Negative Capability by John
Keats
Lecture Notes By
Anil S Awad
English NET/SET Consultant
9922113364 (Also WhatsApp)
9423403368 (BSNL)
anilawad123@gmail.com
Some Stories are here…
Shakespeare’s story –
Let’s begin with Macbeth. The story runs in the following way –
Macbeth, wins the battle and returning to home. He meets three witches – their
prophesies – Macbeth will be the king soon, he will not be defeated until the
Birnam woods would walk – he will not be killed by a man born by natural way to
a woman…the story runs…and runs and runs…and we have a great tragedy…by
Shakespeare.
In this story, we accepted some facts (although they are fictitious)
- that – there are witches, they can prophesize, their prophesies can be true,
they can tell only half-truth, Macdeuff who kills Macbeth at the end of the
play was ‘untimely ripped from his mother’s womb’ – we just believe it. We have
no proof to prove that all these things as they are right. But we don’t want to
lose the charm of the play by doubting every concept presented onto the stage.
We just believe to enjoy it…and thanks to Shakespeare and his skills of
presentation that makes us believe in the action.
He used this skill in his every play – we believe what he presents in ‘Hamlet’,
‘Othello’, ‘King Lear’ and many more other plays.
Now note down the famous quote from the play:
I dare do all that may become a man;
Who dares do more is none
The same happens with our sympathy and empathy for Hamlet and King
Lear:
We are totally in empathetic position when we see Hamlet saying:
To be, or not to be, that is the question:
Whether 'tis nobler in the mind to suffer
The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune,
Or to take Arms against a Sea of troubles,
Or in ‘King Lear’
As flies to wanton boys are we to th' gods.
They kill us for their sport.
Wordsworth Story –
Now it is the story of your favourite writer – William Wordsworth. Check
the lines from his ‘Daffodils’
I wandered lonely as a cloud
That floats on high o'er vales and hills,
When all at once I saw a crowd,
A host, of golden daffodils;
Beside the lake, beneath the trees,
Fluttering and dancing in the breeze.
Now concluding lines from ‘The Solitary Reaper’
I listened, motionless and still;
And, as I mounted up the hill,
The music in my heart I bore,
Long after it was heard no more.
NOW LET’S NOTE THE USE OF PRONOUNCE – ‘I’ AND ‘WE’ – IN THE ABOVE QUOTES.
JUST TRY TO ANSWER – WHICH IS THE DOMINANT FACTOR? THE CHARACTER OR THE WRITER….IN
WHICH QUOTES?
OK. Move forward. To my and your story –
My/Your Story –
I am a great fan of Star War Movie Series…watching it since my
school days…there is a war in the ‘Far Far Away in a Galaxy…’ (I never
asked which galaxy). Flying saucers that can fly multiple times of light, laser
machineguns, typical aliens, Jedies with swords – I believe everything. I never
want to ask a questions like - Is it true? Why? I didn’t want to lose the
pleasure of believing in such unbelievable things. What about yours? You (and
me too) watch Harry Potter Movie series – have you ever asked the questions
like – how can the Magic Wang work? How can there be a platform No. 9 ¼?
I just believe. You too.
Now it is the story of John Keats –
Since Romantic Age was mostly the age of poetry, very few plays worthy to
play on the stage were produced. Shakespearean plays were favorite of the
contemporary audience. Naturally, a young person like John Keats with the
artistic taste was much attracted to such performances. Of course, Keats was
also a poet with thorough poetic mind and possessed great ability to analyze
many literary works. Keats was a great fan of Shakespeare. He was great fan of Edmund
Kean, the contemporary great stage actor (say – Contemporary Amitabh or
Rajanikant). Kean’s acting of famous characters like Shylock, Hamlet, Macbeth,
and Richard III not only appealed to Keats but also shed light on certain basic
ideas related to arts. Even when Hazlitt attacked Kean as "indescribable
gusto", Keats defended his acting. Charles Armitage Brown was a
famous contemporary poet and he gave a gift of Silver Ticket to Keats for the theatre,
so he could go and watch any performances in Drury Lane anytime. He had Byron
and Shelley too, as his mentors. They already contributed to his artistic
development. So was Wordsworth to him, whose poems were the regular diet of his
artistic hunger. Keats’ experience came from his wide readings of art and
literature plus his literary associations with men of letters like Hazlitt,
Brown, Dilke Leigh Hunt, Benjamin Robert Haydon, Benjamin Bailey and
others.
There were many literary upheavals in the contemporary age and of course,
it affected the sensitive mind of a kid like Keats. (Really he was a kid for
the contemporary age and died very young at the age of 24). He was willing to
say something, but was afraid.(Of course, it proved to be true after the
publication of Endymion when he was severely attacked by contemporary literary
giants, which resulted in fatal stroke of tuberculosis and he died in
depression – A thing of beauty was not a joy forever to Keats.)
