In a letter to his sibling from 1817, John Keats used the term "negative capability" for the first time. (Kay 571). Keats stresses the significance of this idea to a man of accomplishments in the letter. If a poet is to comprehend the complexities of life, they must maintain an open mind. The ambiguous nature of truth should be embraced by poets, according to Keats, without having to explain it. The expression has also been used to refer to the act of negating one's perspective. According to Kumar (914), the romantic poet used the phrase to describe a great artist as one who has the power to let imagination beyond self-consciousness and exist in context open to all possibilities. This means that poets should appreciate that specific events and experiences need to be without explanation.
Although Keats mentioned the phrase once, it was a vital element of his work as the concept is illustrated in his poetry. The negative capability allows the objects in his work to escape their conditioned state of existence and explore different experiences and mysteries. Keats uses negative capability in his poetry enabling readers to appreciate the different perspectives of imagination, inner emotions, and real life. The speaker in most of Keats' poems departs from the real world to explore a mythical dimension and returns at the end of the poem to the ordinary life with new knowledge. This paper seeks to evaluate the extent to which Keats used the concept of negative capability in his poetry.
To Autumn
Keats illustrates negative capability in most of his work by avoiding personality. This leaves the reader to a world of imagination. For instance, in his poem "To Autumn", the poet gives a beautiful description of the autumn season while exploring a range of themes including change and mortality (Khan and Jabeen 131). 'Autumn' in this case, has no fixed identity, at the beginning of the poem, autumn comes out as male "…bosom-friend of the maturing sun… conspiring with him..." (lines 3-4). However, the personality loses form as the poem progresses which intrigues the imagination of readers. His use of mythical and symbolic expressions is a perfect illustration of negative capability. The object of his poem takes many forms and shapes. It could be a divine being "…fill all fruit with ripeness…" (line 6), gods have been known to bless harvests. It could also be a human "…with patient look, though watches the last oozings…" (lines 21-22), this description fits a real human being. The reader has the freedom to explore all possible identities of autumn.
When I Have Fears
Keats uses the beauty and the delightful charm of nature as the setting of his poems regardless of whether the theme is that of love or fear. The poem "When I Have Fears" is filled with gloom and intense fear of the approaching grip of death. However, Keats manages to brighten the mood through his beautiful description of the world, "upon the night's starr'd face…" (line 5) The poet uses his personality to explore the emotion of fear which is integral to human existence. The use of symbolism in the poem allows readers to view the realities of the world as is known in different ways. Keats likens the transition from youth to old age to the process of farming; the harvest of grain symbolizes old age where he has reached his full potential in writing art. He is afraid that death will take him away before he accomplishes his deepest desire to write and experience love, "…never have relishes in the faery power of unreflecting love," (lines 11-12). The last part of the poem leaves readers thinking whether Keats was overpowered by fear and depression or his passion for truth and beauty overcame his pain, which is the goal of negative capability. Al-Abbood (103) explains that the poet was more frightened by his unfulfilled poetic career than natural death.
Ode to a Nightingale
The poet also uses the five senses and art to exemplify the concept of negative capability. The poem explores nature and mortality conflicting with thought and sensation. The bird symbolizes freedom, joy and the beauty of nature. Keats attempts to express his imagination from hearing the song of the nightingale in a state he describes as drowsy. He is aware of the pain and suffering of life, and hearing the song is a pure joy which helps him escape from a world of torment. The image of birds flying and singing and that death and ease from being drowsy reflect negative capability. The poem does not disclose the identity of the figures used; it uses imagination as a way into a spiritual existence which is full of mysteries (Khan et al. 1110).
The fourth stanza of Keats' "Ode to A Nightingale", a poem published in 1820, is a good example of negative capability. "…for I will fly to thee" (32), the speaker expresses his desire to depart from the ordinary world to the nightingale. He intends to do so by "…wings of Poesy" (33), which is an imaginative means to get him to the nightingale. The speaker's imaginative exploration could be the result of drinking "…hemlock I had drunk" (2), which has affected his reasoning, "…the dull brain perplexes and retards" (34). This condition has however allowed his mind to wander in the delightful company of the nightingale. The speaker makes a realization that he is already with the Nightingale "Already with thee…" (35), and no longer feels the need to fly. He equates this realization to the feeling of his dull brain. The poem demonstrates negative capability through allowing the speaker to use his imagination to experience and explore a dimension beyond the conditioned state of reality (Kumar 916). There is no explanation or restriction to his desire, just appreciation of the complexities that come with poetry.
Ode On a Grecian Urn
Keats relates sound to sight although the reader cannot hear. The "Ode On a Grecian Urn" depicts musicians playing their instruments. The poet utilizes a combination of historical, symbolic linguistic and psychological aspects to express his philosophy of art (Sharma et al. 15). The objects in the poem are depicted as eternal creating a conflict between art and real life. The use of rhetoric questions makes the identity of the urn ambiguous, "…what men or gods…what maiden…what pipes and timbrels, what wild ecstasy…" (lines 8-10), this allows the reader to appreciate the mystery. The silence of the picture reflects Keats mind as he transforms from the real world which he describes as troubled to enjoy the beauty of a happy world free from time, "… when old age shall this generation waste, though shalt remain…" (lines 46-47). The latter presents the viewers with an opportunity to depart from the real world and explore their imagination as Keats articulates in the poem.
La Belle Dame sans Merci
The poem is another one of Keats works that exemplifies the poet's appreciation for beauty and nature. Keats integrates both thought and sensation to bring out the theme. The ambiguity of the theme presented in the poem leaves readers in suspense not knowing the fate of the Knight. This is a perfect illustration of negative capability, as readers are free to imagine the possibilities that led to the Knight's situation. The transition of the Knight from the warmth of woman he met to the icy hill cannot be explained, although the knight claims to have fallen asleep. His dream as he narrates seems like a vision of the things to come.
