The poet John Keats wrote about art, beauty, and love. His life was short and not easy. At the age of 25, he died of tuberculosis, but he still managed to write a number of works that became masterpieces of English poetry.
Aesthetic preferences and social views of Keats brought him closer to a group of London romanticists, especially William Hazlitt. While Keats came under the influence of Hazlitt's bold ideas, he, however, distrusted the political struggle.
A group of London romanticists adhered to democratic views. Keats, Hazlitt, Hunt, Lamb frowned on the policies pursued by the Tories, advocated radical changes, human rights, advanced ethical ideas.
The place of self-expression of the London romanticists was The Examiner magazine (1808-1821). A great influence on them was provided by Coleridge and Wordsworth, whom, however, Londoners considered too conservative. Progressive political convictions brought Londoners closer to Byron and Shelley. At the same time, these two poets proved to be too revolutionary and tendentious for the friends of Keats. That is why the London romanticists could not be considered representatives of the Byronic school.
In the general romantic tradition, London romanticists occupied a position equidistant from extreme ideological trends. It is for this reason that in their creative heritage one can find something in common with the ideological principles of the far-away directions of English romanticism.
The progressive political views of Keats were reflected in his sonnet On Peace (1814). In it, the desire to fight tyrants is intertwined with the theme of the peace. The lyrical hero praises the peaceful life, which came after the victory over Napoleon. He expresses his admiration for the fact that peace will bring rest and happiness. In Keats` opinion, peaceful life cannot be separated from the desire for freedom. He wants Europe to throw off the yoke of tyranny, and that people with power can no longer do evil deeds. To prevent them in this a fair law is needed.
In the sonnet Kosciusko (1816) Keats tells of the great influence of a fighter for the independence of Poland on the imagination of people.
To the prosy reality of his time, Keats counterposes the heroic past of his country. In his poem Robin Hood (1818), he pays tribute to the legendary fighter for justice.
