Adonais

Interesting Facts

• «Adonais» is an elegy written in memory of John Keats, a friend and contemporary of Shelley, who died young.
• The work is considered one of the finest examples of pastoral elegy in English literature.
• In «Adonais», Shelley employs numerous mythological and literary allusions to express his grief and admiration for Keats' talent.
• The elegy consists of 495 lines and is written in the Spenserian stanza form, giving it a unique musicality and rhythm.
• In «Adonais», Shelley expresses not only personal loss but also reflects on the nature of poetry and the immortality of art.
• The work was written in 1821, shortly after Keats' death, and published in the same year.
• In «Adonais», Shelley contrasts the transience of human life with the eternal beauty and power of poetry.