Percy Shelley forbids the world from mourning for Keats in his elegy. While the piece is by its nature somber and mournful, Shelley says that, essentially, Keats is in a better place. There are two main reasons for this. The first of which is the natural idea of passing on into a better life (be it the idea of Heaven or something else). Shelley says that he has awoken from “the dream of life,” meaning he has gone on to a better reality where he is happier.

The second reason is that he’s waving his critics behind. Shelley decried specific critics of Keats’ that he believes may have worsened his illness and driven him to the grave. In the end, he reasons that Keats has passed from a world including negativity and entered a life that doesn’t include those who criticized his life’s work.