Finalterm Assignment

Course title-Romantic Poetry

Course code-ENG 2101

Submitted By

Name: Farzana Easmin Tabassum

ID: 201431042

Semester: 4th Batch: 25th

Submitted to

Sanjana Shahnaj

Lecturer, Department of English

Date of Submission: 20.06.2021

3. How does “ODE ON A GRECIAN URN” depict the mutability of human life and
the permanence of art and the permanence of art.

While the beautiful urn itself is a symbol of the static quality of art, at the same
time, the figures painted upon this urn symbolize the dynamic process of life,
which Keats states are in "slow time" and often silence since they are still art.
Thus, as an objet d'art, the urn is eternalized; however, as the depiction of an
experience, it is temporal.

Keats as poet acknowledges that there is "still" imperfection in the ideal nature of
art just as there are flaws in the temporal nature of life. For, the lovers are frozen,
or ever panting, and forever young" and though they are preserved in their youth,
they are unable to bring their love to fruition as humans could. Likewise, the
urn's music lasts longer than any music the poet may hear; however, its tones
cannot be heard and enjoyed as they can in life.

Keats is aware that he must search further than the beauty of the urn and its
truth as art. He must find a truth that extends beyond the beauty of an artifact
that, too, will eventually decay; he must find truth that is ever lasting beauty
where "all disagreeable" such as "slow time" truly evaporate."