Romance Versus Serious Art
The opening three lines of the poem allude to lesser works of literature. The capitalized "Romance" references poetry telling stories that require far less effort to understand and appreciate than a Shakespearean tragedy. The "Syren" calling the speaker to these stories could be interpreted as either the muse of a poet urging the composition of such romances or the urge of procrastination to read rather than to write. Either way, this opening imagery sets up the theme exploring Romance versus serious artistic pursuit.
Activity Versus Passivity
The title of the poem becomes a plot twist. The title suggests that the poem will be about what it implicitly promises. Its narrative will be a poetic review or analysis of Shakespeare's great tragic drama. Instead, the very existence of the poem slyly hints that the speaker may have intended to passively sit reading King Lear again, but wound up actively writing verse instead. This theme also solves the question of the identity of the "Syren." It is clearly not the voice of procrastination. It is the speaker's Muse enticing him to creation.
Artistic Inspiration
The fact of the poem's existence also indicates the theme of artistic inspiration. Traditionally, there have been two types of sonnets: Petrarchan and Shakespearean. Notably and ironically, this poem is not an example of a Shakespearean sonnet. The speaker considers the Bard to be the epitome of the serious writer, exemplified by King Lear specifically. He chooses to reject the Shakespearean sonnet form despite being inspired by a Shakespearean play. He is himself settling for a lesser expression of romantic adulation than attempting something more substantial. The theme being expressed here is that artistic inspiration need not be an attempt at replication. Literature that seeks to reveal deeper truths can inspire great art with lesser ambitions.
