John Keats was one of the most recognized poets of the early 18th century. Keats rose to the helm of English Romantic Poetry at an early age. Despite Keats’ premature death at the age of 25, he left a rich legacy in poetry as a “romantic poet.” John Keats was born in 1975 and at the age of 15, he joined a medical school because he had a passion for becoming a surgeon. While undertaking his medical studies, John realized that dressing patients after surgery was traumatizing. Therefore, John started developing a strong passion for poetry. After graduating from medical school, Keats resolved to become a famous poet.
John Keats published his first famous poem “To Solitude” in 1817 in the collection Poems by John Keats. However, the collection did not sell well in the market, but that did not kill his spirit. In 1818, Keats published his second poem “Endymion,” which also failed to sell well. Keats realized that he needed to re-read Shakespeare’s poetry collections to get inspiration. One of Shakespeare’s poems that Keats found interesting was King Lear. Keats read King Lea several times and he ended up writing his own poem titled “On Sitting Down to Read King Lear Once Again” which was well received in the market. The poem focused on the themes of mortality and power. King Lea was a powerful ruler but when he lost his power, he realized that he was an ordinary man who could die at any time. Towards the end of the poem, Keats acknowledged Shakespeare for being his mentor in poetry. Unfortunately, Keats died in 1820 at the age of 25, but his rich legacy in English romantic poetry remained relevant.
