Bright Star
John Keats’s “Bright Star” is analyzed by adopting the new critical perspective. The poet’s adoration and strong feelings for his lover makes him wish that he was like a bright star; not just any star but a bright star whose presence dominates the surroundings and is easily distinguished from the other ones around it. His longing for the love of his life is such that he wants to be with her for the rest of his life and never to be parted from her. The sweet feeling of love and the affectionate presence are all he can ever wish for. As persona says, “No – yet still steadfast, still unchangeable; / Pillow’d upon my fair love’s ripening breast” (Keats 2002). Hence, his heaven is in his lover’s arms where nothing else matters. The lyric hero just wants to feel her by listening to her heart beats by resting against her breast as the harsh realities of the world dissolve around him.
Thus, being in the presence of his lover makes him forget everyone and everything, and he becomes mesmerized as though that is the only reality he is aware of. The only possible life that persona could imagine is the one in which he is completely indulged in sweetheart’s love, and every moment that passes with her leaves an incredible impression on him. This is the reason why her charming presence washes away all the worries and leaves him enchanted. He wants these moments never fade away; so that like a bright star he remains undisturbed and unaffected from everything that is happening around him. Consequently, he calls, “Bright star, would I were steadfast as thou art” (Keats 2002). Therefore, his intense feelings for the love of his life make him wish he was a star, which remains in the same state and enjoys the soothing effect of peace and harmony. That is the peaceful and calm state he wishes for. This emphasizes that, love is the most important thing for the lyric hero; it is almost a necessity for him. Ergo he stresses, “And so live ever – or else swoon to death” (Keats 2002).
The proposition of eternal love is described here in a meticulously beautiful way: namely an all-consuming and deep feeling, which becomes a mark of proudness for either the lover or beloved. The persona relates his undying love as an elixir of life for himself, the one that keeps him going on and on in the face of everything just because this state of pure affection makes him enjoy all beauties of life. In other words, his survival depends on closeness and intimacy with the exceptional person that can make him a carefree man. Only if he lives in a state of a bright star – stationary and still where there is not a single thing to be worried about – his happiness is possible. For him, the only concern is to be able to feel the warmth of her presence which fills his life with content and immense satisfaction.
