Compare and contrast Keats and Shelley.

The poets
John Keats and Percy Bysshe Shelley have numerous similarities as well as some important
differences. The poets were contemporaries, writing in the early nineteenth century, and are
considered pillars of the Romantic movement. As representatives of the Romantic poets, they
wrote verse that is rich in emotion, demonstrates an awe of nature, and idealizes the
imaginative power of humankind. Both wrote in traditional verse forms, penning many sonnets and
making heavy use of iambic pentameter in extended narrative and reflective poems.

The two poets gravitated toward different subject matters. Keats is considered
"less mature" in his art, primarily because he was younger and did not have the time
to perfect his style. He died at the age of twenty-five from tuberculosis, and although he only
wrote poetry for six short years, his poetic genius and the rapidity with which he improved his
poetic skills is astounding. In 1819 alone, he composed multiple masterpieces, including his
five...