A Backstory of John Keats: A Romantic Poet

John Keats was born into the Romantic Era and developed his poetic skills through a series of trial and error attempts. Keats was born in October of 1795 in London. His early childhood was spent attending school, and mourning the loss of his father at the age of eight. His career as a poet did not begin until he left his career in apothecary.

The Romantic Era brought forth a wave of change for poetry. Keats and other poets of the time developed a style of poetry that tested the waters for future poets. The poetry that was created was full of imagery and allegorical themes that acknowledged the existence of the supernatural. A lot of the poetry was filled with sexual and physical passion that was mixed with cynical and tortured allusions. These poets were responsible for the modern thoughts that we have that poets are tortured and their poetry is filled with sexual tension and ambiguous meanings.

(Photo below: Four major Romantic Era poets) 

John Keats early writing was influenced by the other poets that he worked with, and his first volume of poems called Poems by John Keats was highly critiqued and almost ended John Keats' career as a poet. To read more on the history of Keats, click here.

One of Keats later poems that was published after his death was Isabella or The Pot of Basil. This poem was in response to Italian author Giovanni Boccaccio's The Decameron. The Decameron was finished in 1353 and was considered a frame story. The series of stories that were featured in Boccaccio's piece were specifically tales of erotic and tragic love stories. John Keats specifically focuses on the short story about The Decameron (IV, 5) where Lisabette's brothers slay her lover. The story reveals that her lover's ghost appears in her dreams showing where his body is buried. Lisabette then searches for his body, and brings back his head. She plants the head in a pot to hide it from her brothers. She weeps over the loss of her lover for awhile, and  her brothers eventually learn of the pot and take it away. This leads to Lisabette's destruction and she dies.

Below are some images that have been formed from John Keats poem Isabella or The Pot of Basil.

The pictures all portray a version of Isabella hugging the basil pot that has her lover's head buried in it. 

Keats' version of The Decameron elaborates on the same version of this story. Keats begins this poem by putting the poem in Lorenzo's (the lover) perspective. The reader is only experiencing Lorenzo's feelings of love for Isabella. For example, we see how deep and desirous Lorenzo's love is for Isabella when he discusses what he would do to tell Isabella his feelings:

'And yet I will, and tell my love all plain:

'If looks speak love-laws, I will drink her tears,

'And at the least 'twill startle off her cares. ' (191).

The transition of the story turns by following the same story that Boccaccio created. The brother's find out about the romance between Isabella and Lorenzo and plot to murder him. They successfully follow through with their disposal of Lorenzo. However, Keats' uses this point of the poem to show the tension between different patriarchal structures and class tension. The poem also reveal that Isabella is required to marry a wealthy man. However, the poem then transitions into the point of view of Isabella's love. The story follows the same story of Lorenzo coming to Isabella and her seeking where his body is buried. The story finishes by Isabella finding Lorenzo's body and then planting the head of Lorenzo.The brothers become aware of the pot and get rid of the pot. The loss of the pot results in the death of Isabella. 

Keats uses this poem ambiguously alludes this poem as a example of dangerously, intense love.

What aspects of the Romantic Era poetry differentiate from the traditional poetry at the time? What does the emphasis of the supernatural play in the poetry of the Romantic Era?

How does Keats' version of Isabella change from Boccaccio's story? Why do you think Keats' chose this story? What events or emotions could have influenced Keats' in writing this? Why do you think this poem was successful?