"When I have Fears that I may Cease to Be" by John Keats

According to what we have learnt as the main characteristics of Romanticism, I think this poem deals with “nature” (the main subject of these kind of writing) as a means to reach human beings transcendence. These kinds of poems allow us to realize the value of nature and understand how the conscious communion with it may certainly be an inspirational tool for artistic creations. For instance, when Keats mentions the grain and the night's starr face I make sense of this relationship between human beings and nature. Furthermore, when he says that on the shore of the wide world he stands alone and thinks; I think that he is being inspirited by this spacious scenery that world and its nature provides him.

On the other hand, the writer does not mention several natural elements at all. Therefore, the main themes present in this sonnet are not very related to nature. In this poem, Keats’ main themes are willpower, fears, love, fame and nothingness. In this sense, I may identify how “reason” (another important subject of Romanticism) dominates his writing. What is more, I may clearly identify these themes with Keats’ lived experience in terms of how fame most of times means nothing because good writers are seldom recognized during their times.