Account of the concluding stanzas of Adonais

“Adonais” by P.B. Shelley is a pastoral elegy. It is considered to be one of the best elegies in the English literature. Shelley wrote this elegy mourning the death of John Keats. The entire elegy can be divided into two parts. In the first 37 stanzas, Shelley mourns Keats’ death. He then talks about nature mourning Keats’ death, and how human emotions, thoughts, ideas and dead poets come to see the dead Keats. He attacks the critics whom he believed to have caused Keats’ early death. He says that this world is a cruel place for talented men like Keats and himself. However, in the last 17 stanzas, he gives readers hope and says that Keats did not die but joined the greatest poets. He will remain in this earth, in nature and among the people.

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In the last 17 stanzas, Shelley gives hope to his readers. He tells them not to mourn the death of Keats for he has gone to a place where savage critics will not be able to attack him. He has joined the great poets who joined the illustrious dead. Keats body will be consumed by earth but his pure spirit will be part of the divine spirit. The divine spirit is eternal and do not change with time. Keats spirit will join this eternal divine spirit and the critics who attacked him will die in shame.

Shelley further says that Keats’ life in this world was not a life but a sleep; a dream. After his death, Keats or Adonais has woken up from that dream. It is the ordinary people who lead a meaningless life on this earth by fighting meaningless illusions. Keats has gone to a place where there is no jealousy, slander, hate and pain.

Once again Shelley personifies the nature and tells it not to mourn Adonais or Keats’ death. He tells “Young Dawn” to turn all his dew into something glittering and glorious. A great spirit like that of Keats can never die. It is death who has died.

Finally, Shelley declares-

“He is made one with Nature. There is heard

 His voice in all her music, from the moan

 Of thunder to the song of night's sweet bird.

 He is a presence to be felt and known

 In darkness and in light, from herb and stone”

Shelley believes in Pantheism. He believes that Keats has now become one with the nature. He has not died. His voice can be heard in all the sounds of nature- thunder’s moan and birds’ music. He has become part of the Spirit of beauty to which he once contributed to during his life on earth.

Shelley says that great poets are like stars. Their lights may dim but never extinguishes. Many great poets, including Shelley himself, who did not find fame in their lifetime but eventually they became famous. Their thoughts and ideas always inspire the young minds and lift them from their earthly thoughts. All the great poets, who died young age, have risen up to greet Keats or Adonais. Shelley visualizes that Thomas Chatterton, Sir Philip Sydney, Lucan, the Roman poet, all rose up in Keats’ honor.

Keats again scolds readers for mourning Keats’ death. Shelley tells him to conceive the greatness of the vast space and then shrink back to his daily life. He tells the mourner not to be afraid of death but to lead a cheerful life by accepting death.

Shelley then tells the readers to go to Rome, which contains tombs of many great kings of the world who conquered and caused untold misery and death on earth. Keats is lying there in cemetery. People like Keats do not need glory but they lend glory to other people. In the same manner, Keats’ burial has given Rome a splendor. Kings and conquerors perish and sink in oblivion but great poets and intellectuals who stood up and fought against the decay of their time will never be forgotten.

Shelley then talks about the ruins of Rome which is lying bare for many years. As a result, grass and flowers have grown over them. The ruins are big and calm and quiet. Going there one would have strange feelings. Shelley refers this as the “Spirit of the spot”. The tomb of Caius Cestius is located nearby. It is a pyramid made of stone. Beating the decaying force of time, the pyramid is standing there in a majestic manner. The spirit will guide the readers through the place and would lead him to a cemetery filled with green grass. Along with the grasses there are flowers grown over the graves. These flowers would look like laughing infants. It is there Keats is being buried. The reader should stand there for a moment. The surrounding graves are the graves of people who died recently.

In the end, Shelley once again feels the presence of the Eternal spirit and accepts his death. He feels that he has no hope or desire to live in this world. He finds no attraction in this world. Even the people he loved gives him trouble. He feels like the sky is smiling upon him and airs are whispering in his ears. He felt like Keats is telling Shelley to join with him. Shelley is not afraid of death but thinking that life is keeping him away from Keats or Adonais. 

What is Shelley's philosophy about life in “Adonais”?

"Adonais" written by Percy Bysshe Shelley is a pastoral elegy poem. The poet on this poem has mourned over the death of John Keats. In the first 37 stanzas of the poem, Shelley talks about the death of Keats and how the nature and human emotions, thoughts and ideas came to see Keats and cried. He also attacks the critics, whom he believed to have caused early death of Keats. In the last eighteen stanzas, he turns to philosophical consolation. In this part, Shelley represents his philosophy about life.

