Lamia Flashcards
‘Alone and palely loitering’
using the semantic field of isolation, which contrasts the stereotypical images and impressions of a knight. This is because knights are usually brave and strong, which contrasts with the situation of ‘our’ knight.
The verb “loitering” is significant. This knight has no purpose, is clearly aimless, unlike the traditional romantic image of a noble person on an energetic quest.
“The sedge has withered from the lake”
The “sedge” is a marsh plant. The fact that it is ‘withered’ suggests it is winter, a brutal, cold, sad season; the season of death. This matches the mood of the knight, an example of pathetic fallacy.
The pace of the first verse is slow, and this line is particularly heavy, with a dragging rhythm, appropriate for the depressed mood of the knight.
‘And no birds sing.’
The fact that ‘no bird sings’ indicates lack of life - the knight is left bereft of the archetypal romantic ideas. It signifies the devastation of the knight’s inner emotional life. The lack of singing also signifies the lack of harmony in nature, potentially mirroring the knight’s inability to understand his loved one when she speaks in ‘language strange’.
‘Oh what can ail thee, knight-at-arms,
So haggard and so woe-begone?’
Keats seems to feel sorry for the knight. As a young man the poet was susceptible to women and fell in love readily. It could be that he identifies with the knight.
When the poem was written Keats was very ill. The portrayal of the knight in physical and emotional decline could reflect Keats’ recognition of his own impending fate.
Note the repetition of ‘so’, to reinforce the knight’s misery. Also, the repetition of the opening question ‘what can ail thee?’ is a refrain that leads into the story.
