8. In the poem "Isabella and the Pot of Basil", a young woman buries the head of her murdered lover in the titular pot. What English Romantic poet, known for writing about nightingales and urns, was the author of this work?
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Answer:
John Keats
Written in 1818, and published in 1820, John Keats' narrative poem "Isabella, or the Pot of Basil" counts 63 stanzas of 8 lines each. It is based on a story in Giovanni Boccaccio's "Decameron", known as "Lisabetta da Messina" (IV, 5). The daughter of a wealthy family, Lisabetta falls in love with Lorenzo, a young man who works for her three brothers. When the three greedy, violent men learn of the affair, they murder the young man, spreading the rumour that Lorenzo has been sent on a work-related trip. However, Lorenzo's ghost appears to Lisabetta in a dream, revealing the truth, and telling her where his murderers have hidden his body. The young woman finds the body and cuts off its head, and once back home buries it in a pot of fragrant basil, which she waters with her tears. Unfortunately, the brothers steal the pot, finding the head inside it: afraid of retribution, they get rid of the head, and flee to Naples - leaving the unfortunate Lisabetta to sicken and die, pining for her lost love.
This tragic love story was a very popular subject for Pre-Raphaelite painters: the most famous depiction, by William Holman Hunt (1867), shows Isabella embracing the pot, which is decorated with skulls. One of Hans Christian Andersen's fairy tales, "The Elf of the Rose" (1839), was also inspired by Lisabetta's tale.