Endymion (Cyclopedia of Literary Characters)
At a glance:
- Author: John Keats
- First Published: 1818
- Type of Work: Poetry
- Type of Plot: Narrative
- Time of Work: Ancient times
- Setting: Mount Latmos, the Garden of Adonis, caverns, a place under the ocean, Neptune's palace, the sky, and the Cave of Quietude
- Genres: Poetry, Mythological literature, Narrative poetry
- Subjects: Mythology or myths, Love or romance, Dreams, Beauty, Legends, Gods or goddesses, Sheep, Greek or Roman times, Greece or Greek people, Perfectionism, Shepherds
- Locales: Greece, ancient, Cave of Quietude (mythic), Garden of Adonis (mythic), Mount Latmos (mythic), Neptune’s palace (mythic)
Characters Discussed
Endymion (ehn-DIHM-ee-uhn), a shepherd on Mount Latmos who distances himself from the other shepherds (and, hence, earthly matters) because of a dream in which he meets his idealization of feminine perfection. He sets out on an epic journey to find the dreamlover, exploring dreamworld regions of mythology. The character is based on the character from Greek myth who was a beautiful youth in love with Diana (inEndymion, she is named Cynthia), the virgin goddess of the moon. Embodied in Endymion is the young poet—his imagination and heart vainly...
[The entire page is 1016 words long]
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