John Keats relies on rhythm, on the consistency of a star’s presence in his poem, “Bright Star.” He eloquently depicts the star’s eternal nature and steadfast presence in the night sky. The main theme of this poem is whether one lives eternally in bliss or “swoon[s] to death.” Keats vividly illustrates himself lying in his lover’s lap until death takes him away. While doing this, he wishes for eternity, to lie with his lover for eternity. Even as he craves an eternity of this bliss, he realizes that to live a short life in this moment would serve as an adequate life. This correlates to the ideology of Phillippe Petit, the man who danced across a tightrope strung between the world trade towers in 1974. He felt no fear in plummeting to his death during his light waltz across the wire because he thought it beautiful indeed to die in the throes of one’s passion. Keats ends at this same thought in his final line, that eternity pales in comparison to the bliss of lying with his love.
The use of the sonnet allows Keats to discuss the qualities of a star and then relate it to himself. He relies on the Shakespearean form of a sonnet for his poem, and he utilizes the Volta, which lies prevalent in all sonnets. The shift between the star and himself serves as the Volta of the poem. Keats discusses an object strict in its presence, steadfast in form, reflecting the form of the sonnet. He parallels the form of the sonnet and the nature of a star, in order to emphasize how he wishes to remain steadfast but not isolated. The gravity placed on his desires for eternity contrast his final understanding of death. Keats struggles throughout this sonnet with the idea of leaving his love, but ultimately finds solace in the beauty of their brief moments together.
