Question 1

La Belle Dame sans Merci Analysis

Accepted Answer

Despite its poetic flourishes, La Belle Dame sans Merci largely fulfils the ballad convention of using unremarkable though occasionally archaic language that suits the conversation between knight and wanderer. However, in places the unusual syntax and ‘language strange’ expresses the knight’s disorientation and endows the poem with a surreal, dreamlike quality. This is reflected in the almost imperceptible shift between speakers. Feminist readings revel in the volte-face of the relationship dynamics marked by the change of subject and object in stanza seven, where ‘I…’ gives way to ‘She…’. Suddenly La Belle has power; she is the active force.

Question 2

La Belle Dame sans Merci Form

Accepted Answer

La Belle Dame sans Merci is a ballad, a medieval genre of poetry that tells a story in short stanzas and was traditionally sung by minstrels to entertain the court. As part of the ‘oral tradition’, further conventions included simple language, repetition and refrains. Medieval ballads also tended to revolve around supernatural themes. The ballad form was revived by Romantic poets who admired its minimalism and immediacy. In the 20th century, ballad came to mean a sentimental or heartfelt song and Keats’ version falls somewhere between these two definitions.

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La Belle Dame sans Merci Analysis: A Level Pre-1900s Poetry