Keats’ Character:
Introduction:
Matthew Arnold’s critical essay ‘John Keats’ was prefixed to Ward’s ‘Selection from Keats’. In the concluding paragraph of the essay Arnold remarks:
“For the second great half of poetic interpretation, for that faculty of moral interpretation which is in Shakespeare, and in informed by him with the same power of beauty as his naturalistic interpretation, Keats was not ripe. For the architectonics of poetry, the faculty which presides at the evolution of works like the Agamemnon or Lear, he was not ripe. His Endymion, as he himself well saw, is a failure, and his Hyperion, fine things as it contains, is not a success. But in shorter things, where the matured power of moral interpretation, and the high architectonics which go’ with complete poetic development, are not required, he is perfect. The poems which follow prove it, — prove it far better by themselves than anything which can be said about them will prove it. Therefore, I have chiefly spoken here of the man, and of the elements in him which explain the production of such work.”
When he talks about John Keats as a man, he puts stress on his attitude towards the beloved Fanny Brawne and common people.
Keats’ Weaknesses:
As a lover Keats seems to be a weak man on account of his want of self-control. He does not show a strong character. Character and self-control are necessary for every kind of greatness. For a great artist too, they are very important. But it seems Keats was lacking in it. Keats’ ‘Letters to Fanny Brawne’, at least, creates such an impression about the great poet. It is thought that it was better not to publish those letters. Keats wrote them. when he was near his end. A letter that he wrote some months before he was taken ill expresses his inward feelings. Keats wrote in it that Fanny. had absorbed him. He had the sensation as if he were dissolving. He was longing to see her. He did not approve to be so separated from her. He wished for a change in her feelings for him. His love had no limit. He received her letter. He could not live happy away from her. Love was his religion and he was ready to die for that. He was willing to die for her. She had attracted him by a Power he could not resist. Ever since he had seen her, he had endeavoured to reason against the reasons of his Love. His love was selfish. He could not breathe without her.
It shows his weak character. “He had no decision of character,” Haydon adds; “no object upon which to direct his great powers.”
Character and self-control, the virtus verusque labor so necessary for every kind of greatness, and for the great artist, too, indispensable, appear to be wanting, certainly, to this Keats of Haydon’s portraiture. They are wanting also to the Keats of the Letters to Fanny Brawne. These letters expose his over-emotional character. For example, he wrote to Fanny Brawne:
“You have absorb’d me. I have a sensation at the present moment as though I was dissolving–I should be exquisitely miserable without the hope of soon seeing you. I should be afraid to separate myself far from you. My sweet Fanny, will your heart never change? My love, will it? I have no limit now to my love…. Your note came in just here. I cannot be happier away from you. “Tis richer than an Argosy of Pearles. Do not threat me even in jest. I have been astonished that Men could die Martyrs for religion— I have shuddered at it. I shudder no more— I could be martyred for my Religion— Love is my religion— I could die for that. I could die for you. My Creed is Love and you are its only tenet. You have ravished me away by a Power I cannot resist; and yet I could resist till I saw you; and even since I have seen you I have endeavoured often ‘to reason against the reasons of my Love.’ I can do that no more— the pain would be too great. My love is selfish. I cannot breathe without you.”
Arnold thinks a man of such feelings is bound to have misfortune in love-affairs. Here Keats creates the impression of being a passion’s slave. It is an expression of a youth ill brought up having no training of keeping feelings under control. It is the sort of love letter read out in a breach of promise case or in the Divorce Court. The sensuous man speaks in it. But he is badly bred and badly trained. Those who are like him may enjoy it. They may regard it as beautiful and appreciate their lovely and beloved Keats for it. Such admirers harm to the fame of Keats. It is desirable to appreciate what is good in him. For example, the lines drawing a sensuous word picture of a beautiful lady. But Keats has something more than it. He is one of the very greatest of English poets not because of sensuousness but because his poetry interprets life. Keats has the elements of high character and makes efforts to develop them. Unfortunately, is effort is unsuccessful because of his disease and time.
