T53 La belle damme sans merci Flashcards
What is setting of this poem? What happens here?
Barren and desolate landscape where the speaker meets a knight who is in physical & emotional distress
What are the main themes of this poem? Reflect on the name la dame sans merci & the setting
The main themes of these poem are
-love & its potentially disruptive power(la dame sans merci)
-the contrast between reality & illusion(desolate landscape & barren)
-the human condition of suffering and despair(caused by sans merci)
How is imagery used here?
Keats uses imagery here to depict the moment when the knight meets the lady, their passionate interlude & then when he suffers, after leaving her
What is the structure of this poem?
This poem is a ballad. 12 Stanzas. Ryme scheme ABCB
What are the main rhetorical figures? Again, reflect on the name: la belle dame sans merci
Symbolism:
1: the lady is the symbol of an idealised but unattainable love(the perfect relationship does not exist, the perfect place does not exist, the perfect friend does not exist, the perfect family does not exist etc…)
2: the knight symbolizes those who fall victim for it
Irony: the knight, a symbol of power is instead represented as weak and helpless
Main line
33
