Gloria Lloyd English 210 February 14, 2005 Sarah Alexander Madelines Dream Becomes Reality In Keats letter

!ro" #o$e"ber 22, 1%1&, Keats theori'es that i"agination (an (onne(t a drea"er to the ideal )orld that existed be!ore the !all o! "an* +,he I"agination "ay be (o"-ared to Ada" s drea".he a)o/e and !ound it truth01 I"agination is so -o)er!ul that it (an "a/e a drea" be(o"e reality, as it does in Keats -oe" +,he E$e o! St0 Agnes01 2adeline )a/es u- !ro" her drea" in +E$e o! St0 Agnes1 to !ind that her drea" o! her lo$er 3or-hyro has "ani!ested into a +$ision1 o! reality, in her bedroo"0 In his letter, Keats i"-lies that +I"agination1 is "ore -o)er!ul than the "ost -o)er!ul thing "any o! us -ossess.reality itsel!0 2adeline )anted to be )ith 3or-hyro, drea"ed about hi", and the +)ish1 (a"e true0 In this -oe", there exists no greater -o)er than 2adeline s o)n i"agination.)hen she, indeed, +a)o/e and !ound it truth01 Keats ex-ressed his $ie) o! the i"agination in this )ay* +I a" (ertain o! nothing but o! the holiness o! the 4eart5s a!!e(tions and the truth o! the I"agination66)hat the i"agination sei'es as 7eauty "ust be ,ruth66)hether it existed be!ore or not000 ,he i"agination "y be (o"-ared to Ada"5s drea"66he a)o/e and !ound it truth01 In this state"ent, Keats la$ishes -raise on the -o)er o! the i"agination to trans!or" our e$eryday li$es !ro" the "undane to the extraordinary0 2adeline s drea" in +,he E$e o! St0 Agnes1 does indeed elaborate on Keats (lai" that the i"agination is )rought )ith -o)ers that reality is not0 In the -oe", 2adeline drea"s o! her belo$ed, 3or-hyro, and then gra--les )ith the !a(t that the drea" has be(o"e her reality on(e she

a)a/ens0 As this o((urs, the -oe" (elebrates the )ays that the -o)er o! i"agination (an (on8uer both lo$e and death0 2adeline !ollo)s Keats $isions o! i"agination by !irst !alling into an en(hant"ent, then )a/ing to a di!!erent reality, and then a((e-ting her original en(hant"ent as her ne) reality0 ,he signi!i(an(e that 2adeline s $ision )ields o$er her is elaborated on in these lines des(ribing her drea" state66 + t)as a "idnight (har"9 I"-ossible to "elt as i(ed strea": It see" d he ne$er, ne$er (ould redee"9 Fro" su(h a stead!ast s-ell his lady s eyes1 ;2%26&<0 It is as i! 2adeline has been (ast into a tran(e, !ro" )hi(h she )ill ne$er )a/e u-0 +4ood)in/ d )ith !aery !an(y,1 she sees a $ision o! 3or-hyro (o"ing to her in her drea" ;&0<0 I! so"ething is +hood)in/ d,1 the i"-li(ation is that it is tri(/ed into (o"-lian(e.)hether 3or-hyro tri(/ed 2adeline or not, she is undoubtedly in an altered state o! (ons(iousness, (reati$ity and i"agination throughout the stan'as o! the -oe"0 As 3or-hyro a--roa(hes 2adeline s bed, an allusion is "ade to the -aradise o! 2ilton s Paradise Lost, )hi(h o! (ourse !ound Ada" and E$e !alling into sin a!ter eating the a--le !ro" the ,ree o! Kno)ledge0 Keats "ade his great state"ent on the i"agination in relation to Ada" s drea".)hi(h o((urred in -aradise0 Sin(e 2adeline s bedroo" is also -ortrayed as a -aradise, the o--ortunity exists no) !or her also to +a)a/e and !ind truth01 In stan'a =5, 2adeline la"ents the a--earan(e o! the earthbound 3or-hyro, as o--osed to the heroi( lo$er o! her drea"s* +4o) (hang d thou art> 4o) -allid, (hill, and drear>1 she ex(lai"s0 ,he !a(t that the $ery sa"e 3or-hyro see"ed so much better in 2adeline s drea", rather than in her a(tual bedroo", -oints to the -o)er the (reati$e i"agination (an exert o$er one s "ind.2adeline /no)s exa(tly )hat 3or-hyro loo/s

