An Explication of John Keats' "On the Sonnet"

An explication of John Keats’ “On the Sonnet”

If by dull rhymes our English must be chain’d,

And, like Andromeda, the Sonnet sweet

Fetter’d, in spite of pained loveliness;

Let us find out, if we must be constrain’d,

Sandals more interwoven and complete

To fit the naked foot of poesy;

Let us inspect the lyre, and weigh the stress                                                                                             

Of every chord, and see what may be gain’d

By ear industrious, and attention meet:

Misers of sound and syllable, no less

Than Midas of his coinage, let us be

Jealous of dead leaves in the bay wreath crown;

So, if we may not let the Muse be free,

She will be bound with garlands of her own.

John Keats’ sonnet, “On the Sonnet”, exemplifies the notion that poetry during the Romantic period was written to “shed light” on a subject, rather than simply “mirroring” the subject.  It is the traditional fourteen lines and iambic pentameter which indicates it is indeed a sonnet, but the rhyme scheme is definitely not traditional; the poem can be broken into two tercets, a sestet and a final couplet – ABC ABD CABCDE DE. This break from traditional form enhances the theme of the poem; which is, that the sonnet is restrictive, rigid and in need of renovation. In the first tercet, Keats uses an extended “chain’d” metaphor to highlight the limitations of the sonnet. In the second tercet, he suggests that a sonnet function more like a sandal for the “foot of poesy”. Keats uses the sestet in the middle of the poem to instruct writers; he emphasizes that the sonnet should be written with a focus on sound and rhythm rather than a structured rhyme scheme. And in the final couplet, Keats suggests that unless it is freed from constraints, poetic inspiration cannot reach its fullest potential. 

The first three lines of the poem are metaphorically rich; Keats writes, “If by dull rhymes our English must be chain’d,/ And, like Andromeda, the Sonnet sweet/ Fetter’d, in spite of pained loveliness.” The sonnet is inhibiting the poet from using his language to properly express himself.  The comparison to Andromeda suggests that Keats recognizes the inherent beauty of the sonnet.

The next tercet begins with, “Let us find out, if we must be constrain’d,” – this line shows that Keats is not rejecting the idea of the sonnet, just the constrictive “dull rhymes.”  In the next lines Keats discusses “sandals more interwoven and complete/ To fit the naked foot of Poesy.” He uses this sandal/foot metaphor to suggest that rather than confining English with chains and fetters, the sonnet should provide a loose structure that showcases the beauty of the poet’s language – like a sandal does for a new pedicure. 

In the largest section of the poem, the middle sestet, Keats explores a new way to write the sonnet; he writes, “Let us inspect the lyre, and weigh the stress/ Of every chord, and see what may be gain’d/ By ear industrious, and attention meet.” These lines propose that poetry be written with the goal of pleasing the ear – like music does – instead of simply plugging words into a set formula. Keats highlights the similarity of poetry and music in both their creation and function.  He tells writers that they need to be “misers of sound and syllable”, in other words, sound and syllable are valuable and should not be frivolously spent on useless, formulaic rhymes.

The final couplet warns against attempting to constrain poetic inspiration; Keats writes, “So, if we may not let the Muse be free,/ She will be bound with garlands of her own.” In this passage, Keats implies that the sonnet is in danger of losing its function as an artistic expression. It also echoes the sentiments of being bound from the beginning of the poem; except that instead of the language, it is the inspiration itself which is being restricted.

I really like the fact that Keats uses a sonnet to critique the sonnet. The critique can be found in not only what he says, but how he says it. The effect of his unrecognizable rhyme scheme in the recognizable form of a sonnet sheds light on the current state of the sonnet while also presenting a real solution.