Summer of 1819. July, to be precise. “Hymn to the Nightingale” is published for the first time. The many ways of interpreting this poem written by John Keats raise more questions about the theme than about the poem itself. Imagination or reality? Life or death? Each interpretation varies. September 2016. Controversy is still at the heart of the poem, given its wide range of different perceptions. So, what is the main theme of the poem "Hymn to the Nightingale"? Why? In my opinion the main theme of this poem is reality, but more specifically reality as opposed to imagination. Reality is the main idea of ​​this ode and the important role it plays is amplified through the vision of the imagination. First, the development of this poem is my first clue to identifying reality versus imagination as the main idea. Keats begins his piece on the theme of reality by talking about how unhappy he feels. Then he walks away. The analogy I make for this situation is the following: this poem is similar to a rubber band breaking. At first, the rubber band is of its regular size, which corresponds to its miserable reality, as is explained in the first stanza when Keats writes: "My heart aches and a drowsy torpor pains me / My sense though of hemlock I had drunk " . Later, the rubber band stretches as the narrator enters his world, particularly when he is in the tree with the nightingale, thinking about death and how perfect it would be. He stretches it further, delving deeper into his thoughts. For example, when Keats writes: “Now more than ever it seems rich to die/ To cease at midnight without pain” (VI). This excerpt