Literature, like philosophy and art, follows a continuous wave; with each crest of a new era is added a trough of the previous era. When a new era of style and ideals surfaces, the ideas are often directly opposed to those of the previous period. The Romantic period was an era of emotion, there was no longer a question of logic or precision as in the Age of Enlightenment. Artists and poets of the Romantic period, such as John Keats, focused on expressing feelings and demonstrated an affinity with nature. In “Ode on a Grecian Urn” by John Keats, Keats brings to life the images displayed on an ancient urn. The images that appear in our minds are those of beauty, love and happiness, all of which have been retained over the years despite the rise and fall of civilizations and kingdoms. This creation parallels the seemingly ideal and eternal world depicted on the urn, with the world in which Keats was born to live. The truth extracted from this poem provides both answers and mysteries which, as TS Elliot explains, can be seen as a factor of "imperfections" or something truly profound. If it had not been for Keats's education, his work would not have captured the same mastery as it does today, as evidenced by his manipulation of sound and his use of rhetorical devices. Keats endured many hardships in his short life, such as If the death of his father was not enough, he also lost his mother and brother to tuberculosis (Marshall). Having no family, Keats was looking for something to fill this void, that something was Fanny Brawne. Once engaged to her, Keats could no longer pursue the marriage; The reason why was because he didn't think he was good enough for her because of his...... middle of paper ......f the life depicted on the urn, the eternal life he desires, he begins to rediscover his initial thought about eternity: “Will you love forever, and it will be just!” » Right after, in the third stanza, Keats begins to exaggerate a bit with the happiness, almost as if he is trying to convince himself that the beauty he sees in eternal life is true: “A happier love! a happier and happier love! Keats's tone depends on what phase he is in, whether he realizes the reality of it all or whether he is trying to find the truth in what he considers beautiful. Works Cited Hirst, Wolfz. John Keats. Boston: GK Hall Co., 1981. p.128-134. Marshall, Kristine E., ed. “John Keats.” Elements of literature. 6th course. Boston: Holt, Rinehart and Winston, 1997. Matlak, Richard E. “John Keats.” Critical investigation of poetry. ed. Frank N. Magill. Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey: Salem Press, 1982. p.1542-1558.