Shelby L. RayburnDr. ZaniENGL 4392.0124 April, 2014The Virgin and the Whore: An Analysis of Keats's Madeline in “The Eve of St. Agnes”Readers of Keats's poetry have long spoken of the enchanting power of his language, and in one of his most famous, “The Eve of Sant'Agnese”; the reader remains positively enchanted by the protagonist, Madeline. She is pure, virginal, decidedly otherworldly, and “she looked like a splendid angel, freshly clothed” (Keats 77). Madeline also displays religious symbols throughout the work. She is called a “missionary spirit and a “handsome seraphim” (Keats 72-3). The reader could hardly read the poem without immediately associating Madeline with the most divine cherubim of Heaven. Her virginity is repeatedly mentioned and referenced; even his room, or the maiden's room, is "silk, silent, and chaste" (Keats 76). Young Porphyro with the “heart on fire” for Madeline simply could not resist this angel (Keats 71). It could be connected that, similarly, young John Keats could not resist his angel, Fanny Brawne. At the time of composing “The Eve of St. Agnes” Keats was burdened by his engagement to Fanny. In her book, John Keats: The Making of a Poet, Aileen Ward proclaims that "The Eve of St. Agnes" is "the first confident wave of [Keats's] love for Fanny Brawne" (Ward 310). However, if Madeline is to be a manifestation of Fanny Brawne, Keats must not think of her fiancé simply as an angel, but something more. Superficially, Madeline is only an angelic figure, but what is overlooked in a purely angelic reading of Madeline is the split image of a character with two distinct aspects, one virginal and pure, the other seductive and powerful. Madeline is not only a heavenly artist,...... middle of paper... a tortured and awkward artist. That's not to say that Madeline is some sort of bubbly hipster, she's portrayed as a sweet angel. She's not delightfully flawed as MPDG often is, struggling with an adorable "awkwardness," which is supposed to make the audience identify with the bubbly girl. Madeline is perfect and chaste, but she is also a fearsome siren who seduces Porfiro. This is probably another false expression of what female characters and real women are like, only in the 19th century romantic version. For centuries, directors, writers, painters, artists of all kinds have often cited women as inspiration for their brilliant masterpieces. Keats himself refers to his Fanny Brawne, “My sweet creature. I wander before the Beauty that held the spell so fervently” (Keats 1). Invoking Fanny as his muse