66.4k views
4 votes
What theme is emphasized in this excerpt from "Ode on a Grecian Urn" by John Keats?

A. Only things that continually change are true.
B. Unfulfilled desires and dreams seem sweeter.
C. Incidents and events depicted in art are true.
D. Art does not last forever; only memory does.

User Felix
by
8.5k points

1 Answer

5 votes

Final answer:

The theme in John Keats' "Ode on a Grecian Urn" which best aligns with the poem's message is the idea that unfulfilled desires and dreams appear sweeter as captured in art, where they are forever suspended in perfection.

Step-by-step explanation:

The theme emphasized in the excerpt from John Keats’ "Ode on a Grecian Urn" relates to the permanence and perfectness of art and beauty as contrasted with the transient nature of human experience. Option B, which suggests that unfulfilled desires and dreams seem sweeter, closest aligns with the overall message of the poem. In particular, the urn, an artifact that freezes a moment in time, represents an eternal beauty and a narrative that never alters or declines. Keats explores how art captures and preserves moments of beauty eternally, which in life are fleeting and often unfulfilled. The poem itself challenges the reader to consider the relationship between beauty, represented by the urn, and truth, which may be an unchanging ideal akin to Plato's higher forms such as goodness and wisdom.

User Harrison
by
8.5k points