The Eve of St. Agnes The Supernatural Quotes

Angela is speaking to Porphyro when he first approaches her inside the castles, remarking on how incredible it is that he's been able to get in undetected. When we first meet her, Madeline's described as "hoodwink'd with faery fancy," and now Porphyro's being introduced not as her boyfriend but as the "liege-lord of all the Elves and Fays." Porphyro doesn't even think this magic ritual is going to work, and yet is described in terms that figure him as an enchanter.

Porphyro's upset at the thought of Madeline putting her faith in the St. Agnes' Eve ritual because, like Angela, he thinks it's nonsense. So, on one hand, we've got all this supernatural, fairy stuff floating around in the poem so far, but on the other hand, everyone who isn't Madeline regards the big magic trick of the night as "enchantments cold." Think about this phrase, because it's kind of funny—would an enchantment be warm if it worked? Lots of things in this poem are split along the lines of "natural" and "supernatural," "warm" and "cold." Why do you think "enchantment" is characterized this way?

Porphyro's snuck into a castle full of people who want to help him shuffle off the mortal coil, Madeline's getting set to enact an ancient ritual, people are getting hidden in closet, and tensions are high. And this line only raises them higher. Most people agree that these lines refer to how Merlin, the famous magician, was trapped in a cave until he died by the enchantress Nimue, whom he'd been majorly in love with and taught his magic. Apart from just being really dark and menacing, though, it makes you wonder who the Merlin and Demon/Nimue figures are in Keats's setup. Is Porphyro the enchanter who will be eventually caught in his own web of tricks, or is it Madeline? With all of the talk of enchantments and fairies, why do you think Keats is referencing an episode where the head honcho of all magicians got smacked down?