A Masque for Keats

‘A Masque for Keats’ will be the third and final work in a trilogy of verse-dramas that offer contemporary perspectives on the lives of the romantic poets in Italy. It will chart the poet’s journey from above a London pub in Moorgate to the Spanish Steps in Piazza di Spagna, Rome and will explore attitudes towards class, fame and failure.

If Byron was the celebrity and Shelley the political agitator it may be easy to frame Keats as ‘the quiet one’. He has become an avatar for both the suffering artist and the ambitious, even over excessive sensualist. 

Living in an age that very much mirrors our own - a time of uncertainty and political upheaval, of protest and social justice, on the precipice of a new technology that would revolutionise the way we live - Keats was a poet who responded to both the ‘inner groan’ and the outside world, both self-searching and outwardly expressing. ‘A Masque for Keats’ will follow the ‘cockney’ poet from his humble origins to ‘The Eternal City’ where, during his final days, he will reflect on a legacy he sees as being ‘writ in water’ . 

To launch this new work poet Jan Noble will talk about his affinity with the romantics and perform a section from his poetic odyssey ‘Body 115’, a work that itself traces his journey from London to Italy accompanied by a host of poet ghosts including those of Shelley and John Keats.

https://jannoble.co.uk/amasqueforkeats/

Admission is free but booking is required due to the limited number of spaces (please write to info@keats-shelley-house.org).

Entry from 4:45 pm onwards. 

Jan Noble is an award winning poet making work in theatre, film and audio formats. Works include: ‘My Name is Swan’, winner of ‘Best Narrative’ at the International Poetry Film Festival, Los Angeles (2023), ‘Body 115’ (2023) winner of the London Pub Theatre award for ‘Best Innovative Play’ and ‘Reynard’ (2024) a 45-minute poetic monologue narrated by John Nettles and released as a vinyl album. His verse-dramas for Byron and Shelley precede the launch of ‘A Masque for Keats’, a new work and the third in a trilogy of pieces celebrating the romantic poets in Italy.