Comparison and Contrast: Shelley and Keats and their Nature Poetry

Abstract

Though P. B. Shelley and John Keats were mutual friends and were very much similar in thoughts, imagination, creation and also in their lifetime but they have possessed somewhat opposite qualities in their creativity. Keats is the poet of senses, and he loves Nature because of her sensual appeal, her appeal to the sense of sight, the sense of hearing, the sense of smell, the sense of touch. He was not much attracted by the mysteries in nature but rather found reposeful and concrete beauty in nature. He wanted to leave the world of sorrow and escape into the world of imperishable beauty where his nightingale sings. He treats nature as an observer, as a traveler. He finds interest to appreciate the physical beauty of Nature. P.B. Shelley tends to invoke nature as a sort of supreme metaphor for beauty, creativity, and expression. He treats the natural objects as the supreme elements of inspiring him. This paper attempts at a comparative study of Shelley and Keats and their Nature Poetry.