# XXXVII explained — Poetry

> Chapter companion for Poetry by John Keats.

## What happens

The basil plant's eyes, though wild, remain bright with love and protect Isabella from phantom fears as it unravels the dark memories of Lorenzo's murder by her brothers, including the forest, the dell, and his fatal stabbing.

## Themes in this chapter

### Love and Loss

The basil plant's eyes are bright with love, protecting Isabel from the memory of Lorenzo's murder.

### Sorrow and Melancholy

The chapter dwells on the horrid woof of dark time, murderous spite, and the memory of Lorenzo's fatal stabbing.

## Character check-ins

### Isabel

The poor girl protected by the basil plant's magic light from phantom fears.

### Lorenzo

The murdered lover whose stabbing in the forest dell is recalled.

### Basil

The basil plant with dewy bright eyes that keeps phantom fear aloof from Isabel.

## Key lines

> Its eyes, though wild, were still all dewy bright With love, and kept all phantom fear aloof From the poor girl by magic of their light, The while it did unthread the horrid woof Of the late darken’d time,⁠—the murderous spite Of pride and avarice,⁠—the dark pine roof In the forest,⁠—and the sodden turfed dell, Where, without any word, from stabs he fell.

The basil's eyes, though wild, remained bright with love and magically protected Isabella from fear as it unraveled the terrible fabric of recent dark events: the murderous hatred born of pride and greed, the dark pine forest roof, and the wet grassy hollow where Lorenzo was stabbed to death in silence.

_The basil plant's protective and revelatory power over Isabella's traumatic memories._

## Links

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