The knight's description of his encounter from the time he meets the beautiful woman, "…I met a lady in the meads…" (13), to the time he ends up on the cold hill, "…I awoke and found me here" (43) shows the poet's use of imagery to explain the transition from joy to great loss which is an illustration of negative capability. Keats utilizes nature to describe the Knight's emotions, "…a lily on thy brow…on thy cheeks, a fading rose…" (line 9 and 11). Keats' use of symbolism allows readers to associate reality with nature.
In a letter addressed to one of his friends, Richard Woodhouse on 27th October the year 1818, Keats expresses his opinion that a poet has no identity. This was one of his earliest descriptions of who poet should be. Just like a chameleon, a poet will always absorb colorations that are in the outside world into one portraying the things that have been touched, seen and heard. As pointed by Keats, poets need to comprehend the subject they are writing on in full, appreciate the natural existence of things or objects that surround them and be free in their expression of how they have experienced the world concerning their emotions biases and perceptions. The simple understanding of the flexibility of a poet depends on imagination and not logic or intellectual reasoning. Imagination allows the poet to express the diverse perceptions of his readers thereby abiding by the fundamental qualities of the subject.
Keats' most noteworthy contribution to the theory of poetry emanated from this notion. The beliefs mentioned above extend the notion whereby the poet is expected to escape his own identity and the restrictions that come with the conditioned way of thinking to which he is accustomed to. The negative capability was defined better on a letter that Keats wrote to his brothers Tom and George on the 21st of December 1817. His description of the phrase refers to the state of exploring mystery, doubts, and uncertainties with no allusion to facts and reason. This means that knowledge of poetry should arise from the appreciation of the wonders of the world. It is not mandatory for the poet to make sense of what the world presents but only to allow the readers to have their interpretation of the issues presented to them by the poet. Uncertainty and doubt are what brings a better understanding of poetry.
Keats chooses to rely on sensation and feelings over logic and thought. To him, these are the most appropriate proxies to the truth. We can use this reasoning to explain the idea behind Keats' expression "Beauty is truth, truth beauty, that is all, Ye know on earth, and all ye need to know" (line 49-50) from the poem "Ode on a Grecian Urn". Whatever truth Keats discovers in beauty is not the same as the one sought by historians and scientist. In a letter addressed to George and tom, Keats explains that when it comes to Beauty, a poet has to overlook all other considerations and appreciate it as it is.
In studying Negative Capability, one has to acknowledge the irony of being satisfied with "half-truths". Even Keats recognized the existence of the irony as he sought to triumph it. As much as he hankered for an exciting life as opposed to a thoughtful one, he still was not contented with "half-truths". Despite him being a thinker, he also longed to leave a legacy as the master of Negative Capability. I am of the opinion that Keats never believed in himself as a master of Negative Capability and neither did he consider himself as a man capable of achievement. However, he aspired to become one, and that is he was always very hard on himself.
We are only required to examine his epitaph for us to get the impression of how the poet saw himself. He passed on at the age of 25 with words "Here lies one whose name was writ in water" engraved in his gravestone. The fact that his name was "writ in water" makes us believe the notion that his words were mental to evaporate and fade. It is plausible that these words were written in his epitaph because of his deteriorating mental state and the poor health that he was in. His early works also depict these insecurities. Looking at the sonnet "When I have fears that I may cease to be" we can see Keats' fears and ambition that were penned on him not surviving to achieve his ambitions. He knew the goals he wanted to accomplish only that he did not have a know-how of getting there (Sharma et al. pg.10). Keats' original idea of Negative Capability was watered down after witnessing his brother and mother die after suffering from the same disease that later claimed Keats' life too.
The deaths of his mother and brother consumed him. Keats did not despair completely because of these events. Instead, he changed his life goals to those that were more attainable according to him. Seemingly the self-doubt that Keats inflicted upon himself is part of the things stopped him from his ambitions of becoming negatively capable. Keats said that he knew nothing and read nothing and therefore he will opt to follow Solomon's decision of seeking wisdom and understanding. He further said that he did not find any enjoyment in the world and therefore preferred to for the persistent drinking from the fountain of knowledge. He also insisted that there was no any other better pursuit at the moment than the one of making the world better.
The statement appears to be a paradox because, as much as he was yearning to be a leader in Negative Capability and a "Man of Achievement" the only way he thought this could be achieved is by acquiring intelligence. Despite his insatiable appetite for knowledge and education, he deprived himself of other experiences in life. His need to attain his ambitions resulted in him being extremely hard on himself. Keats struggle between the need for intellectual knowledge and his desire to become the master of negative capability made him insecure that he failed to realize the achievements he had made at such a young age.
Conclusion
In his poetry, Keats advocates for sensation in the place of thought. In the poem "Ode On a Grecian Urn", he proposes the appreciation of beauty which does not have to use references to proclaim its value, "beauty is truth. truth beauty, that is all ye know on earth, and all ye need to know" (lines 49-50). The poems exhibit different levels of conflict, contradiction and inner emotion which allow the reader only to know the half-truths which Keats believes is negative capability. John Keats recognized the significance of negative capability in becoming a great artist. His desire to become the master of negative capability was limited by his inability to realize his potential. He continually refers to himself as one with little knowledge and average intellect. Keats doubted his abilities to achieve a concept he introduced and died believing he was a failure. The engraving on his grave reflected his belief that his words would fade. This, however, is not the case as his work reveals the extent of his efforts to permit readers the freedom to the imagination. According to de Waal (82), the tone and intense atmosphere of his poems exemplify Keats appreciation for beauty without question.
Works Cited
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