Endymion (Masterplots, Revised Second Edition)
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
- Principal Characters: Endymion, Peona, Cynthia, Glaucus, Indian Maiden
- 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)
The Story:
The narrator begins the poem with the famous line “A thing of beauty is a joy for ever” and the brief argument that “All lovely tales that we have heard or read” bring happiness because they “Haunt us until they become a cheering light/ Unto our souls.” The narrator then traces the story of Endymion, a young shepherd. Endymion and his people gathered to worship the shepherd-god Pan at an altar on Mount Latmos. Endymion was not caught up in the mood of the festivities. Instead, he was depressed and dreamy. His sister, Peona, worried about him and pulled...
[The entire page is 2097 words long]
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