Poetic Devices
Personification
Keats makes extensive use of personification throughout the poem, attributing human qualities to inanimate objects or abstract concepts. In the first stanza, the urn is personified as a "bride of quietness" and a "foster-child of silence and slow time." This personification endows the urn with human-like qualities of tranquility and the passage of time. In the second stanza, the speaker addresses the "soft pipes" depicted on the urn, urging them to "play on." Here, the pipes are personified as capable of responding to the speaker's command and continuing their music.
Assonance
The entire poem employs assonance, the repetition of vowel sounds, to create musicality and rhythm. In the first stanza, Keats writes, "Thou foster-child of silence and slow time." The repetition of the long "i" sound in "child" and "time" creates a harmonious effect, contributing to the lyrical quality of the verse. In the second stanza, Keats uses assonance in the line, "Heard melodies are sweet, but those unheard." The repetition of the "e" sound in "heard" and "melodies" adds a melodic quality to the line, echoing the theme of music and its perceived sweetness.
Metonymy
Keats employs metonymy, a figure of speech in which one word or phrase is substituted with another that is closely associated with it.
In the second stanza, Keats writes, "Pipe to the spirit ditties of no tone." Here, "pipe" is a metonym for music or melody. The use of "pipe" represents the musical instrument and stands in for the broader concept of the music created by the instrument.
In the fifth stanza, the speaker refers to the urn as an "Attic shape." This is a metonymic use of "Attic" to refer to ancient Greek art and culture associated with the region of Attica. It stands in for the broader category of classical Greek aesthetics and artistry.
Synecdoche
"Ode on a Grecian Urn" also utilizes synecdoche, a figure of speech in which a part is used to represent the whole or vice versa.
In the third stanza, Keats writes, "Ah, happy, happy boughs! that cannot shed / Your leaves." Here, "boughs" is a synecdoche for the entire tree. The leaves are part of the tree, and by referring to the boughs, Keats symbolically represents the whole tree.
In the fourth stanza, the speaker refers to "Who are these coming to the sacrifice?" Here, "sacrifice" is a synecdoche for the entire ritual or event of sacrifice. The word "sacrifice" is used to represent the broader concept of the ceremonial act itself.
Paradox
The poem also contains several instances of paradox, where seemingly contradictory statements reveal deeper truths or complexities. In the second stanza, Keats writes, "Heard melodies are sweet, but those unheard / Are sweeter." This statement presents the paradoxical idea that the melodies one imagines or anticipates (unheard) can be even more delightful than those actually experienced (heard). In the third stanza, the speaker declares, "She cannot fade, though thou hast not thy bliss." This line presents a paradoxical situation where the lover's pursuit of bliss is unfulfilled, yet the beloved's beauty remains eternal and unchanging. This paradox emphasizes the contrast between human desires and the timeless beauty depicted on the urn.