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Shelley was a romantic poet. Romanticists believed in Pantheism. Pantheism is the belief that everything is God, and God is everything. The universe, “Nature” and God are thus interchangeable terms.

Shelley talks about John Milton, the great English poet who composed the epic “Paradise Lost”. Milton suffered a lot in his life and died old, blind and lonely but Shelley believed that even after his death his spirit remains in earth.

Similarly, Shelley said that Keats did not die. He tells the readers not to cry over Keats’ death rather they should be happy that Keats has gone to a place where savage reviewers would not be able to touch him. He now wakes up and sleeps with great people. Keats or Adonais came from that great eternal spirit and would now become one with it.

Shelley further says that Keats’ life in this world was not a life but a sleep; a dream. After his death, Keats or Adonais has woken up from that dream. It is the ordinary people who lead a meaningless life on this earth by fighting meaningless illusions. Keats has gone to a place where there is no jealousy, slander, hate and pain.

Once again Shelley personifies the nature and tells it not to mourn Adonais or Keats’ death. He tells “Young Dawn” to turn all his dew into something glittering and glorious. A great spirit like that of Keats can never die. It is death who has died.

Finally, Shelley declares-

He is made one with Nature. There is heard

His voice in all her music, from the moan

Of thunder to the song of night's sweet bird.

He is a presence to be felt and known

In darkness and in light, from herb and stone,

These lines clearly express Shelley’s pantheistic views. He believes that Keats has now become one with the nature. He has not died. His voice can be heard in all the sounds of natures- thunder’s moan and birds’ music. He has become part of the Spirit of beauty to which he once contributed to during his life on earth.

Many believe that by switching to his philosophy on life and death, Shelley destroyed the unity in Adonais which is true considering structure of the poem but I believe that by giving his own philosophy he made this poem unique. No poet in this world is complete, every poet has their weaknesses and strengths but this weaknesses and strengths made their works more unique and enjoyable to the readers.

Evaluate Adonais as a pastoral elegy

“Adonais” by P B Shelley is a pastoral elegy and is considered to be one of the best elegies of English literature.

The most prominent feature of pastoral elegy is the description of the nature of countryside; dark, gloom and quietness representing death, loss and sadness. For example, in “Elegy Written in a Country Church Yard”, poet Thomas Gray describes the nature at the time of sunset. Dark is approaching and everything is becoming quiet. Here dark symbolizes sorrow, loss or death. In “Adonais”, Shelley draws images of nature mourning over the death of Keats or Adonais.

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At the beginning of the poem, the speaker (Shelley) tells the readers that Adonais is dead and is calling Urania, his mother, who is now in paradise, to come and mourn his dead son. Shelley referred Uraina as the “most musical of mourners.” The dreams and thoughts of Adonais or Keats come to see him and mourn his death. Shelley says that these dreams and thoughts are like flocks of sheep and Keats is the shepherd. These sheep graze near the stream of Keats’ beautiful spirit and live on its water. If Keats had lived, he would have communicated these thoughts to other people but now he is dead and these thoughts are fading and lamenting their unhappy fate. This image of flocks of sheep and herdsman returning to their homes is very common in pastoral elegy for they focus on the beauty and simplicity of rural life.

Shelley has personified the emotions of human heart. They have come to see Adonais for one last time and mourn his death. Emotions such as desires, adorations, wingéd persuasions, destinies, splendors, glooms, hopes, fears, phantasies, sorrow with her family of sighs and pleasure blinded by tears walk slowly just like the way mist moves slowly over the streams during autumn.

The morning, the thunder, the ocean, and the wild winds mourned Keats’ death. The morning appeared in the east, her hair was loose and untied. Dew drops fell on the ground at dawn but upon knowing Keats’s death, the dew took the shape of clouds and darkened the sky. The ocean remained sad and calm and the thunder moaned.

Echo, nymph of the mountain, is so grief-stricken over the death of Keats that she lost her will to speak. Her silence makes the mountains voiceless. Echo will not reply to the birds chirping on the young tree branches, or herdsman's horn, or bell which can be heard while at the end of the day. Here Shelley talks about the end of the day and approach of night. Night symbolizes death and sadness.

Keats used to be a source of pleasure for the Spring season. His death made Spring wild in grief. It lost its spirit. During Spring, new leaves grow on trees but after Keats’ death leaves fall off from trees. Spring is so sad that it acted like Autumn.

