John Keats’s Poem, La Belle Dame Sans Merci Essay examples

Medieval scholars continually inspect the particularities of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight (SGGK) within the context of the preexisting Gawain literary tradition, and the issue of Gawain’s sudden antifeminist diatribe repeatedly comes to the forefront of these textual investigations. Often, literary critics claim that Gawain’s antifeminist outburst is common for the fourteenth century and that his acceptance to wear the girdle as a sign of shame still epitomizes him as a model of knighthood. Other scholars hesitate to dismiss Gawain’s misogyny as commonplace, they note that this moment is inconsistent with his reputation as an ideal knight. Gawain’s hasty compulsion to blame women suggests ruptures within the essentiality of his chivalric identity and a closer examination of the text reveals that this moment is not isolated. Despite scholars repeated attempts to identify the essential knight within Gawain, there are several examples of Gawain’s unstable identity throughout the text. I will argue Sir Gawain’s knightly identity is performative rather than essential, and his diatribe is the culmination of his failure to perform his own expected social identity.

The Knight’s striking military career is considered prestigious and esteemed. The Knight has fought in “fifteen mortal battles” (Chaucer 4) all over the world. He fought in Prussia, Lithuania, Granada, North Africa, Anatolia, and Russia. His devotion to his career brings attention to the significance of fighting for the Knight, “it is during his violent interactions with others, that his loyalty to the knightly code should be most apparent” (n.a. par. 2). The Knight’s devotion to his work in the military can be assumed by how Chaucer describes his appearance when he begins his pilgrimage. In contrast to his son, the Squire, who wears fine clothing “embroidered like a meadow bright and full of freshest flowers, red and white” (Chaucer 5), the Knight, Chaucer reveals, is not “gaily dressed” (Chaucer 5) which divulges that

As the foreign element in the poem, she already emanates a curious vibe of exotic fantasy displayed from her "strange" language (23), such an impression then leading to her positioning as the Other whom which the knight fails to comprehend. But she is also mystical in that her very being is subjected to unfixable definition. The lady is attributed to be both “belle dame” and “beldame”, her dual identity presenting as a “macaronic pun” (Williams 214), as a bilingual mix of words operating within the same context. While “belle dame” in French depicts a pleasant beautiful maiden, the English version “beldame” contradictorily points towards the figuration of a malicious old hag. Thus, the lady’s name itself already signifies a kind of perplexing fluidity. Her true nature can never be clearly captured by the knight, akin to how one can never grasp flowing water within the palm. Right from the start, she is already portrayed as an elusive Dionysian entity which cannot be readily subsumed within the Establishment’s fixed Apollonian codes of understanding. The knight regards her brows as washed out with “feverish dew" (10). Dew holds a refreshing quality and symbolically represents the vitality of renewal. However, this pristineness is quickly being transmuted into that which enacts agony and

On the contrary, this type of modesty would invoke feelings of pity.Regardless of what others were thinking at the time, Gawain is determined to bare the cross of his deed in order to gain high renown among his peers and the devotion of the king. King Arthur's demonstrates his appreciation through his words of praise and the feast celebrating Gawain's courage.This is because he is expected, as a knight, to excel at humility and modesty due to the importance of the Christian state of mind in this epic poem. Gawain is a humble knight with a brave heart and many human flaws. Along with humility, the many traits of a good Christian Knight, such as chastity, are shown through Gawain’s encounter with Lady Bertilak. When speaking to lady Bertilak, Gawain admires her in a respectful and sacred approach. “As myself ever can, however long I may live/ would be absolute folly, noble lady, on my word/ I will carry out your desires with all my power/ as I am in all duty bound, and always will be/ the servant of your wishes” (Fitt 3.1544-1548). He assures her that for as long as he shall live, he will remain her noble servant attending to her every wish. