Why Study This Poem? Published in 1820, “Lamia” is not often included among Keats’ greatest poems, yet it is worthy of analysis nonetheless. Some have claimed that the poem lacks suspense and characters that are too uninteresting to garner widespread public attention, but I suggest that the message being conveyed by the author is more subtle than his other poems and therefore needs more attention. Even the timeless author, Edgar Allan Poe, paid tribute to Keats and this poem in particular in his sonnet “To Science” (Poe 1829) in lines 237-238: “Unweave a rainbow, as it erewhile made, The tender-person’d Lamia melt into a shade” (Keats 1820). Richard Dawkins also drew from this poem, as he took the title of one his books, Unweaving the Rainbow, from these same lines. Therefore, I contend that this poem has a wealth of knowledge hiding below the surface, as these other authors clearly agree.
Brief Summary. The poem begins with the god Hermes, who falls deeply in love with a nymph that hides herself from him. He then hears a voice that complains about being trapped in the body of snake. This turns out to be a beautiful serpent, who offers to reveal the nymph to him if he agrees to help her regain her woman’s body, to which he readily agrees, and the serpent turns into a woman and disappears. This woman is Lamia, and while in her state as a serpent, she was able to send her spirit wherever she wished.
She used this to travel to Corinth, where she fell in love with a boy named Lycius, who eventually asks her to marry him. She agrees but only on the condition that the philosopher Apollonius not be allowed to come to the marriage feast. However, Apollonius comes uninvited and begins to grow suspicious to Lamia, at which he stares for an uncomfortably long time. Lycius demands that he stops to which Apollonius responds: “Fool, from every ill, Of life have I preserved thee to this day, And shall I see thee made a serpent’s prey?” (Keats 1820) He then turns to Lamia and after calling her a serpent she disappears and Lycius dies.
Meaning of the Poem. On the surface, this seems to be a strange tale with no apparent meaning, but, if Poe wrote a sonnet entitled “To Science” and Dawkins borrowed a line from this poem for a book on science, perhaps there is more here. So, then, what does this have to do with science? Let’s first look at why Lamia did not want Apollonius to come to the wedding. She knew he was the one person that could see through her façade, and so to protect herself demanded that he not be allowed to come. In other words, the truth was better left undiscovered, as it did no harm. Revealing that she was actually a serpent did nothing except break up the wedding. One interpretation of this is that the sciences are discovering truths that are better left unknown and causing more harm than good. Dawkins’ book title is a refutation of this idea. In this book he claims that the sciences are actually breaking the fantasies that cloud our reasoning, hence the title Unweaving the Rainbow.
More specifically, this is about love. On one hand, it can be mysterious and magical, and on the other it is simply a product of instincts forged through evolution. That is, it can be explained through science or not at all. When Apollonius reveals Lamia’s true nature, he is playing the role of the scientist and breaking the illusion. Keats does not explicitly state that somethings such as love are better left undissected, but with the death of Lycia, he makes it blatantly clear what his stance is. Lycia’s death is the death of mystery and the death of the ineffable, and possibly the death of love itself.
An analysis of Keats’ personal life will help shed some light on the meaning of the poem. According to some scholars, at the time of him the writing this poem, he was in love with a woman named Fanny Brawne, and his letters to her show that he was clearly obsessed with her, particularly how beautiful she was. His letters to her during 1819, the year in which he wrote the “Lamia,” include lines such as “I can do that no more – the pain would be too great – My Love is selfish – I cannot breathe without you,” and “Love is my religion – I could die for that – I could die for you” (Keats 1819). His infatuation with her is beyond question.
Perhaps this poem was a manifestation of two conflicting ideas within him, one being complete infatuation with her and other being fear that he was being misled by his emotions. Again, the guiding theme of the poem is obvious. That is, there is a tug-o-war between cold calculating reason and illusion. For Keats’ love life, it is between love and the awareness that emotions are flawed and often lead people astray. The struggle in Keats’ personal life is clearly evident in the poem.
The structure of the poem may also help illuminate the authors message, as poem structure is chosen with intent. That is, form follows content. The poem was written in iambic pentameter with accompanying rhyming couplets, although at times he does break this intentionally for effect. For example, the opening lines “Upon a time, before the faery broods, Drove Nymph and Satyr from the prosperous woods, Before King Oberon’s bright diadem, Sceptre, and mantle, clasp’d with dewy gem” display ten syllables for each line with each having a short syllable followed by a long syllable.
In other words, it is an alternating pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables. Furthermore, most lines exhibit rhyming couplet in which the last word rhymes with the proceeding line’s last word. These choices provide a rhythm that’s easy to follow and draws the reader through, suggesting that Keats’ message is that the poem is easy to read on the surface but there is more underneath, much like the message discerned above. These remain true for most of the poem, but Keats does break them at some points. For example, in line 296-298: “from every ill, Of life have I preserv’d thee to this day, And shall I see thee made a serpent’s prey?” (Keats 1820). Line 296 is only three words, all of which are monosyllabic, which helps the line standout to provide emphasis.
Setting is also an important part of this poem. The poem demonstrates a juxtaposition between the real world and the ethereal faery world. For example, the final wedding scene is magnificently decorated by Lamia using her powers as serpent while her husband to be is out inviting the guests. However, this dream like world is shattered when reality comes crashing in with the big revelation of Lamia’s true nature. Again, the author’s message shines through, the impact of which is made possible by his choice of setting. He is suggesting through his choice of setting that the two worlds are incompatible. That is, reason and emotion, or science and fantasy, cannot be reconciled.
Keats uses imagery to also show this juxtaposition, in which one use of imagery representing fantasy conflicts with another representing science. For example, in the last scene of the poem, the newly decorated palace is described as being filled with sounds of pleasure, which is interrupted by a deadly silence. Also, the image of Lamia as both a beautiful woman and a snake is important. These images evoke completely opposite feelings, one of fear and one of lust. These powerful images help to convey the author’s message of the duel nature of the human experience.
Overall, the Keats’ “Lamia” is a commentary on the irreconcilable nature of the human mind. One hand, humans are prone to believe in fantasies and are driven by emotion, and on the other hand humans have a tendency towards reason and logic. This poem demonstrates this by having the fantasy shattered by a wise philosopher, causing the death of Lycia. And this is the author’s point. That is, both cannot exist at the same time. This is displayed not only in the plot but also in the structure, setting, and imagery, and is even supported by famous authors that followed him.
