John Keat's "Lamia"

Before I start with some of things I found within the poem, I think it is important to note what a Lamia is (at least what Wikipedia has to offer on what a Lamia is). In early mythology, Lamia was a mistress of Zeus, and Hera, his wife, became so jealous that she killed Lamia's children and transformed Lamia into a monster that hunted and devoured children (some stories even say that Hera forced Lamia to eat her own children, and this drove Lamia to madness,which caused her to eat other people's kids.). As the story progressed through time, Lamia became more of a mythological creature and took on the serpent attributes that we see in Keats' poem, although not all stories account for a serpentine appearance. When Lamia was cursed, Hera apparently took her ability to shut her eyes so that Lamia would be forever forced to look upon and obsess over her dead children. Zeus took pity on his lover and decided to grant her the ability to remove her own eyes, so that she may rest and not forever obsess. The ability, according to some stories, was accompanied by the power of prophecy. There is also the accounts on the folkloric figure of lamiae, who were seductress figures that lured young men just so they could feed on their blood. Pretty gruesome, I know, but I think this sets up a pretty good means of reading some of things within the poem.

Firstly, there is a big emphasis on what is visible and that which isn't, calling back to the mythology in regards to Lamia's eyes. In the beginning, Keats shows Hermes looking for the wood nymph that has been hidden from sight by the serpent that will become Lamia. However, after striking a deal with the serpent, Hermes is able to see the nymph and they run off together. There is an interesting switch here, as the nymph becomes seen while the serpent becomes hidden within a human body, and the language Keats sets up how the reader should understand the change:

"So done, upon the nymph his eyes he bent

Full of adoring tears and blandishment,

And towards her stept: she, like a moon in wane,

Faded before him, cower'd, nor could restrain

Her fearful sobs, self-folding like a flower

That faints into itself at evening hour:

But the God fostering her chilled hand,

She felt the warmth, her eyelid open'd bland,

And, like new flowers at morning song of bees,

Bloom'd, and gave up her honey to the lees." (Pg. 834; Lines 134-145)

The metaphors used here are very peaceful images of nature and of various cycles found in nature (the move from night to day, the flower that shrivels a little at night but blooms in the sun). This insinuates that her's and Hermes' meeting is harmonious within the world, and that her becoming visible has not just kept status quo within the world but has enhanced the sight of it. Now, this vastly contradicts the change made to the serpent within the next stanza:

"Left to herself, the serpent now began

To change; her elfin blood in madness ran,

Her mouth foam'd, and the grass, therewith besprent,

Wither'd at dew so sweet and virulent;

Her eyes in torture fix'd, and anguish drear,

Hot, glaz'd, and wide, with lid-lashes all sear,

Flash'd phosphor and sharp sparks, without one cooling tear.

The colours all inflam'd throughout her train,

She writh'd about, convuls'd, with scarlet pain:

A deep volcanian yellow took the place

Of all her milder-mooned body's grace;

And, as the lava ravishes the mean,

Spoilt all her silver mail, and golden brede" (Pg. 834; Lines 146-158)

This just sound painful, which one notices right away in comparison to the nymph. The change from invisible to visible is painless for the nymph, and even leads to her finding a comforting warmth when Hermes touches her hand. However, the change from visible to invisible seems to be a very painful process as her experience is being compared to a volcano that has just gone off. This seems to point to the unnatural aspects of the request, and reminds me of the catalog poems we read within class, as she is being assembled into the beautiful woman that Lucius becomes entrapped by. This theme is seen throughout the entire poem, up until the end when Apollonius reveals her true identity, which leads to both Lamia's and Lucius's death, but I will touch on this a little later within this post.

Another note on his theme is the constant mention of eyes within the entire poem, particularly when Lamia and Lycius's love for each other is brought up:

• "And soon his eyes had drunk her beauty up,/ Leaving no drop in the bewildering cup,/ And still the cap was full" (Page 835; Lines 251-253)
• "But rather, if her eyes could brighter be,/ With brighter eyes and slow amenity,/Put her new lips to his," (Pg 836, Lines 292-294)
• "Then Lamia breath'd death breath; the sophist's eye,/ Like a sharp spear, went through her utterly,/ Keen, cruel, perceant, stinging" (Page 841; Lines 299-301)

These three quotes really focus on the different ways in which eyes are used and how they can spot the truth. One sees the way in which Lycius becomes blinded by her beauty, which is a disguise. Hate to be cliche, but it follows that one cannot judge a book by its cover. It seems that Keats is warning against this face value of love, that there is no way to tell from looks alone what another person is worth or the true nature of that person. Then the final quote is when Apollonius kills Lamia with his gaze as he can see right through her, and we again see a shift from the visible to the invisible, but this time there is a very negative effect. I think the main difference between the two is the deception present within the two couples as well as their places within the world. Hermes and the nymph are both divine beings and are able to live with each other comfortably, but Lamia notes early on in her's and Lycius's relationship that her "finer spirit cannot breath below/ In human slimes and live". She does not belong in the human realm, and her staying there has ultimately led to her downfall. As for deception, the nymph never truly deceives Hermes; it is Lamia in her serpent form that deceives him and even at that the nymph does not pretend to be something she is not. Lamia, on the other hand, has deceived Lycius in a number of ways through out the poem: pretending to be human and making a fantasy house and world.

If the poem deals with visibility, then it is also dealing with reality versus imagination. Keats' Lamia has more powers than the original Lamia figures of mythology as she is able to create an entire house that only she and Lycius can see, which is shown when the house does become visible to others and the people of Corinth note they have never seen this house before:

"The herd appraoch'd; each guest, with busy brain,

Arriving at the portal, gaz'd amain,

And enter'd marveling: for they knew the sheet,

Remember'd it from childhood all complete

Without a gap, yet ne'er before had seen

That royal porch, that high-built fair demesne;" (Page 839 Lines 149-155)

If people who have lived and walked within Corinth their entire lives can't remember the magnificent mansion the Lamia and Lycius lives in, then it is most likely that she did create this house. This raises the issue of just how real the lives that Lamia and Lycius have lived, and makes me think that Lycius physically has died, but the structure of Lamia's world is dependent on him so he is kept alive through her creation. It is a dream world that coincides with the real world, and Lycius doesn't seem to realize this as he has been put under a "trance" (Pg. 836; Line 296). Instead of living an actual life together, it seems the two hole up for a long period of time before Lycius thinks they should make it official. This hints that maybe Lamia has created a world within the house she has created that provides no real substance to it, but she is able to keep Lycius alive so long as her secret is kept safe. This is why she fears Apollonius because she knows he will have her figured out as soon as he sees her (although, I am not completely sure how he has it figured out so quickly. If you have an answer for that, I am all ears). This also connects back to the mythology I present earlier within this post. Lycius is completely taken in by Lamia and does not question his love for her at all, despite it having happened so quickly. She is fulfilling the succubus figure when she deceives Lycius, and ultimately kills him.

There are a number of others things I noticed within the poem, but I didn't know what to make of them or my ideas were somewhat hard to write, so I have added them to the question section at the bottom of this post.

Questions:

• How are we suppose to feel about these characters? Are we suppose to feel sorry for Lamia? Or is deception deception no matter what her intentions were?
• How did you interpret Lucius's death? What did you make of the ending?
• Why do you think Keats chose to depict the Lamia figure in this way? Why mix and add certain points that weren't in the original mythologies?
• The word "pale" is used a lot in reference to mortality, as well as a wide range of colors. What do you make of the use of colors within the poem?
• What did you make of the objects within the fake house?