarchy. Lycius wants to show off Lamia.
pale and meek arose and knelt before him ‘in one whose brow had no dark veins to swell - he has become tyrannical.
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
yet I must do this wrong and you forgive me - Philosophy feels like it has a sense of duty to have everything in order. Keats criticises this.
With a frightful scream she vanished - painful removal.
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
Lamia: Villian - she kills Lycius and traps him and deceives him
Lamia Victim: the treatment of her after her and Lycius fall in love. He becomes tyrannical
Lycius: Victim - he is entranced by Lamia
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.
Apollionius: Victim: He thought it was his duty to make things right.
