Adonais

Adonais is a pastoral elegy written by Percy Bysshe Shelley in 1821, mourning the death of John Keats. It is widely considered one of Shelley's major works and a significant example of the elegy genre in English literature.

The poem employs classical allusions and conventions, drawing heavily from Greek pastoral poetry and myth. The title "Adonais" is derived from Adonis, a figure in Greek mythology associated with beauty and untimely death. Shelley uses Adonis as a symbolic representation of Keats.

The elegy progresses through several stages of grief and consolation. It begins with lamentation for Keats's death, attributed to the perceived harshness of critics and the world. The poem then moves to consider Keats's enduring legacy and artistic achievement. Shelley explores themes of beauty, mortality, immortality, and the power of art to transcend death.

"Adonais" is structured as a series of 55 Spenserian stanzas, a complex verse form characterized by nine lines, the first eight in iambic pentameter and the last an Alexandrine (iambic hexameter), rhyming ABABBCBCC. This elaborate structure contributes to the poem's formal and elevated tone.

The poem is notable for its passionate defense of Keats's poetry and its scathing critique of the literary establishment that Shelley believed contributed to Keats's suffering. It also expresses Shelley's own philosophical beliefs about the nature of reality and the afterlife, suggesting that Keats has achieved a transcendent existence beyond the limitations of earthly life.

"Adonais" remains a significant and influential work in the Romantic literary canon, studied for its poetic artistry, its exploration of profound themes, and its poignant tribute to a fellow poet.