li/e, but so"eho), in her drea"s she (on?ured a ne), i"-ro$ed $ersion0 ,he real 3or-hyro (ould ne$er ser$e to (o"-are to the one o! 2adeline s $ision0 She ex(lai"s, +Gi$e "e that $oi(e again, "y 3or-hyro,9 ,hose loo/s i""ortal, those (o"-lainings dear>9 @h lea$e "e not in this eternal )oe1 ;=12614<0 Again, the -o)er o! 2adeline s drea"s is su(h that she belie$es the drea" "ore than the reality -resented to her.and belie$es that anything less than the drea" )ill result in +eternal )oe01 4o)e$er, she soon gro)s to belie$e that the 3or-hyro )ith her no) is also the 3or-hyro she "et in her drea"s.as Keats said, +)hat the I"agination sei'es as 7eauty "ust be ,ruth01 ,he idea o! the 3or-hyro )ith her in her drea" is so o$er)hel"ingly beauti!ul to 2adeline, and the alternati$e so )oe!ul, that she soon a((e-ts that the dreaded, real i"age (orres-onds )ith the i"age she (herishes in her "ind o! her lo$er0 A!ter 2adeline a((e-ts that this 3or-hyro is the real 3or-hyro, they (onsu""ate their lo$e0 Keats )rites o! the "o"ent, +Into her drea" he "elted, as the rose9 7lendeth its odour )ith the $iolet,669 Solution s)eet1 ;=2062<0 ,he drea"ing i"agery is -resent e$en as the "ost i"-ortant e$ent o! 2adeline and 3or-hyro s relationshi- (o""en(es0 Aith this a(t, the i"agination o! 2adeline.her $ision o! 3or-hyro as her lo$er. (olla-ses into the reality o! 3or-hyro, )ho is no longer ?ust standing beside her bed but be(o"ing -art o! her0 In this )ay, the real and i"aginati$e real"s, the -hysi(al and the s-iritual as-e(ts o! their relationshi-, are united in 2adeline s i"agination, and their a(t o! lo$e"a/ing is enri(hed by both these )orlds0 As 2adeline a)a/ens !ro" the i"agery o! her de!lo)ering, her regained reasoning begins to 8uestion 3or-hyro s -resen(e in her bedroo"0 A!ter the +"oon hath set1 ;=24< on 2adeline s $irginity, 3or-hyro re"inds her, + ,his is no drea", "y bride,

"y 2adeline> 1 As 2adeline res-onds, + #o drea", alas> alas> and )oe is "ine9 3or-hyro )ill lea$e "e here to !ade and -ine, 1 she establishes that not only (an she not distinguish bet)een the +real1 and +i"aginary1 as-e(ts o! their relationshi-.she has no desire to, and in !a(t does not belie$e that 3or-hyro e$en exists outside o! her o)n i"agination0 ,he 3or-hyro that does exist, as established in stan'a =5, (an ne$er (o"-are to her drea" lo$er, and she )ould rather ha$e her !antasies, )hi(h ha$e le!t her )ith the real 3or-hyro0 She is only le!t to +!ade and -ine1 a!ter the i"aginary, su-erior 3or-hyro0 In her $ision, 2adeline a((e-ted hi" )ithout 8uestion, but u-on regaining (ons(iousness, she 8uestions the $alidity o! her i"agination s o)n reasoning0 2adeline assu"es that the drea" )as ?ust that, a drea"0 ,he !a(t that the e$ents o! her drea" (ould so"eho) trans-ose the"sel$es on to her real li!e is a hard (on(e-t !or her to gras-0 She assu"es that )hen the drea" disa--ears, 3or-hyro )ill, too0 Bather than being u-set that 3or-hyro "ight ha$e ta/en ad$antage o! her in her drea"s, she )ishes that she )ere still in her drea"s to be "ani-ulated0 Bather than !a(ing the reality that he is a(tually there )ith her, she allo)s her delusions to guide her assu"-tions, instead o! the !a(ts o! the situation0 In i"agination, reality (an be "ore ?arring than reality a(tually is as i"agination ends0 7y (alling her his +bride,1 3or-hyro i"-lies that he regards hi"sel! as the !ul!ill"ent o! her desires and drea"s, and that he intends to "arry her as the (ul"ination o! her drea"0 ,he lo$ers, 2adeline and 3or-hyro, es(a-e0 +,hey glide, li/e -hanto"s1 as they "a/e their )ay -ast the +slee-ing dragons all around1 ;=5=<0 Earlier in the -oe", the s-ea/er (lai"ed that i! 3or-hyro told anyone o! his lo$e !or 2adeline, +a hundred s)ords9 Aill stor" his heart,1 along )ith +hyena !oe"en, and hot6blooded lords1 ;%=6C<0

4o)e$er, des-ite the threat o! +dragons1 and +s-ears,1 no hu"an sound is heard as the duo "a/e a relati$ely -ea(e!ul es(a-e !ro" 2adeline s "ansion, )hi(h -re(ludes the idea that a threat e$er really existed at all0 In !a(t, the re$elers are no) ex-erien(ing !antasies.night"ares.o! their o)n0 @n(e es(a-e is real, the entire ad$enture o! the -oe" (an be seen as a !ig"ent o! the i"agination0 3erha-s the obsta(les -re$enting their lo$e )ere i"aginary, and -erha-s this ex-lains )hy 2adeline is so a!raid that 3or-hyro is not real on(e she )a/es u- !ro" her drea"0 4o)e$er, i! the threat o! re$enge does exist, it is only the -o)er o! their i"aginations.ho) they i"agine their lo$e to be.that allo)s the" to es(a-e so -ea(e!ully0 Sin(e their lo$e is begun in an i"aginati$e )orld, they are !ree to (hoose their destiny and ex-erien(e )hat li!e has to o!!er in a )ay that the real )orld ne$er )ill allo)0 Keats state"ent o! 1%1&, +,he I"agination "ay be (o"-ared to Ada" s drea".he a)o/e and !ound it truth1666 is dra"ati'ed in his -oe" +,he E$e o! St0 Agnes,1 in )hi(h 2adeline )a/es !ro" a drea" only to !ind that )hat she desired to ha$e in her drea" has be(o"e her ne) reality0 ,he -o)er o! the i"agination, as seen by Keats, is "u(h in e$iden(e in the text, as 3or-hyro and 2adeline (on8uer the real6li!e obsta(les to their lo$e. reality itsel!66 and es(a-e, +entoil d in )oo!ed -hantasies1 ;2%%<0