What Theme is Emphasized in "Ode on a Grecian Urn" by John Keats and "Ozymandias" by Percy Shelley?
Analysis of 'Ode on a Grecian Urn' and the Theme of Art's Longevity
In John Keats's 'Ode on a Grecian Urn', a primary theme evident through the poem, and particularly emphasized in the last two lines, relates to the permanence of art compared to the transient nature of human life. Both the excerpts from Keats and Shelley's 'Ozymandias' ruminate on the theme that art outlasts the temporal lives of its creators. Keats conveys this through the lines:
When old age shall this generation waste,
Thou shalt remain, in midst of other woe Than ours, a friend to man, to whom thou say'st, 'Beauty is truth, truth beauty, that is all
Ye know on earth, and all ye need to know.'
Competing interpretations, such as those by T.S. Eliot and Cleanth Brooks, discuss whether the concluding aphorism 'Beauty is truth, truth beauty,' serves as a unifying element or an erroneous addendum. Eliot criticizes these lines as incongruous to the poem, whereas Brooks defends them, illustrating the poem's central paradox regarding the relationship between the beauty of art and the truth it conveys.
The question of whether the urn itself speaks these final lines is pertinent to their interpretation. This ambiguity adds to the richness of the poem, suggesting a blending of the narrator's voice and the urn's eternal message. Importantly, the poem and Keats's illustration of the Grecian Urn symbolize art's capacity to encapsulate beauty and communicate truth across generations, standing as a testament to art's enduring nature.
Final answer:
John Keats's 'Ode on a Grecian Urn' expresses the theme that art remains eternal, outliving the fleeting existence of its creators. The last two lines of the poem encapsulate this theme and have been subject to various interpretations regarding their consistency with the poem's message.