Lamia Part 1

‘Lamia’ – John Keats Fairy tale opening with a classical setting.  ‘Lamia’ is a third-person, narrative poem written in heroic couplets The Greek myth behind the poem is that Lamia had an affair with Zeus (one of the Gods). Zeus' wife, Hera, was outraged when she found out, and punished Lamia by transforming her into a serpent and condemning her to a life of sleeplessness. According to some versions of the myth Hera also killed Lamia's children, meaning that Lamia hunted for other children to replace the ones she lost. Other versions state that Zeus eventually gave her the ability to take out her own eyes so she could sleep. In the Victorian era, people thought that Lamia actually hunted for men, not children, which emphasised the shockingness of her promiscuousness.

Lamia Part 1 – ‘Hermes and the serpent’ (lines 1 -145) The poem begins with Hermes searching for a beautiful nymph. He encounters the serpent Lamia (or rather, overhears her soliloquy bemoaning her fate) and asks for her help. It is insinuated that Lamia has agreed to protect the nymph, however, once Hermes offers her anything her heart desires ‘possess whatever bliss canst thou devise’ she betrays the nymph in order to be made human again so that she can be with Lycius. After line 145 we don’t hear from Hermes again and the narrative focuses on Lamia’s transformation Group A Lines 1- 37 Group B Lines 38 - 67 Group C Lines 68 - 111 Group D Lines 112 - 145 What do we learn about Hermes at the start of the poem? How is he characterised? How might this opening contain elements of tragedy? What is the significance of Lamia’s soliloquy? Why might Keats introduce her in this way? What further notes can you make about her characterisation? What is interesting about the way in which Lamia speaks to Hermes? What further observations can you make about their dialogue? How does Lamia show Hermes the location of the nymph? How is his reunion with the nymph described? What links can you make between this poem and ‘La Belle Dame’?

‘Lamia’ Part 1: ‘The Transformation’ (Lines 146 – 199) Close reading: Group A: Lines 146 – 155 Group B: Lines 156 – 170 Group C: Lines 171 – 184 Group D: Lines 185 - 195 After Hermes and the nymph leave together ‘into the green-recessed woods they flew’, Lamia’s transformation begins (note that on line 171 is the first time she is given the name ‘Lamia’!). However, it is not an easy process and lines 146 – 199 depict it’s different stages and end result. Key question: Why does Keats choose to present Lamia’s transformation in this way? How might it convey elements of tragedy?

Starter task – listen to the audio clip It's Never Over Arcade Fire Hey, Orpheus! I'm behind you Don't turn around I can find you Just wait until it's over Wait until it's through And if I call for you Oh, Orpheus! Just sing for me all night We'll wait until it's over Wait until it's through You say it's not me, it's you Hey, Orpheus! De l'autre côté de l'eau Comme un écho Just wait until it's over Wait until it's through This is a song by Arcade Fire What is the message of this song and how might it link to what we will be doing today?

Lamia Part 1: ‘Lamia’s seduction of Lycius’ (LINES 200 – 305) The next key section of the poem’s narrative concerns the way in which Lamia seeks out Lycius, followed by a detailed account of how she seduces him – echoing the earlier sequence of Hermes seeking out and seducing the nymph. Lines 200 – 219 The narrative moves back into the past and chronicles how Lamia first fell in love with Lycius (when still in serpent form) What do you notice about the narrative voice at the beginning of these lines? How is the serpent Lamia able to move between different places? What is significant about the places she has been to? What is significant about how Lamia first ‘meets’ Lycius Why do you think Keats includes this flashback?

Lamia Part 1: ‘Lamia’s seduction of Lycius’ (LINES 200 – 305) Lines 244 - 289 detail how Lamia calls to a passing Lycius (again echoing her earlier encounter with Hermes) and beckons him to turn back to look at her (in her beautiful human form). This leads to Keats describing Lycius as ‘Orpheus-like at an Eurydice’ – a famous tragic Greek tale concerning the lovers Orpheus and Eurydice Task: Looking closely at the dialogue between Lamia and Lycius, how would you describe both characters? What is interesting concerning how their relationship develops?

Lamia Part 1: ‘The Return to Corinth’ (305 – 395) The next section of the poem details Lycius and Lamia travelling to/ arriving at Corinth. Corinth is an ancient Greek city that in pre-biblical times was associated with a ‘cult of Venus/ Aphrodite’ In lines 310 to 321 Lamia presents a different version of how she first saw Lycius compared to the flashback the narrator gives us on lines 200-220. Task 1: What is significant about this? How does it affect our view of Lamia? The final stanza (lines 377 – 397) detail the entrance to a grand mansion Task 2: Why do you think Keats spends so much time describing this? Why it is included right before the end of part 1? What do you notice about the narrative voice at the end of this stanza?

Section C style Question ‘In tragedies, the boundaries between villains and victims are continually blurred’. To what extent do you agree with this view? In your answer, make reference to two of the writers you have studied. [20 marks] As a group, discuss how far you agree with the statement above and mark to what extent on the continuum: Agree Disagree

Mind Map your thoughts Villains Victims ‘In tragedies, the boundaries between villains and victims are continually blurred’. To what extent do you agree with this view? In your answer, make reference to two of the writers you have studied. [20 marks] Create a mind map for ‘villains’ and ‘victims’ for the tragedies written by Keats and Miller. Villains Victims