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Ode to Mortality: The Transience of Life in Keats’ Odes

ABSTRACT

John Keats, one of the most distinguished poets of the Romantic era, deeply contemplated the themes of mortality and transience throughout his poetry. His odes—particularly Ode to a Nightingale, Ode on a Grecian Urn, Ode on Melancholy, and To Autumn—capture his philosophical meditations on the fleeting nature of human existence, beauty, and joy. Keats’ poetic vision embraces the ephemeral quality of life, reflecting his personal experiences with suffering and death, while also attempting to find meaning and transcendence within it. This paper explores how Keats navigates the tension between permanence and impermanence, examining his use of imagery, symbolism, and the Romantic concept of Negative Capability. Through a close reading of his odes, this study demonstrates how Keats transforms the melancholy of mortality into poetic transcendence, embracing the inevitability of change as an essential part of human existence.

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