Keats' Apollo:
Myth in English Romantic Poetry
Visions of Apollo in the Keats Corpus
The prevalence in Keats' poetry of direct references to the Greek god Apollo
is quite remarkable. Even more remarkable is Keats' continual invocation
of attributes traditionally associated with Apollo in myth--such as gold,
fire, light, the lyre, and laurels--even when it is not certain he means
to call forth the deity himself. These might be said to form Keats' Apollonian
complex. If Apollo and those things associated with him became for Keats
his dominant metaphor and symbol, as some critics have argued, then to
understand Keats' poetry it is necessary that we understand his Apollo.
What was did Keats see in Apollo and things Apollonian? How does the Apollonian
complex function in his poetry? Rather than putting forth a single definitive
statement, this web-site will outline a number of prevailing theories concerning
Keats' preoccupation with and use of Apollo throughout his six-year writing
career.
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created 5/7/98