# XXII explained — Poetry

> Chapter companion for Poetry by John Keats.

## What happens

The brothers, consumed by jealousy and cruelty, conspire to murder Lorenzo and bury him in a dark forest.

## Themes in this chapter

### Love and Loss

The brothers' plot to kill Lorenzo directly threatens the love between Isabel and Lorenzo, foreshadowing tragic loss.

### Social Critique and Mortality

The brothers' cruelty and mercilessness critique the destructive nature of familial greed and social constraints, leading to murder.

## Character check-ins

### Lorenzo

The young man targeted for murder by Isabel's brothers.

### Isabel

Though not directly present, her brothers' plot is driven by their disapproval of her love for Lorenzo.

## Key lines

> And many a jealous conference had they, And many times they bit their lips alone, Before they fix’d upon a surest way To make the youngster for his crime atone;

The brothers held many secret, envious meetings and often silently fumed before deciding on the most certain method to make the young man pay for his offense.

_Describes the brothers' conspiratorial planning and their determination to punish Lorenzo._

> And at the last, these men of cruel clay Cut Mercy with a sharp knife to the bone;

In the end, these heartless men completely destroyed any trace of mercy, cutting it away as if with a sharp knife down to the very bone.

_Emphasizes the brothers' utter lack of compassion and their brutal resolve._

> For they resolved in some forest dim To kill Lorenzo, and there bury him.

They decided to kill Lorenzo in a dark forest and bury his body there.

_States the brothers' final plan to murder Lorenzo and conceal the crime._

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/poetry_14_se/chapters/xxii
- Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/poetry_14_se
- All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/poetry_14_se/chapters