I was interested in the treatment of the “the lady” in “La
Belle Dame sans Merci.” The reader only experiences her through the point of
view of the knight, and, in some lines, the way that she is described is that
of a possession. Almost as if she is a doll, the knight says, “I set her on my pacing steed” (17), “I made a garland for her head” (21), and
“I shut her wild sad eyes” (31).
This objectification of the lady makes her seem submissive, giving the knight
an assertive appearance. The passivity of the lady is contrasted with the
eventual torment that she brings onto the knight. As a “faery’s child” (14) she takes on the
role of a supernatural and mysterious being. She calls the knight siren-like
with her “wild” eyes (16) and “faery’s song” (20), seducing him with her
beauty, and leading him to the terror of the dream. The pale warriors that cry,
“La belle Dame sans merci/Hath thee in thrall” (39-40) suggest that this was a
deliberate action from the lady, and that she is not as submissive as she was described
in the eyes of the knight. This destructiveness of the woman is a common theme
throughout literature, especially when she is described as mystical or
mysterious. As Alex mentioned in a post earlier in the semester, my mind turned
again to the Greek myth of Medea, a sorceress who defies gender roles and
inflicts punishment on males through her magic and power.
I appreciate this interpretation of the "I" language throughout "La Belle Dame sans Merci." It certainly objectifies our beautiful "faery's child" and renders her eventual flight that much more surprising to readers. It was undoubtedly intentional- Keats understood the effect of describing something as so submissive only to have it act from free will in the end. Here is where we find a powerful theme in the work; even those things and people we treat as if we are entitled to can leave us in a trance wondering what went wrong. Hence I see this poem less as a statement about destructive character in a woman and more as a testament to the damage that can be done when we assume something is forever ours.
ReplyDeleteTo complicate your reading, their is a distinct shift of agency at Stanza VII. Previously, the knight had been shutting, making, setting, et cetera, but soon le Belle is saying, taking, and lulling. I think this makes he into and even more powerful and threatening enchantress, as she is able to take away man's action.
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