Ode To Psyche Essay

John Keats’ poem, Ode to Psyche, was written within a series of Odes. He wrote these Odes during the spring of 1819, filling them with vibrant spring images. Ode to Psyche is no exception. From the myth of the love between Psyche and Cupid, Keats develops this poem to bring recognition to Psyche and her ordeals. Cupid’s love for Psyche is complicated with his command for her to never look upon him leading to her disobedience and sudden rise to fame, glory, and superiority as a goddess. However, her story was pushed to the backburner as newer myths and stories gained popularity over the Greek or Roman gods so that she never did gain popularity or appreciation. In Ode to Psyche, John Keats illuminates the shift from unknown and forgotten to

In “some untrodden region of [his] mind,” the speaker wishes to create a “fane” for Psyche. Reflecting the initial natural imagery of forests and plants, the speaker describes his “branching” thoughts, where pines and “dark-cluster’d trees” will grow for her and highlighting his promise to bring knowledge of her successes. As he attempts to call more attention to her accomplishments, the speaker falls back to the natural world he first stumbled upon Psyche in, yet this time the descriptions are much more free. He is no longer “wandering thoughtlessly” and she is no longer stuck in the “deepest grass”; she is free to roam the “wild-ridged mountains” the speaker imagines in his mind. In his imagination, the speaker adds a “rose sanctuary” in the “the midst of this wide quietness.” The tone has become much more tranquil, suggesting Psyche’s contentment with her first temple and the beginning of her fame. The speaker creates a vivid temple for her tended by the “gardener Fancy,” who “breeds” unique and vast flowers, all that he could “ever feign.” The speaker’s bright imagery and imagination of all he could offer Psyche reveals his devotion to her, though ultimately Psyche belongs to Cupid, as told in the myth. Without hesitation, the speaker tells of the “casement ope at night to let the warm Love in,” creating a path for Cupid to reach his lover. However, Love also references the newfound attention that Psyche receives from the speaker and his new priesthood, thus presenting the recognition and honor that Psyche has obtained from the speaker’s beautiful