On First Looking Into Chapman's Homer Ambition Quotes

Keats tells us from the beginning that he is voraciously striving to be a great poet by giving us a metaphor of his deep reading. It's not just bragging—he is searching for something.

Even at a young age, Keats knew he wanted to do something great. He pursued several careers before landing on poetry, because he believed that was the most pure and powerful way to reach people. He pictures Chapman here as literally speaking out to him, even though he's been dead hundreds of years.

Note that Keats isn't just portraying himself as a better poet having read Chapman. Here he's portraying himself more literally as a visionary, someone who looks beyond his surroundings for a glimpse of the bigger picture.

Not fat Cortez, brave Cortez! Keats saw poets as bold, powerful figures, just like Spanish conquistadors.

Here Keats imagines himself at the mountain top, quietly contemplating the Big Mysteries of life. His men? Oh, they're down the hill a bit, not up in the rarified air that he's enjoying right now. Do you think that this ambitious fantasy is more about Keats' love of poetry, or could it be something more selfish and ego-driven?