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John Keats, born on October 31, 1795, and died on February 23, 1821, was an English poet during the Romantic era, like Lord Byron and Percy Bysshe Shelley. He is most famous for his poems like “Ode to a Grecian Urn,” “Ode to a Nightingale,” and his longer poem called Endymion. He often used vivid and beautiful descriptions in his poetry, and one of his famous lines is “beauty is truth, truth beauty,” which helped inspire the idea of appreciating beauty for its own sake.
About John Keats
John Keats was born in London on October 31, 1795. His parents were Thomas Keats, who worked at a stable called the Swan and Hoop Inn, and Frances Jennings. He had three younger siblings named George, Thomas, and Frances Mary, who was called Fanny. Sadly, John Keats father passed away in April 1804 due to a horse riding accident, and he didn’t leave a will.
In 1803, Keats started attending John Clarke’s school in Enfield, which was near his grandparents’ house. This school had a more modern and progressive curriculum compared to others. John Clarke encouraged Keats’s interest in classical studies and history. Charles Cowden Clarke, John Clarke’s son, became a mentor for Keats and introduced him to writers from the Renaissance period like Torquato Tasso, Spenser, and George Chapman. When Keats was a young boy, he could be moody and sometimes lazy, but at the age of 13, he began focusing on doing well in school. By the middle of the summer in 1809, he won his first academic prize.
At the age of 14, Keats faced another tragedy when John Keats mother passed away from tuberculosis. Richard Abbey and Jon Sandell were then appointed as the guardians for Keats and his siblings. In that same year, Keats left John Clarke’s school to become an apprentice to a surgeon and apothecary named Thomas Hammond, who was also his mother’s family doctor. He lived in the attic above Hammond’s practice until 1813.
John Keats Biography
One of the English poets who had a big impact during the Romantic era was Keats. He lived at the same time as Lord Byron and others. Keats had a unique view of life because of the open-minded education he received at a boarding school called John Clark’s School in Enfield, which is now part of north London. This school had teachers who encouraged his interest in history and the classics. These interests stayed with Keats and showed up in his poetry.
Keats started his career in medicine. After his parents passed away, he worked as an apprentice to a local apothecary and later went to medical school. He became a licensed doctor and was good at it, but he told people that he wanted to be a poet more than a doctor.
Keats’s first completed work was “An Imitation of Spenser,” which he wrote when he was 19. He also wrote a poem called “O Solitude,” which was published in a magazine called “The Examiner.” This magazine was known for being open-minded. Keats published several poetry books, but his first one, “Poems,” didn’t do well with the public. Most people didn’t appreciate his work until the last few years of his life.
Unfortunately, Keats’s life was cut short by tuberculosis, which is the same disease that took his mother’s life. He never got married, but he had a romantic relationship with a woman named Fanny Brawne. Many believe that his sonnet “Bright Star” was written, at least in part, as a tribute to his love for her. When Keats found out he had tuberculosis, his doctors advised him to move to a warmer place, so he went to Rome. He passed away there just a few months later.
John Keats Poems
John Keats, the famous English poet, wrote many beautiful poems that are loved by people even today. John Keats’ short poems are like small treasures of beauty and emotion. Let’s take a closer look at some of his most famous ones:
- “Ode to a Nightingale”: In this poem, Keats talks about hearing a nightingale’s song in the forest. He gets lost in the bird’s music and wishes he could escape from the troubles of life like the bird. This poem explores the idea of the beauty of art and nature helping us forget our sorrows.
- “Ode on a Grecian Urn”: In this poem, Keats looks at a picture on an ancient Greek vase (an urn). He talks about how the people and scenes on the urn will never change, unlike the real world, where everything eventually fades away. He also says that the urn’s beauty will last forever.
- “To Autumn”: Keats celebrates the beauty of autumn in this poem. He describes the season’s sights, sounds, and feelings. He talks about the ripe fruits, the songs of birds, and the peacefulness of the countryside during this time of year.
