Implications of Romantic Hellenism by John Keats and Percy Bysshe Shelley

Tasneem Mahmood

Oct-Nov-Dec

Abstract
The Romantic Movement (1770-1848) in Europe was the result of inspiration, subjectivity and primacy of individuals in the field of art, literature and music. In case of English literature, the second generation of romanticism involved George Gordon Byron, Percy Bysshe Shelley and John Keats. Their contributions were creatively aggressive; lyricism, idealism, broad imagination and extended use of ancient myths was the core of the second epoch. Greek myths and culture became a major source of interest as they were abundant in fantasy and adventure, provoking higher level of imagination for both readers and writers alike. The Greek architecture, art and philosophy was also highly appreciated in Romantic poetry as they were enriched in intellect and aesthetics. Their impact in English literature is referred to as Romantic Hellenism. This paper attempts to shed light on the different implications of Romantic Hellenism in poetry through analysis of some authentic poems of John Keats and Percy Bysshe Shelley; how the classical Greek myth, art, literature and philosophy influenced their subject matters and determined its verses. What makes this paper distinctive from what has already been studied on is the survey of the inner meanings of four of the eccentric use of Hellenism in Prometheus Unbound, Ozymandias, Ode on a Grecian Urn and On First Looking into Chapman’s Homer. Besides it also shares a glimpse on how they shifted from borrowing an aspect of myth and converted it into their own mythological wisdom. .

Keyword: Romantic Hellenism, Greek myth, Romanticism

Research Area: English Literature

Country: Bangladesh

download