A Thing of Beauty Summary
Table of Contents
A Thing of Beauty Summary, About the Author, Message & Theme. Various types of questions based on the poem A thing of Beauty are asked in CBSE Class 12th Board Exam.
A Thing of Beauty
—John Keats
A Thing of Beauty About the Poet
John Keats was one of the main figures of the second generation of Romantic poets, along with Lord Byron and Percy Bysshe Shelley. His work included Endymion, Isabella, Lamia, The Eve of St. Agnes and Other Poems. He died at a very early age of twenty five of tuberculosis after leaving an indelible mark on English poetry.
Source of A thing of Beauty
‘A Thing of Beauty’ is an excerpt from his poem, ‘Endymion: A Poetic Romance’ which was first published in 1818. It begins with the line “A thing of beauty is a joy forever”. Endymion is written in rhyming couplets also known as heroic couplets. The theme of Endymion is love, beauty and youth and it reflects the poet’s attitude towards beauty.
Theme of A Thing of Beauty
A thing of beauty is a source of constant joy. Beauty can be found everywhere. It is something that has the ability to transform life. It also highlights the fact that beauty has a therapeutic quality, i.e. the ability to remove negativity. It can be any object, nature, tales or even noble deeds of our ancestors.
Form of Poem A Thing of Beauty
‘A Thing of Beauty’ belongs to the Romantic genre. The poem is written in rhyming couplets and the rhyme scheme is aabb.
Justification of the Title
In this poem, ‘A Thing of Beauty’, the poet describes the glory of beautiful things of the world. A thing of beauty is a joy forever. Keats was a worshipper of beauty. For him beauty was truth and truth was beauty. Worldly life is full of hardships, heartbreaks and disappointments. Yet, beauty removes the ugly sheets of sorrows and sufferings, sadness and pain. There is a ceaseless flow of heavenly beauty pouring into our souls and making us happy day and night. Thus, the title of the poem is quite suitable.
Message of A Thing of Beauty
The poem conveys the message that a thing of beauty is a joy forever. It transcends time. It will never fade away. Beauty has the power to remove darkness and negativity and helps us survive when there is a ‘dearth of noble nature’ or when one is surrounded by evil.
It has a positive impact on one’s health. It helps one get a sound sleep. Moreover, it highlights the fact that beauty is not only physical but also spiritual and seems to flow down from heaven as an ‘immortal drink’ made for man.
A Thing of Beauty Summary
According to the poet, John Keats, a thing of beauty is a source of constant joy. Its beauty goes on increasing. It never fades away i.e. it never passes into nothingness. A beautiful thing is as comforting as a bower which is a peaceful and pleasant place in the shade of a tree, providing shelter and protection from the hot rays of the sun, giving us sound sleep, full of pleasant dreams, health and peaceful breathing.
As a result of this, every morning we are weaving a flowery wreath to bind us to the beauties of the Earth despite our feelings of sadness and depression. We all possess negative attributes of hatred and disappointment. We suffer from lack of noble qualities and follow unhealthy, evil ways. In spite of all this, a beautiful thing helps us to remove the cover of gloom or darkness from our lives.
It makes us love life despite the things that make us sad and dampen our spirits. Here are a number of beautiful things that have the
power to uplift our spirits like the Sun, the Moon and old and young trees. The trees sprout and spread their branches to provide shelter within their green covering (shade) for the simple sheep (humans).
A Thing of Beauty Summary Class 12
Similarly, the sight of daffodils blooming within their green surroundings, the clear and small streams of water which make a cooling shelter for themselves against the hot season, the thick mass of ferns looking grand with their beautiful musk roses are all things of beauty that makes us feel happy.
The mighty dead people whose achievements have made them great and powerful inspire us through their sagas of noble works. Their legends and stories enthuse us and we imagine their magnificence. A beautiful thing is also a source of joy just as the lovely tales we have heard or read give us profound happiness.
It is like a fountain of immortality gushing out from nature’s endless fountain pouring its sacred and immortal drink into the heart and soul of man and is a source of immense joy for us.
Download Pdf
English For Class 12th Board Exam 2023
The Last Lesson Long Question Answer
Lost Spring Summary Class 12 English
The Last Lesson Difficult Words Meaning
The Last Lesson Summary in Hindi
My Mother at Sixty Six Summary
