1. John Keats

2. Keats – Biographical information
Born – Moorefield, London, in 1795
8 years old – father passed away
14 years old – mother died of tuberculosis
Keats found comfort in literature and art
Originally trained to be a medic
Eventually gave this up for a writing career
Blighted by ill health
Moved to Rome
Eventually succumbed to tuberculosis himself, aged 25

3. Context – The French Revolution (1789)
End of ancien regime in France
Across Europe – end of feudal systems
Most violent and universally significant of revolutions
Bourgeoisie aspired to political power
Peasants wanted improved standards of living

4. Age of Reason
Also included the shorter time period ‘The Age of Enlightenment’
Reason, rationality and enlightenment became the new ‘gods’
New age – rather than received communication from God, man felt obligated to follow his own intellect, rather than revealed ‘truth’
Age of Enlightenment
European intellectual movement of the C17th/C18th
Ideas concerning God, reason, nature and humanity influenced art, philosophy and politics
Reason = power by which humans understand the universe and improve their own condition
Method of reason eventually is eventually applied to religion itself – it brought about scepticism, atheism and materialism

5. Romanticism Refers to attitude and intellectual orientation
Characterised works of literature, painting, music, architecture, criticism
C18th/C19th
Rejection of the precepts of order, calm, harmony, balance, idealisation and rationality that typified Classicism
Reaction against enlightenment and rationalism
Emphasised the individual, the subjective, the irrational, the imaginative, the personal, the spontaneous, the emotional, the visionary and the transcendental.
New appreciation of medieval romance
Overtly emotional

8. La Belle Dame Sans Merci
Listen to this reading
Make notes on the structure of the poem, rhyme scheme, and your response to it.
Some musicians have even put the poem to music:
Clip 1
Clip 2
What kind of narrator is this?
Is the narrator involved in the story? How?
Why do you think Keats chose to include this type of narrator?

9. Answer the questions on page 23 of your booklet
Be prepared to feed back to the rest of the class.

10. Choose three quotes from the poem which show examples of Keats’ use of imagery
Mind map each quote you have chosen
Comment on use of language and structure
Think about how your quotes could reveal aspects of tragedy
‘I saw pale kings and princes too,
Pale warriors, death-pale were they all;
They cried – ‘La Belle Dame sans Merci
Hath thee in thrall!’

11. Now, use your notes to respond to the question:
To what extent can La Belle Dame Sans Merci be considered as ‘tragic’?
Focus only on AO1 and AO2 here.

12. Peer Assessment
AO2 – requires students to analyse ways in which meanings are shaped in literary texts, with particular focus on the structures of texts as a form of shaping.
Band 3 – straightforward understanding of authorial methods and relevant engagement with how meanings are shaped
Band 4 – thorough understanding of authorial methods and thorough engagement with how meanings are shaped
Band 5 – perceptive understanding of authorial methods and assured engagement with how meanings are shaped

13. The Eve of St Agnes Reading introduced by Andrew Motion
St Agnes’ Eve: The title comes from the day (or evening) before the feast of Saint Agnes (or St. Agnes' Eve)
St. Agnes, the patron saint of virgins, died a martyr in 4th century Rome (304 AD)
The eve falls on 20 January; the feast day on the 21st
St Agnes is often pictured with a lamb, which symbolises her innocence.

14. Discuss and make notes on:
Structure
What happens in each stanza? (narrative)
How Keats begins this ‘tragic’ poem – how does he set the scene?
Are there any characters introduced? What is suggested about them?
Which narrative methods and poetic techniques are used?
What do you think is most significant about the language?

15. Narrative and characters
Annotate the poem on the left side to show the narrative and the introduction of key characters.
Underline/highlight any words/phrases that you think hold particular significance.
Make brief notes on meaning as you go along

16. The Eve of St Agnes - Characterisation
In groups focus on a given character:
Angela
Porphyro
Madeline
Make notes on:
Where/how they enter (with links to setting/description)
The role they play in the narrative
Keats’ depiction of them (analyse)
Can you link this character/descriptions of them to any aspects of tragedy?
Extension
There are many gothic elements in this poem. Identify some of them and comment on their significance.