Ironic Fault’s in Keats’ Behaviour:
Keats’ character was full of great irony. According to Lord Houghton the faults of Keats’ behaviour were contrary to the common opinion about him. In this reference, he gives a letter written after the death of Keats by his brother George, speaking of the fantastic Johnny Keats that Keats had great manliness and courage. Keats wrote to his brothers that probity and disinterestedness hold and grasp the tip-top of any spiritual honors. Keats shows signs of virtue in the true and large sense of the word, the instinct for virtue passing into the life. Keats regards it unfortunate that men should bear with each other. There is no man who may not be cut up or cut to pieces on his weakest side. The best of men have but a portion of good in them. Keats loved people in spite of knowing their faults. If there was any dispute among his friends, he hoped to bring them together. Keats wrote to Charles Brown who had always been helping him in all difficulties that he wished to make his friend free from that responsibility. He hopes that at the end of another year Charles would praise him not for verses, but for conduct.
“Lord Houghton, who praises very discriminatingly the poetry of Keats, has on his character also a remark full of discrimination.” He says:
“The faults of Keats’s disposition were precisely the contrary of those attributed to him by common opinion.” And he gives a letter written after the death of Keats by his brother George, in which the writer, speaking of the fantastic Johnny Keats invented for common opinion by Lord Byron and by the reviewers, declares indignantly: “John was the very soul of manliness and courage, and as much like the Holy Ghost as Johnny Keats.” It is important to note this testimony, and to look well for whatever illustrates and confirms it.” It shows qualities of Keats’ character.
His Rational Attitude: Praise or Blame:
Keats’ rational attitude is a great quality of his character. It is significant to pay attention to Keats’ words after the unjust reviews of ‘Endymion’. He claims that praise or blame has but a momentary effect on the man whose love of beauty in the abstract makes him a severe critic on his own works. His own criticism has given him pain without comparison beyond what ‘Blackwood’ or the ‘Quarterly’ could possibly inflict. Keats writes further that he has done nothing except for the amusement of a few people who refine upon their feelings till anything in the un-understandable way will go down with them. He has no cause to complain. He is sure all would have cheered him if he had written ‘Othello’. He does not wish to lose his patience.
What character, again, what strength and clearness of judgment, in his criticism of his own productions, of the public, and of “the literary circles”! His words after the severe reviews of Endymion have often been quoted; they cannot be quoted too often:
“Praise or blame has but a momentary effect on the man whose love of beauty in the abstract makes him a severe critic on his own works. My own criticism has given me pain without comparison beyond what Blackwood or the Quarterly could possibly inflict and also, when I feel I am right, no external praise can give me such a glow as my own solitary reperception and ratification of what is fine. J. S. is perfectly right in regard to the ‘slip- shod Endymion.’ That it is so is no fault of mine. No! though it may sound a little paradoxical, it is as good as I had power to make it by myself.”
He knows the worth of his work. He believes in ‘first deserve, then desire’. He declares:
“I have done nothing, except for the amusement of a few people who refine upon their feelings till anything in the un-understandable way will go down with them. I have no cause to complain, because I am certain anything really fine will in these days be felt. I have no doubt that if I had written Othello I should have been cheered. I shall go on with patience.”
Sense of Responsibility and Self-Respect:
Keats has a great sense of responsibility and self-respect. He never overrates his merit. He never wishes for sentimental popularity. Arnold says that Keats is not foolish enough to overrate his merit. He says that he has no trust whatever in poetry. He does not wonder at it. He wonders why people read it so much. he has a strong attitude towards the public. He claims that public is debtor to him for verses. He is not debtor to them for admiration.
He writes that he has not the slightest feeling of humbleness for the public or to anything in existence, but to the Eternal Being, the Principle of Beauty and the memory of Great Men. He would be subdued before his friends with thanks but before multitudes of men he has no feeling of stooping. He hates writes anything keeping in mind their opinion. He claims that he can’t live without the love of his friends. For public good, he is ready to make great sacrifices, but he hates weak and sentimental popularity. He never wishes to be among the commonplace crowd.
