La Belle Dame Sans Merci the beautiful woman

La Belle Dame Sans Merci ‘the beautiful woman without mercy’

What happens? • Write a quick summary of what happens in each stanza or group of stanzas, who is talking etc.

Summary • The first speaker is walking along and sees a knight. It's autumn and the speaker asks the knight why he is out in the middle of the meadow. • The knight is scruffy and sad. He's also pale and sweating while the rosy colour in his cheeks is fading. • Now the knight begins to speak. He says that he met a fairy child. • He gave her jewellery and perfume and it was love at first sight. • He put her on his horse and she sang for him. She gave him food and said, “I love you”. • Then, she took him to her cave and she began to cry. He kissed away her tears and then fell asleep. • He dreamed of a hillside with many pale kings and warriors on it. These ragged men claimed that La Belle Dame sans Merci had him in her trance/charm. • The knight then woke up on that cold, dark hillside just before twilight.

Where’d it come from? • Title of a Middle French court poem by Alain Chartier (1424) • ‘merci’ mean thanks now, but then meant mercy • Keats probably knew a version that was supposed to have been translated by Chaucer. • Spenser also had a poem called ‘The Faerie Queen’ with similar ideas (15901596).

Where’d it come from? • Wrote the poem on April 21, 1819. • Referred to in letter 123 to his brother George. • Brother Tom had recently been deceived in a ‘romantic liaison’ – it upset Keats. • Keats undecided about whether to enter into a relationship with Fanny Brawne, who he loved but whose friends disapproved.

Inspiration • Keats dreamt he met a beautiful woman in a magic place which turned out to be filled with pallid, enslaved lovers. • Read Spenser’s ‘The Faerie Queen’ just before writing his poem. – Florimel = an enchantress impersonates a heroine to her boyfriend, and then vanishes.

Topics for Exploration • Working in groups of 4, you will take on one of the following topics for exploration: 1) 2) 3) 4) The Belle Dame The Knight The Location Ambiguity • Annotate the poem thoroughly with regard to your topic. Then, write a summary analysis of your topic.