Classical Tradition Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

absolute Tradition - Term Paper ExampleThus, know directge for Keats is not only that which one acquires through confirmable experience but also what is received from earlier generations.The descent of the narrator into the netherworld speaks also of the poets desire to draw from poetic tradition. Keats uses descriptions of hell from earlier works of literature. Prominent among these would of course, be Dante Alighieris work, divine Comedy, where the protagonist descends into hell in order to gain a better understanding of the cosmos. He is led there by his beloved, Beatrice. In the case of The Fall of Hyperion, a character like Moneta may be considered to be a substitute for Beatrice. The interest of the poet here, unlike in the case of Dantes work, is not noesisable love but the love for knowledge. The thirst to create something new draws Keats into the netherworld and he is rewarded not with spectral bliss or salvation but with knowledge.Another myth that one may read in Kea tss work is that of the Orpheus legend. The legend revolved around Orpheus going to the netherworld to bring his wife, Eurydice back to life. The matinee idol of the dead lays down one condition for the success of Orpheuss mission- he would lead his wife forth of hell but would not be allowed to turn back to see whether she was following him. Orpheus, a instrumentalist and hence an artist, is unable to contain his curiosity and fails to meet the condition. In a way, one may reason that Orpheuss inability to do so stemmed from his need to know. The narrator of Keatss poem in addition faces a similar problem. The difference, however, is that his/her curiosity is a disinterested one, unlike that of Orpheuss. He is interested in knowledge and its acquisition for its sake rather than for marital love. Keatss search, through the narrator, remains of permanence rather than something that would remain, in the final analysis, ephemeral.It is