“Just so much as I am humbled by the genius above my grasp, am I exalted and look with hate and contempt upon the literary world. Who could wish to be among the commonplace crowd of the little famous, who are each individually lost in a throng made up of themselves?”
A Man of Strong Character:
Arnold discovers Keats’ strong character in his love for Fanny Brawne. He respects her love. Keats loves Fanny Brawne the more because he believes that she has liked him for his own sake and nothing else. He does approve those women who would like to be married to a poet or novelist for falling in love with his works. Arnold calls it a tone of too much bitterness which he corrected when he wrote his beautiful preface to ‘Endymion’. It shows Keats had a strong character. Keats had remarkable clear-sightedness and lucidity. He had overpowering feeling for beauty and sensuousness. Keats says with resolution that he knows nothing, he has read nothing but he believes in get learning and get understanding. He knows that the road lies through application, study and thought.
And he loves Fanny Brawne the more, he tells her, because he believes that she has liked him for his own sake and for nothing else. “I have met with women who I really think would like to be married to a Poem and to be given away by a Novel.”
It is his strong character that he loves only one woman throughout his life though she does not respond positively.
Keats looked upon Milton’s fine phrases like a lover. According to him, Milton had extraordinary passion for what is properly poetical luxury. Milton devoted himself rather to the eagerness than the pleasures of song. Keats too passes into intellectual production. Keats, claims that he cares and lives for the best sort of poetry. Arnold finds it curious to observe how this devotion to the best sort of poetry affects him with a certain coldness towards love and women. He regards women as children to whom he would rather give sweets than his time. He writes to Fanny Brawne that he knows women would hate him. His heart seems now made of iron for them.
He speaks of “the opinion I have formed to the generality of women, who appear to me as children to whom I would rather give a sugar-plum than my time.” He confesses “a tendency to class women in my books with roses and sweetmeats— they never see themselves dominant”; and he can understand how the unpopularity of his poems may be in part due to “the offence which the ladies,” not unnaturally “take at him” from this cause.
Even to Fanny Brawne he can write “a flint-worded letter” when his “mind is heaped to the full” with poetry:
“I know the generality of women would hate me for this; that I should have so unsoftened, so hard a mind as to forget them; forget the brightest realities for the dull imaginations of my own brain … My heart seems now made of iron— I could not write a proper answer to an invitation to Idalia.”
Worshipper of Beauty
Keats’ love for Beauty is sublime enough to be a devotion. Arnold gives it great importance. Certainly, Keats’ yearning passion for the Beautiful is in fact an intellectual and spiritual passion. it is ‘connected and made one with the ambition of the intellect’. It is the mighty abstract idea of Beauty in all things. In his last days Keats wrote if he should die, he had left no immortal word behind him to make his friends proud of his memory, but he had loved the principle of beauty in all things, and if he had time, he would have made himself remembered. He is remembered as no merely sensuous poet could be, and he has done it by having loved the principle of beauty in all things.
To see things in their beauty is to see things in their truth and Keats knew it. He believed that Beauty must be Truth. He claims in ‘Endymion’.
‘A thing of beauty is a joy forever.’
Arnold comments that it is not a small thing to love the principal of beauty combining it with truth and joy. Keats observes that nothing surprises him more than the moment the setting sun will always set him to rights or if a sparrow comes before his window. Unfortunately, he could not live long. He wrote to Reynolds he could last eighty years if he had a free and healthy and lasting organization of heart and strong lungs. The blind force of Fortune was against him.
By virtue of his feeling for beauty and of his perception of the strong connection of beauty with truth, Keats accomplished so much in poetry that he stands with Shakespeare. No one else in English poetry, save Shakespeare, has in expression quite the attraction of Keats and his perfection of loveliness. He hoped to be among the English poets after his death and he is with Shakespeare.