Ode on Indolence Dreams, Hopes, and Plans Quotes

Ambition is the second figure to appear to the speaker, and it's the only one that is given human characteristics (there's some more personification for ya). Ambition is pale and tired, but very observant. It never sleeps. Is Keats trying to say that ambition is exhausting?

The speaker can't follow Ambition; it lives inside human hearts. It doesn't remain there, though. Keats says that it jumps out from time-to-time in a short burst. It's an intense burst, though. He also compares it to a fever, which can confuse and weaken the senses. That's not really a very positive way to look at ambition.

Poetry temps the speaker the most, and therefore this figure annoys him the most. He doesn't want his talent to get in the way of his idleness, but he knows he's wasting this talent by not using it. And, since you can't get rid of the talent you were born with, he knows Poesy will continue to appear and tempt him. Thus, he calls Poesy his "demon."

Here, the speaker decides to reject the figures that tempt him. He reveals what he thinks will happen if he pursues his dreams: he'll become someone filled with false praise, like a pet lamb. Perhaps he thinks his talent will lead to fame, but that the pleasures associated with fame won't feel as authentic as he hopes. That's why he doesn't want to bother with pursuing them.

Bye-bye, figures. The speaker doesn't want to be ambitious. He wants to sleep in the grass. If ambition is described in negative or harmful ways, idleness is described as the opposite. It's relaxing and pleasant. But this isn't the first time the speaker has banished the figures, so we can bet that it probably isn't the last attempt the figures will make. Will ambition eventually be able to turn the poet's head?