Poetry Chapter 4 - A Thing Of Beauty

Class 12 Poem- The British Romantic poet John Keats wrote a Thing Of Beauty. This poem is based on the Greek mythology of a handsome shepherd named Endymion. The poem narrates his journey for Cynthia, who was his lover, but during this quest, he fell in love with a mortal maiden who turned out to be Cynthia.

Introduction 

This poem A Thing Of Beauty by Keats is about his views on importance. Beauty and virtue of life. The theme of this poetry is based on Romance. It is the story of a young shepherd Endymion who lived in Mount Latmos. He was captivated by Cynthia’s beauty and decided to go on a quest to find her.

Summary 

Class 12 chapter 4 ‘A Thing Of Beauty’ is a source of joy and shows how the protagonist’s love grows and never fades with time. It gives us good health, mental peace, and a night of sound sleep. The poet tries to convey that it provides the perceiver with a refuge that is full of solace and tranquillity.

The poet says that man and nature are connected and cannot be separated from each other. The beauty of nature keeps us connected to this planet Earth. Nature makes us forget all of our worries and refreshes our mind.

No one has not experienced a taste of sorrow, grief, and suffering. Things like diseases, misfortunes, and disappointments are the reason behind the mental and physical illness which human beings suffer. A thing of beauty is that part of beauty which lifts the cloak of sadness from our lives and fills us with joy and happiness and makes us hopeful.

The beautiful things of nature are a blessing for every individual living on Earth. The sun, the moon, the trees, clear streams, musk rose, ferns, daffodils, and so much more, provides us with harmony, happiness and serenity.

In addition to these, plays and poems also help to uplift our souls. The constant source of eternal joy is the lovely stories of the glorious achievements of heroes and the rewards which they receive on Judgement Day by God. According to the poet, there is nothing on Earth which can transcend the beauty of nature and hence, he calls nature as the elixir of life. It is like an everlasting fountain that pours an immortal drink from heaven into our soul.

Central Theme

Beauty is an elixir from heaven and is described as an eternal fountain which pours this elixir into our hearts. The beauty of nature can appear in various forms such as a play, a poem or even a tale. The beauty calms our spirits and provides us with good sleep and health and also removes the sadness from our lives.

Literary Device

• Metaphor 

This literary device has been used in “bower quiet”, “weet dreams”, and “wreathing a flowery band”.

• Alliteration 

In this poem, alliteration can be seen in “noble natures” and “covert cooling”. Alliteration is the repetition of the same letter in consecutive words.

• Imagery 

In this poem, imagery is used in “flowery bands”. The readers can visualize flowers formed like a band.

Here at UrbanPro, you can refer to A Thing Of Beauty NCERT Solutions and  A Thing Of Beauty Class 12 NCERT Solutions for comprehending the chapter better.