- “Ode on Melancholy”: This poem explores the idea of sadness and how it is connected to beauty. Keats advises us not to run away from sadness but to embrace it because it can make us appreciate the happy moments in life even more.
- “La Belle Dame Sans Merci”: This is a ballad (a type of poem) where Keats tells a story about a knight who meets a beautiful and mysterious lady. The lady seems kind at first, but she eventually brings him sadness and heartbreak. It’s a cautionary tale about the dangers of falling for appearances.
- “Bright Star”: In this short sonnet, Keats expresses his deep love and desire for a bright star in the night sky. He wishes to be as constant and unchanging as the star in his love.
These are just a few of John Keats poems. He was known for his ability to capture the beauty of nature and the depth of human emotions in his verses. His poems continue to touch the hearts of readers around the world with their timeless themes and eloquent words.
John Keats Quotes
John Keats, the famous poet, had many meaningful things to say. Here are some of John Keats Quotes explained in simple words:
- “A thing of beauty is a joy forever.”
This quote means that beautiful things make us happy and bring us joy that lasts a long time. Beauty has a special way of staying with us and making us feel good.
- “Do not be impatient for success, but be patient with yourself.”
Keats is telling us not to rush and expect to be successful right away. Instead, we should be kind and patient with ourselves as we work towards our goals. Success takes time and effort.
- “Heard melodies are sweet, but those unheard are sweeter.”
This quote suggests that the music we imagine in our minds can be even more beautiful than the music we hear with our ears. Our imagination can create something very special.
- “Beauty is truth, truth beauty.”
Keats is saying that when something is beautiful, it is also true and genuine. Beautiful things are often honest and real.
- “Poetry should surprise by a fine excess and not by singularity, it should strike the reader as a wording of his own highest thoughts, and appear almost a remembrance.”
This quote means that good poetry should amaze us with its richness and not by being strange or unusual. It should feel like it’s expressing our own deepest thoughts and memories.
- “I am certain of nothing but the holiness of the Heart’s affections and the truth of Imagination.”
Keats is saying that the most important things in life are the love and feelings in our hearts and the power of our imagination. These things are true and sacred.
- “The poetry of the earth is never dead.”
This quote reminds us that nature always has something beautiful to offer. Even when we think it’s quiet, it’s still full of poetry and beauty.
John Keats Death
John Keats, the famous poet, died at a young age because of a serious illness called tuberculosis. This disease was also the cause of his mother’s death, so it was a very sad and difficult time for him.
When doctors told Keats that he had tuberculosis, they advised him to move to a warmer and more comfortable place to help him feel better. So, he decided to go to Rome, which is a city in Italy known for its nice weather.
Sadly, despite the hope for improvement, Keats didn’t get better in Rome. He continued to suffer from the effects of tuberculosis, which made it hard for him to breathe and caused him a lot of pain. Unfortunately, there were no effective treatments for tuberculosis at that time.
In February 1821, at the young age of just 25, John Keats passed away in Rome. It was a tragic and untimely end for a poet who had so much talent and potential. His death marked the end of a promising literary career, and it was a great loss to the world of poetry and literature.
FAQs on John Keats Biography
What kind of poet was John Keats?
John Keats was a Romantic poet known for his lyrical and emotional style of writing.
Who is John Keats?
John Keats was an English Romantic poet who lived in the early 19th century.
What is John Keats most famous for?
John Keats is most famous for his Romantic poetry and is known for his odes and sonnets.
What was John Keats first poem?
John Keats's first completed poem was 'An Imitation of Spenser.'
What is the saddest Keats poem?
'Ode to a Nightingale' is often considered one of the saddest poems by Keats.
Why John Keats is a romantic poet?
John Keats is a Romantic poet because he was part of the Romantic literary movement, which emphasized emotion, nature, and individualism in poetry.
What was Keats last poem?
Keats's last poem was 'To Autumn,' which is also one of his most celebrated works.
What was Keats writing style?
John Keats had a rich and sensual writing style that often incorporated vivid imagery, sensuous descriptions of nature, and a focus on human emotions and experiences.