It is clearly seen in his 1819 poem ‘To the Nightingale’
My heart aches, and a drowsy numbness pains
My sense, as though of hemlock I had drunk,
Or emptied some dull opiate to the drains
One minute past, and Lethe-wards had sunk:
It already lessened his confidence. But thanks to God, he had two great
brothers, George and Thomas who could understand his feelings and usually he
used to send them personal and private letters…. Date - 21 December 1817…a
sudden thought was in his mind and to avoid all the controversies and attacks
from contemporary critics, he wrote the letter stating the concept of ‘Negative
Capability’ which is still controversial….see the extract…
I had not a dispute but a disquisition with Dilke, upon
various subjects; several things dove-tailed in my mind, and at once it struck
me what quality went to form a Man of Achievement, especially in Literature,
and which Shakespeare possessed so enormously—I mean Negative Capability, that is, when a man is
capable of being in uncertainties, mysteries, doubts, without any irritable
reaching after fact and reason—Coleridge, for instance, would let go by a fine
isolated verisimilitude caught from the Penetralium of mystery, from being
incapable of remaining content with half-knowledge. This pursued through
volumes would perhaps take us no further than this, that with a great poet the
sense of Beauty overcomes every other consideration, or rather obliterates all
consideration.
The story of John Keats ends here.
NOW RE-READ THE STORIES – THE STORY OF SHAKESPEARE, STORY
OF WORDSWORTH, MY/YOUR STORY AND KEATS’ STORY…..GREAT…WE ALL ARE SHARING IN THE
ROW OF THESE GREAT WRITERS…HA HA HA…
NOW LET’S MOVE TO THE CONCEPT OF NEGATIVE CAPABILITY….Let me clear some points –
Ø First, there is nothing ‘Negative’ in Negative
Capability. It is a very very positive term.
Ø Secondly, it is not oxymoron, a figure of speech in
which apparently contradictory terms appear in conjunction (e.g. faith
unfaithful kept him falsely true). It is a coinage - a new term.
Ø Thirdly, it is a personal response from great
literary mind, that is, John Keats, to the Elizabethan playwright and father of
drama – Shakespeare.
LET’S SEE THE TERM:
I had not a dispute but a disquisition with Dilke, upon
various subjects – Dike was contemporary
critic, and Keats had in his mind that definitely he would like to analyze his
term ‘Negative Capability’. As already mentioned, he avoided to publically presenting
his views and instead he wrote his brother. He chose a safe passage.
‘Dispute but a disquisition(a long or elaborate essay or
discussion on a particular subject.)’ – It seems he is avoiding it.
‘At once it struck me’ – It was a sudden thought in the poetic mind of
John Keats. As a young scholar, it was natural; such thoughts always come in
mind…without any pre-meditation.
Man of Achievement, especially in Literature – After having too much reading of many writers –
back from history and contemporary, he came to the conclusion that Shakespeare
was the Man of Achievement. Why? Why? Why?
‘Shakespeare possessed so enormously—I mean
Negative Capability, that is, when a man is capable of being in uncertainties,
mysteries, doubts, without any irritable reaching after fact and reason’ – It means simply that while reading or watching the performances of
Shakespeare readers or the audience are objective or emotionally detached.
Coleridge, for instance, would let go by a fine isolated
verisimilitude caught from the Penetralium of mystery, from being incapable of
remaining content with half-knowledge. – Coleridge is aware of such
detachments (As we are going to see in Willing Suspension of Disbelief 1817)
but enough shrew to hide it or missed it.
This pursued through volumes would perhaps take us no
further than this, that with a great poet the sense of Beauty overcomes every
other consideration, or rather obliterates all consideration. – Even though knowing the truth, they keep writing
volumes.
Now let me explain the term:
While reading Shakespeare’s plays, what do you notice? When the story of
Macbeth is going on….it is just a story and we see Macbeth and his fall, not
of Shakespeare. ‘To be or not to be’ – the procrastination is of Hamlet, not
to Shakespeare. King Lear goes mad…not Shakespeare. It is Julius Caesar who
utters - Et tu, Brute?...where is the Shakespeare my friends? It’s the
characters who are talking…Shakespeare kept himself detached from his
characters and actions….it’s Negative Capability. Rejecting the idea of
being in the literary work of art. When some writer or dramatist creates
the plot, character and action…he is not in the focus…neither he wants to
be….he rejects his own existence and just make a great creation in the form of
his own characters….we moves to negative capability….
‘When a man is capable of being in uncertainties, mysteries, doubts,
without any irritable reaching after fact and reason’ – the uncertainties are there, why? We
don’t know what is going to be shown on stage. Mysteries are there. Why?
