Keats' Need to Challenge Shakespeare

On reading “Bright star, would I were stedfast as thou art” by Keats I was reminded of our discussion on Tuesday of how Keats strived to be remembered alongside Shakespeare and Milton, as their equal. This is made apparent in the footnote, which reveals Keats copied this poem into his collection of Shakespeare’s poems, physically placing his poetry in the same book as Shakespeare. His approach to the sonnet form in this context I also read as a direct challenge to Shakespeare’s sonnets. Specifically the footnote’s reference to a north star reminded me of the line “It [love] is the star to every wandering bark” in Shakespeare’s sonnet 116. Keats directly challenges Shakespeare, using the same images and connections as Shakespeare but in his own way, to force the issue of comparison between them. In light of the information that Keats was dismissed by his contemporaries due to his lower class and education, these decisions in his poetry make all the more sense, he had to force the issue of putting himself in conversation with the greats, it never would have happened organically. The first part of Keats’ sonnet can be read as addressing all of these things. HEe wishes he had the steadfast nature of the star to help him as he struggles to gain acceptance as a poet, while he is currently “in lone splendor hung aloft” (2). He sees himself high above his peers but alone, removed from the ‘natural’ cycle of poets from higher class upbringings, a star removed from the natural imagery. The background information from Tuesday’s class significantly altered my reading of all the poems for Thursday.