Myth, mystery, and passion work together to create powerful creatures of
deception in John Keats' poem, "Lamia" and Samuel Coleridge's "Christabel."
Each poem is an allegory that depicts females possessing disdainful
qualities to illustrate the power of women. This paper will examine
characteristics of each female and how they use their power to achieve
The poems are similar in that each one contains gothic elements and at
some point, each woman appears to be a serpent. Michael Schmidt, author of
The Lives of the Poets, says that Lamia is a human drama, "despite its
gothic and magical elements" (Schmidt 416). It is important to note that
Keats does not moralize "Lamia," stating that the poem is a "metaphor of
emotion" (417). In fact, according to M. H Abrams, editor of The Norton
Anthology of English Literature, Keats intended for "Lamia" to present an
inevitably fatal situation" (Abrams 827). Schmidt also notes that
"Christabel" is a ghostly romance by which a technique of rapt questioning
and breathless images establishes dramatic tension" (383). These
statements help us understand the dynamics of the each character and it
also encourages us to make up our own minds about what is taking place.
David Perkins, editor of English Romantic Writers, explains that Lamia
is "a brilliant interplay of contrasts--mortal and immortal, poetry and
philosophy, action and retreat" (Perkins 1188). We can see this interplay
as Lamia makes her painful transformation to pursue the man she loves and
then again as Apollonius discovers the truth about her. His reaction is
understandable when we understand that in ancient demonology, "lamia was a
monster in woman's form who preyed on human beings" (Abrams 827). This
link to mythology might also play a part in Keats determination to make
this creature a female. Lamia's character is a stunning blend of mythology
James Boulger suggests t...