We don’t know the denouement. Many doubts…but the plot answers the
questions…not Shakespeare. And we are not getting irritable- why these
things are happening… we consider them inevitable….We are neither trying to
find out the fact or any reason, just believe…Just like ‘ Far far away in a
galaxy’… No Shakespeare is found there…He already disappeared. It is his
characters who are asserting everything. What a great writer! Don’t want even
to show himself in his own literary work of art…but foregrounded his
characters, plots and action. It is Negative Capability…you can show
that you are the puppet player, but still you reject it and shows that the
puppet play is the real one and the audience discuss more about the puppets
than the author. Negative – you rejected your own identity to be shown on the
stage (or writing) and capability – of course it is difficult for a writer to
keep detached and still you detached…we just see your characters. Ha…! O Great
Shakespeare…you are really a capable writer. We are able to see the
characters…not the writer in the characters…Ha ha ha…
The mistakes are with the writers like Wordsworth and Milton – ‘Egoistic
Sublime’ – Read any piece of these writers and you will find them in every
line…in ‘Daffodils’ – it’s not the flower…Wordsworth speaking….
I wandered lonely as a cloud
That floats on high o'er vales and hills,
When all at once I saw a crowd,
A host, of golden daffodils;
Beside the lake, beneath the trees,
Fluttering and dancing in the breeze.
Now concluding lines from ‘The Solitary Reaper’
I listened, motionless and still;
And, as I mounted up the hill,
The music in my heart I bore,
Long after it was heard no more.
Yaar Wordsworth, are we here to read you or to know the plight of ‘The
Solitary Reaper’. And Mr. Milton…
Of Man’s First Disobedience, and the Fruit
Of that Forbidden Tree, whose mortal taste
Brought Death into the World, and all our woe,
With loss of Eden, till one greater Man…
I can easily perceive your Puritan mind in these beginning lines of ‘Paradise
Lost’. You are not totally detached…!
“Wordsworth and you have egos to show yourself in your literary work…you
tried to sublime them. You are charged with ‘egotistic sublime’…and I condemn
you - inferior to Shakespeare. No Negative Capability is there…you can’t deny
your own appearance in the work of literary art…you just sublimed yourself with
showing your own emotion. You are not capable of understanding the emotions of
your own characters…you just have to do with your own-ness. I condemn you” – Perhaps this is what John Keats wanted to
convey.
Negative Capability, Willing Suspension of Disbelief and Eliot’s Theory of
Impersonality…
Negative Capability asserts the rejection of the involvement of the writer in any work of art.
Willing Suspension of Disbelief advices the audience to believe
willingly – what is happening on the stage is untrue but willingly believe it
that it is true. And Eliot’s Theory of Impersonality tells that a poet’s
mind should be catalytic members….it creates actions and reactions but still
keeps itself detached from being affected.
So…What is Negative Capability ?
• Objective and emotional detachment.
• The work possessing capabilities have beauties and depths that make
conventional consideration of truth and morality irrelevant.
• Poets should come to the facts that some certainties were best left open
to imagination and that the elements of doubts and ambiguity added to
Romanticism and especially to a concept.
• For some things, those correct answers might not be available. In fact,
they might not exist at all…so no rationalization of literary work of art
please.
• It is possibility that there might be contradictory ideas in your mind at
the same time, without deciding that one of them is true and the other false –
avoid it. It will ruin the pleasure of the literary work.
• Negative Capability is just like space in one’s mind which is free from
life’s troubles.
• Capacity has seeds in theatrical performances.
• Through the writings of Milton and Wordsworth, ‘egotistic sublime’ i.e.
sublimity of their own spiritual or actual experiences are reflected.
Shakespeare always kept detached himself from any experience…it is his
‘Negative’ (rejection) ‘Capability’ (ability to show himself in his own work of
art). It is just a kind of selfless contribution to the literary world.
Now come to the examples I have stated:
Ø In Shakespeare, it the characters, actions and
plots speak more louder than the writer itself. It is the skill of the author
who possesses Negative Capabilities.
Ø In Wordsworth and John Milton, we can easily perceive
the existence of the writers.
Ø John Keats himself followed his own theory – you
can easily perceive in his own poems – ‘Bright Star’, ‘To Autumn’, ‘La Belle
Dame Sans Merci’, ‘Ode on a Grecian Urn’, ‘Ode to Nightingale’, ‘The Eve of St.
Agnes’, ‘Hyperion’ etc. – we can perceive ‘Negative Capability’ – the characters,
actions, plots and atmosphere are more dominant than Keats himself. For that he
used Hellenic references.
Ø The concept ‘Negative Capability’ is still
controversial after 100 years. But the noble soul of Keats just wanted to
convey his thoughts to the readers and audience. Although he failed in his own
age…he is still influencing his readers.
Thanks.
(Since these are lecture notes, inconvenience related to grammar, sytax, structure etc. are
regretted)
Anil Awad
English NET and SET Consultant,
9922113364 (Also WhatsApp)
9423403368 (BSNL)
anilawad123@gmail.com
