Endymion: A Poetic Romance: Analysis of Major Characters
"Endymion: A Poetic Romance" is a narrative poem by John Keats that explores themes of idealized love and poetic aspiration through its characters, particularly Endymion, a shepherd. Endymion is depicted as a dreamer who yearns for his ideal lover, Cynthia, the personification of feminine perfection and a representation of the moon goddess Diana. His quest for Cynthia takes him through mythological landscapes, emphasizing his profound emotional and spiritual longing.
Cynthia, as envisioned by Keats, is not merely a chaste goddess but embodies a more erotic and passionate nature, showcasing the depth of her love for Endymion. The poem also introduces Glaucus, a figure from Greek mythology condemned to wander in despair, whose fate intertwines with Endymion's journey as he seeks to restore lost love. Peona, Endymion's sister, serves as a contrast to her brother’s imaginative pursuits, representing the skeptical, practical side of humanity that questions the merit of such ethereal aspirations. Together, these characters illustrate the tension between reality and the ideal, inviting readers to reflect on the nature of love and the human experience.
Endymion: A Poetic Romance: Analysis of Major Characters
Author: John Keats
First published: 1818
Genre: Poetry
Locale: Mount Latmos, the Garden of Adonis, caverns, a place under the ocean, Neptune's palace, the sky, and the Cave of Quietude
Plot: Narrative
Time: Ancient times
Endymion (ehn-DIHM-ee-uhn), a shepherd on Mount Latmos who distances himself from the other shepherds (and, hence, earthly matters) because of a dream in which he meets his idealization of feminine perfection. He sets out on an epic journey to find the dreamlover, exploring dreamworld regions of mythology. The character is based on the character from Greek myth who was a beautiful youth in love with Diana (in Endymion, she is named Cynthia), the virgin goddess of the moon. Embodied in Endymion is the young poet—his imagination and heart vainly seeking that which can satisfy him. According to Greek legend, Endymion's favorite time is spent in the moonlight, where the moon is the witness to his all-consuming melancholy and ardor. Endymion's story, both in Greek myth and as retold by Keats, is one of poetic aspiration, the search for idealized love, and a life spent more in dreams than in reality. Endymion ends with the youth finding immortal love with his beloved, with whom he disappears into the realm of myth.
Cynthia, Endymion's dreamlover, the idealization of feminine perfection, whom Endymion chases through his dreams and the dreamworld to find the best love of all—the love that brings immortality. John Keats based Cynthia on the Roman goddess Diana, who was later identified with the Greek Olympian gods and goddesses. Diana was the goddess of the moon and hunting, the protectress of women and their chastity, and—in her earliest incarnations—the great mother goddess of Nature. During Endymion's quest for Cynthia, Keats incorporates other aspects of the myth of Diana into the character. For example, when Endymion encounters the two streams of Arethusa (AR-uh-THEW-zuh), and Alpheus (al-FEE-uhs), Keats demonstrates two lovers divided by Diana/Cynthia. Arethusa was a wood nymph with whom the river god, Alpheus, was madly in love. Alpheus pursued Arethusa until Diana changed her into a fountain; in this form, she fled to the lower parts of the earth and remained at Alpheus' side. They were never able to merge because Diana kept them separate. Keats's version of Diana is far from the chaste and cold moon goddess of Greek myth. Keats eroticizes her considerably, making Endymion's encounters with her more physical than spiritual (again differing from original myth). Cynthia's love for Endymion is far from platonic. When the lovers meet, they kiss, caress, sigh, pant, en-twine, and faint; Cynthia even speaks of melting into Endymion. Cynthia's earthly form in Keats's poem is the Indian Maiden.
Glaucus (GLOH-kuhs), a mortal condemned by Circe (SUR-see) to spend one thousand years beneath the sea joining drowned lovers in a crystal mausoleum because he witnessed her enchanting and deforming other men. He is also a character from Greek mythology. According to the original myth, Glaucus began life as a fisherman who bid farewell to the earth and plunged into the waters, where the gods received him favorably. His appearance changed drastically—his hair became sea green, his shoulders broadened, and his lower torso assumed the form of a fish tail. Glaucus fell in love with the beautiful maiden Scylla (SIHL-uh), a favorite of the water nymphs, who was repelled by his appearance. He consulted with the enchantress Circe, who told him to pursue a more willing object of affection. Glaucus does not listen to Circe, and she turns her wrath on Scylla and casts a spell on her that roots her to a spot in a bay on the coast of Sicily. Circe's temper grows, and she begins to take pleasure in devouring hapless mariners who come within her grasp. In Keats's Endymion, Scylla is transformed but not drowned. Glaucus learns that his destiny is to collect the bodies of drowned lovers for one thousand years, after which a youth will appear and help him. Endymion fulfills this prophecy and aids Glaucus, restoring him to youth and Scylla to life, along with the other drowned lovers.
Peona (PEH-oh-nuh), Endymion's sister, who represents the embodiment of the cautious, unbelieving mortals not gifted with the vision (or imagination) of the poet. Her approach to life is far more pragmatic than her brother's. She cautions Endymion to give up on his dreamlover and, instead, seek a real woman who can satisfy his earthly desires. Such a woman would not satisfy Endymion's spiritual needs. Once Endymion fades from Peona's view with his dreamlover, Cynthia, Peona's worldview is forever altered.