Analysis of John Keats' "On the Sonnet"

(For actual poem see page 799 in Norton): In John Keats' "On the Sonnet," he urges fellow poets to not let their poetic genius, their "Muse" die, because it is confined to the parameters of then-current Petrarchan and Shakespearean sonnet forms. While he follows neither form, (thus requiring further analysis to determine the logic of his poem), his use of symbolism makes his message more than clear. He starts the poem with an allusion to Andromeda, "…showed first 75 words of 767 total…

…showed last 75 words of 767 total…Keats, obviously disillusioned by the available forms through which to write poetry, expresses his dissatisfaction in his sonnet, "On the Sonnet." Because he uses an ambiguous, unidentifiable sonnet form, instead of the Shakespearean or the Petrarchan sonnet forms, the integrity of his argument is not undermined. In this way, not only does he express his hatred for the current sonnet forms, but refuses to use them as he communicates this frustration in his own sonnet.