# Lycius — Poetry character guide

> Lycius in Poetry by John Keats.

**Role:** major

**Also known as:** blinded Lycius, Thou, your, yourself, thee, Thy

**First appearance:** 0052-ii

## Snapshot

A young Corinthian who falls utterly for Lamia's beauty, eager to display his bride to the world even as her magic warns him to keep her hidden.

## Who they are

Lycius is a youth of warm impulse and social pride, raised among Corinth's philosophic circles yet undone by love at first sight. His desire to marry Lamia publicly—to make his happiness visible—collides with her quiet insistence on secrecy, and the friction between them grows as the wedding approaches. In the poem's early and middle arc, his blindness to the cost of exposure makes him both deeply sympathetic and quietly doomed.

## Relationships

### [Lamia](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/poetry_14_se/characters/lamia)

_romantic_

Lamia and Lycius are passionate but tragic lovers, with Lamia's supernatural nature ultimately destroying their bond.

### [Saturn](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/poetry_14_se/characters/saturn)

_rivalry_

Lycius resents Saturn's influence over Lamia and competes for her affection, leading to a tense antagonism.

### [Saturn](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/poetry_14_se/characters/saturn)

_rivalry_

Lycius resents Saturn's influence over Lamia and competes for her affection, leading to a tense antagonism.

### [Lamia](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/poetry_14_se/characters/lamia)

_romantic_

Lamia and Lycius are passionate but tragic lovers, with Lamia's supernatural nature ultimately destroying their bond.

### [Lamia](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/poetry_14_se/characters/lamia)

_romantic_

Lamia and Lycius are passionate but tragic lovers, with Lamia's supernatural nature ultimately destroying their bond.

## In the story

### [Lamia](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/poetry_14_se/chapters/lamia)

Falls in love with Lamia, insists on a public wedding despite her pleas, and dies of shock when she is revealed as a serpent.

### [Lamia's Transformation and the Meeting with Lycius](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/poetry_14_se/chapters/i)

A young Corinthian who falls in love with Lamia; is enchanted by her song and beauty; shows unease when encountering Apollonius.

### [II](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/poetry_14_se/chapters/ii)

Lycius insists on a public wedding despite Lamia's pleas, leading to tragedy.

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/poetry_14_se/characters/lycius
- Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/poetry_14_se
- All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/poetry_14_se/characters