Lamia
by John Keats
'Lamia' Summary
The poem tells how the god Hermes hears of a nymph who is more beautiful than all. Hermes, searching for the nymph, instead comes across Lamia, trapped in the form of a serpent. She reveals the previously invisible nymph to him and in return he restores her human form. She goes to seek a youth of Corinth, Lycius, while Hermes and his nymph depart together into the woods. The relationship between Lycius and Lamia, however, is destroyed when the sage Apollonius reveals Lamia's true identity at their wedding feast, whereupon she seemingly disappears and Lycius dies of grief.
According to Michael O'Neill, Lamia in the poem "is treated ambivalently but with considerable sympathy", making "a sharp contrast with the more leisurely and seemingly uncritical use of romance in [the] two narrative poems that follow....the hapless Lycius is caught between the reductive rationalism of Apollonius and the bewitching illusoriness of Lamia."
Book Details
Author
John Keats
England
John Keats was an English poet of the second generation of Romantic poets, with Lord Byron and Percy Bysshe Shelley. His poems had been in publication for less than four years when he died of tubercul...
More on John KeatsDownload eBooks
Listen/Download Audiobook
- Select Speed
Related books
The Cheery Way, a Bit of Verse for Every Day - November by John Kendrick Bangs
Embrace the chilly winds of November with a bit of verse for every day. The Cheery Way, a Bit of Verse for Every Day - November is a collection of po...
Chant of the Firemen by Francis William Lauderdale Adams
The firemen's chant is a cry of warning, a call to action, and a song of courage. "Chant of the Firemen" is a poem by Francis William Lauderdale Adam...
My Brigantine by James Fenimore Cooper
After a stint on a commercial voyage, James Fenimore Cooper served in the U.S. Navy as a midshipman, where he learned the technology of managing saili...
Sea Poems by Cale Young Rice
Dive into the enchanting depths of the ocean with "Sea Poems" by Cale Young Rice, where the waves whisper secrets and the sea's mysteries come to life...
Man Carrying Bale by Harold Monro
Feel the weight of the bale on the porter's shoulders, and the rhythm of his steps, as Harold Monro's poem "Man Carrying Bale" brings to life the simp...
Christy and The Pipers by Jean McKishnie Blewett
In a realm where words dance to the tune of life's melodies, Jean McKishnie Blewett's "Christy and The Pipers" invites you to embark on a captivating...
Spoon River Anthology by Edgar Lee Masters
"Spoon River Anthology" is a collection of free verse epitaphs written by Edgar Lee Masters, published in 1915. The book is a collection of short, fre...
Rio Grande's Last Race, and Other Verses by Andrew Barton Paterson
Ride along with the cowboys and bushmen of Australia's outback in Andrew Barton Paterson's classic collection of poems, Rio Grande's Last Race, and Ot...
The Brave Highland Laddies by Ella Wheeler Wilcox
In this, poet weaves a mesmerizing tapestry of words that captures the spirit of Scotland's rugged landscape and the indomitable courage of its people...
O May I Join the Choir Invisible! and Other Favorite Poems by Various
This book features some of the most beloved and influential poems in English literature. The collection features a wide range of poems from a variety...
Reviews for Lamia
No reviews posted or approved, yet...