In the end of a pastoral elegy, the poet represents his thoughts and ideas on life and death and provides consolation to the readers. Shelley also did the same thing in “Adonais”. He said that Adonais or Keats has not died but has become one with the nature. He is hopeful that Keats is not dead but will continue to live forever in the nature. 

Classical and Romantic elements in Adonais

“Adonais” is one of the best known poems written by Percy Bysshe Shelley. It is also considered to be one of the best elegies in English literature. The poem is written mourning the death of John Keats. This poem has many Romantic and Classical elements.

Shelley used many characters from Greek mythology in this poem. The title of this poem is “Adonais”, a character of Greek Mythology. The original spelling of the name is “Adonis”. Adonis was a beautiful young man and Aphrodite, the Greek goddess of love, beauty, pleasure, and procreation, fell in love with him. Adonis was killed by a wild boar and Aphrodite mourned his death. Based on this story, Greek poet Bion composed a poem, “Lament of Aphrodite for Adonis”. Shelley’s “Adonais” was inspired from that poem but Shelley changed the name to Adonais and represented Aphrodite as Aphrodite Urania who was the goddess of heavenly or spiritual love and changed it to mother-son relationship.

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In the beginning of the poem, Shelley tells the reader that Adonais is dead and asks Urania, Adonais’ mother, who is in Paradise at the time of her son’s death, to come down from her comfort and see that her son has been killed by savage attack of the critics.

Shelley also used the mythology of “Echo”, a mountain nymph. According to Greek mythology, Echo loved her own voice. Shelley said that Echo loved Keats. When Keats was alive, she replied to his voice. Now, Keats is dead and she sits in the mountains and would not reply to the sound of winds or fountains or the “amorous birds” on the green branches or herdsman’s horn or bell. Other Greek mythological characters that had been mentioned in the poem are- Narcissus, Hyacinth, and Actaeon.

Shelley is a poet of Romantic era. So, we can find Romantic elements in this poem. The first noticeable Romantic element in “Adonais” is nature. We see a wide range of natural images in this poem. In the beginning of the poem, Shelley says, 
              "She sate, while one, with soft enamoured breath,
               Rekindled all the fading melodies 
               With which, like flowers that mock the corse beneath, 
               He had adorned and hid the coming bulk of death." 

Here Shelley said that Adonais or Keats sang in a beautiful voice while Urania remained in paradise and with these melodies, Keats embellished the heavy figure of death. After Adonais’ death, those songs, like flowers, covered his dead body and mocked it. Here Shelley is actually comparing Keats’ works with flowers.

From Stanza 15 to Stanza 20, Shelley draws natural images and shows that Nature is mourning Keats’ death. All Romantic poets including Shelley believed that God is present everywhere in nature. In the end of “Adonais”, Shelley says that Keats did not die but has become one with nature which means he went close to god.

Romantics hated the present day world. They fantasized about distant, exotic world; sometimes far away in past or future. Critics labeled the romanticist as escapist. Real world is too complex for them. In this poem, we see that Shelley scolds the critics who attacked Keats’ works. When Urania came to know about Adonais’ death, she came out of her “secret paradise” and rushed to Adonais’ grave. She went “Through camps and cities rough with stone, and steel.” This line is a reflection of Shelley’s thoughts about his contemporary society, people, and city. While going to Keats’ grave, hard human hearts resisted Urania and her feet blade from “barbed tongues, and thoughts more sharp than they”. The blood that came out of her tender feet was like the rains of May that causes flowers to spring up.

In Stanza 27, Shelley said that Keats did not follow the convention poetic style and wrote poetry in his own style at a very young age. Because of his young age, he could not defend himself from the attack of the critics. In Stanza 31, Shelley describes his own condition. Because of his revolutionary ideas, he suffered a lot.

Individualism is another important aspect of Romantic poets. They believed in expressing their own ideas. Shelley was expelled from Oxford for publishing a pamphlet titled, “The Necessity of Atheism”. His revolutionary ideas were not well-accepted by the people. Shelley did not gain fame in his lifetime. His condition was, in many ways, similar to that of Keats.

Despite its shortcomings, “Adonais” is a beautiful poem. The revolutionary thoughts and ideas of Romantic poets are present here as well. In the beginning, Shelley started with Greek Mythology and then he shifted towards life and death which according to many critics destroyed the unity of the poem. However, it is a great elegy and anyone would enjoy reading it.