17. Analysis – Language and Structure
Read through the poem and annotate the following key stanzas. Make notes on structure, sound and symbolism. Try to use terminology linked to tragedy:
I – ‘St Agnes Eve…..prayer he saith’
IX – ‘So, purposing each….things have been’
XXV – ‘Full on this casement….from mortal taint.’
XXXIV – ‘Her eyes were open….so dreamingly’
XLI – ‘They glide, like phantoms….its hinges groan.’

18. Key Debates
Thematically, the poem can be seen as structured around a series of oppositions
Most central is the opposition between dream and reality
World of young lovers could be seen as a dream world – not based in any kind of reality
Is the poem a celebration or an ironic critique of idealistic young love?

19. Are the two distinct desires resolved
Are the two distinct desires resolved? To answer this we need to consider Porphyro’s intentions…
Porphyro
Madeline
Desires a vision of her lover and a dream of consummation
Desires to gaze upon the actual form of Madeline and, perhaps, even to experience a physical consummation

20. ‘Tragic heroes are always flawed
‘Tragic heroes are always flawed. They suffer and cause suffering to others.’ To what extent do you agree with this view in relation to The Eve of St Agnes?
First – consider the key words in the question
Tragic hero
flawed
suffer
Cause suffering

21. Jot down your key ideas…
In what ways does Keats suggest Porphyro suffers?
How does Keats imply that Porphyro causes suffering to others?

22. ‘Tragic heroes are always flawed
‘Tragic heroes are always flawed. They suffer and cause suffering to others.’ To what extent do you agree with this view in relation to The Eve of St Agnes?
Write an introduction to include the following:
Aristotle’s view – definition of a tragic hero
Your understanding of the key terms:
Flawed
Suffering
Give a clear indication of where you stand – to what extent do you agree?

23. ‘Isabella’ A B C D E Megan Maisie Vijdan Emily I Anna Beth Sanchia
Emily D
Jasmine
Hannah L
Amie
Chloe
Elisa
Stella
Daniel
Jack F
Niamh
Kathryn
Jack B
Hannah M
Sangiwe
Ellie
‘Isabella’
Use the worksheet to establish the order of the plot structure.
Discuss in groups to make sure you have the events in the right order.
Extension:
How might this poem be identified as
a tragedy? Make notes on key features.

24. Isabella or The Pot of Basil
Look closely at stanzas 1-6 and consider:
What mood is established and how?
Can you identify a specific semantic field and its significance?
Stanzas 14-22:
Explore the language used to present the brothers as villains
Keats reveals to us their plot to ‘kill Lorenzo, and there bury him’. Outline what their reasons are for this drastic decision.

25. Isabella or The Pot of Basil
Look at stanzas 34 – 41
How is Lorenzo described by Keats here?
What is your interpretation of events?
Can you link any of this section of the narrative to aspects of tragedy?
Extension task:
Can you identify any gothic features in this section?

26. Isabella or The Pot of Basil
Stanzas 42-50
Annotate the language here and write notes on meaning and how you respond to this section of the poem.
The gruesome image of Isabel digging the grave, then decapitating Lorenzo’s head from the corpse whilst being watched over by an ‘aged dame’ creates feelings of revulsion, horror and pity in the reader. Do you think this is what Keats intended?

27. ‘Isabella’ A B C D E Megan Maisie Vijdan Emily I Anna Beth Sanchia
Emily D
Jasmine
Hannah L
Amie
Chloe
Elisa
Stella
Daniel
Jack F
Niamh
Kathryn
Jack B
Hannah M
Sangiwe
Ellie
‘Isabella’
Task – on each table is a set of blue cards
In groups, discuss what evidence you can find for each idea
Make notes/mind map
Extension:
Use the yellow cards to make links/find examples of methods used by Keats.

28. ‘Isabella’ Characterisation – heroes, victims and villains
Who suffers and causes suffering in the poem
How setting is used to emphasise the suffering experienced by characters
Further techniques used by Keats

29. Isabella – Key Events Stanza I Stanzas VIII and IX Stanza XXVIII
Stanza XLI
Stanza L
Stanza LX and LXIII
In your groups, focus on the stanza you are given. Discuss its significance in the narrative and decide if there are any tragic elements present in it.

30. Explore the view that love, pain and suffering are central to the poem’s success.
Write notes on this idea
Choose quotes which link to each of the three key terms – love, pain, and suffering
How is each of these ideas directly linked to tragedy?
Write an introduction in answer to this question.