Shelley vs. Keats

913 Words4 Pages
Percy Shelley and John Keats were some of the most famous poets of all time. They both lived a short life, but they achieved much with their poetry. Percy Shelley was regarded as among the finest lyric poets in the English language. John Keats produced poems that rank him as one of the greatest English poets of all time. Shelley was described as selflessly devoted, misunderstood, and appallingly selfish. He was a risk-taker and could care less about consequences. Keats on the other hand, had different views about poetry. Shelley believed Keats to be a natural talent led astray by mannerisms and affection. Their poetry differed from each other in that their speakers had different feelings and desires. They were completely different people with different thoughts and ideas about life. In Shelley’s poem, To Wordsworth, is both a tribute and complaint. He feels that Wordsworth has sold his dignity and freedom by accepting a Government job. Shelley saw this as a form of “selling out” that would ultimately diminish Wordsworth poetic powers, and hence diminish poetry. He refers to the poet, Wordsworth, as a “poet of nature”. He feels that he is too foolish to understand what he is giving up. To Shelley, a poet of nature is a poet who derives more inspiration from the world of nature than from the world of men. Wordsworth is crying over his happy memories that may never return. “Childhood and youth, friendship, and love’s first glow, have fled like sweet dreams, leaving thee to mourn” (p. 775). He is saying how his childhood and youth, as well as his friendship and love is all gone and has disappeared. Shelley described Wordsworth as a bright, lonely star. “He was like a strong stone-built shelter to protect others from the storms of life. He was poor but honorable and self-respecting in his poverty.” After working for the government, he was no
Open Document