Tuesday, March 26, 2013
Green Eyed for the Nightingale
In the first stanza of "Ode to a Nightingale," Keats establishes a strange, almost childish mood. He talks about his "drowsy numbness," which seems to either be caused by drugs, his own emotions, or both. However, the childish attitude shows through in his jealousy for the nightingale. He says that it is not envy that drives him, but rather, he just cannot understand how the nightingale can be so happy. This rejection of jealousy serves more to prove Keats' jealousy, rather than defy it, because he does seem to envy the nightingale's happiness. The nightingale sings about summer, something it misses, with the same happiness as if it were summer then. There should be a feeling of longing from the nightingale, a feeling Keats cannot rid himself of, and this is driving him mad. Keats wants to be as happy as this nightingale, who rather than feeling intense longing after a loss, feels happy just thinking about what was lost.
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I agree about the presence of jealousy in this stanza but it can be found in more places. Another example of the green eyed jealousy is in stanza 5, where Keats describes the bird's experiences. The way Keats writes it the nightingale experiences everything so much more vividly and vibrantly than humans and Keats envies that. The birds passion for spring, its colors and aromas are part of its life, and it makes Keats long to experience nature this way. He wants that natural and easy connection the bird has to nature because of his own disconnect and concern for his health that limited his exposure to nature.
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