on the sea(nature) Flashcards
intro
Keats considers the restorative power of nature, and it’s ability to cleanse the mind. He thinks that when we have spent too long in the city, the best way to cure ourselves from the bustle and noise is to spend time with the natural world. In this case, it’s the sea.
structure
It’s a Petrarchan sonnet, formed from an octave (abbaabba) and a sestet (ceddec). The change forms a sort of subtle volta, as it switches to a direct address, urging us to turn to nature for solace. A sonnet is commonly a love poem, so consider this a love letter to the sea.
analysis
Keats loved mythology, which is why we see a lot of classical allusion in his poetry. The “spell of Hecate” refers to the Greek goddess of witchcraft and the moon, suggesting the elusive divine power of the tides and water. The “sea nymphs” refer to divine creatures who inhabit the sea, though a nymph is typically associated with land. The clash of land and sea is similar to the division between city and countryside, despair and resolution.
analysis
Consonance of the double l sound. “ll” turns up at the end of a lot of words in this poem, “shell” “swell” “fell” “spell” to name a few. It creates a whispering, lulling effect, which mimics the steady flow of the waves.
analysis
“Gluts twice ten thousand caverns” – the idea of “glutting” personifies the sea as hungry and unrelenting, which contrasts with the idea of being “fed” too much with “cloying melody”, suggesting that the appetite of the sea itself is insatiable, but we by comparison are fall smaller and less powerful.
context
Keats unfortunately had a pretty sad life. He lost his close family to TB, and was separated from his fiancee when he contracted the same disease. He found a lot of solace in nature, and looked to the world around him for inspiration. Keats was always very aware of his own mortality, and tried to find comfort by recognizing how small he was compared to the ferocious natural world.
