The Cultural Implications of “On Seeing the Elgin Marbles”

            The “Elgin Marbles” in the title of Keats’s poem refer to a series of Parthenon objects that were relocated from their original place atop the ancient temple to the British Museum by Lord Elgin in the early 1800s (Ward).  In the two centuries since Elgin removed the figures from the Parthenon, controversy has erupted over whether the museum should return these cultural artifacts to Greece.  Some Greeks believe that the marbles should be restored to the Parthenon, being an invaluable part of Greece’s cultural identity.  By demonstrating his existential experience in the presence of the Elgin Marbles, Keats makes an implicit argument for their placement in the British Museum.  For example, Keats suggests that the Marbles caused his recognition of his own mortality, which most likely would not have been achieved otherwise.  Therefore, Keats implies that the Marbles are important to Britain’s understanding of the impermanence of humanity, and can hold a place of significance in the British Museum.

            Keats denotes the Marbles as appealing to human as opposed to a cultural sensibility, suggesting that they can have a universal impact rather than one strictly related to Greek culture.  The poem relates to the common experience of all humans – that of the knowledge of one’s impending death.  Keats describes how, “each imagined pinnacle and steep / Of godlike hardship tells me I must die” (3-4).  The fact that the each “pinnacle and steep” is defined as representing an “imagined” vision of the might of Gods rather than one that is “real” suggests that the Elgin Marbles are extraordinary as a stimulus for the poet’s imagination rather than as objects themselves.  Keats feels small and fragile in comparison to the Marbles, referring to himself as a, “sick eagle looking at the sky” (5).  The fact that he refers to himself as an “eagle” suggests that he was once strong, but is now “sick” – aware of looming death but not able to prevent it.  In expressing this sentiment, Keats successfully encapsulates the curse of humanity – the idea one’s death is a self-fulfilling prophecy.  In the first lines of “On Seeing the Elgin Marbles,” Keats demonstrates the disarming effect of the Elgin Marbles, for the objects cause the poet to realize his stead in the world.

            The poem does suggest the “Grecian grandeur” (12) of the Marbles, specifically connecting the objects to their culture of origin.  However, Keats specifies that the, “rude / Wasting of time” (13) has spoiled the Marbles rather than their removal from the Parthenon.  It is the effect of time that has caused a “dizzy pain” (11).  This juxtaposition of pleasure and pain is fitting with the contradictory nature of Keats’s poem.  Despite the fact that Keats’s poem begins as a lament, defining mortality as like an “unwilling sleep” (2), he soon views mortality as a benefit.  For example, he states, “’tis a luxury to weep” (6).  Keats may evoke the specifically “Grecian grandeur” of the Elgin Marbles, but the fact that he refers to the Marbles as being affected by time (and by elements of nature – “A sun,” “A shadow of magnitude” (14)) emphasizes that the objects have the universal quality of being transient.  Therefore, Keats once again demonstrates how the Marbles have a significance that transcends any cultural identity.

            Keats does not directly confront the issue of the cultural theft of the Elgin Marbles.  However, in writing the poem demonstrating the effect of the objects on visitors to the British Museum, he is participating in it.   Keats stresses that the impact of the Elgin Marbles is not muted by their separation from the Parthenon or from Greece.  Therefore, Keats’ poem can be viewed as an argument that the Elgin Marbles belong not to any country, but to the world.

Works Cited

Ward, Victoria. "Why Are the Elgin Marbles so Controversial – and Everything Else You Need to Know." The Telegraph. Telegraph Media Group, n.d. Web. 30 Mar. 2015.