The Ode is a form of Lyric poem, which is divided into the Strophe, the Antistrophe and the final Epode. It is generally a poem addressed to someone and has an elaborate style of writing. ‘Ode on a Grecian Urn’ is an ode written by Keats, which addresses a beautiful urn or a vase from Greece. It explores the essence that attributes to human happiness, on a universal scale—Beauty. The Ode is divided into five stanzas which address the varied figures and beautiful forms of art, portrayed on the urn.

In the first stanza, Keats calls the vase, ‘an unravished bride of quietness’ relating to the fact that it has existed for centuries and has stood against the eroding effects of the passage of time. He also calls it the ‘foster child of Silence and Time’, both of which are personified here. The parents have conferred eternal stillness, on the urn. The urn is also a Sylvan Historian, since it records a pastoral scene from times immemorial. Keats also feels that the urn is a superior work of art since it depicts the beauty of nature with more panache, than his words. The poet also speculates that the scene is set in Tempe or Arcady, both of which are picturesque places in Greece, favoured by Apollo, the God of poetry and music. He, then, wonders about the origin of the maidens and the activity that seems to be taking place.

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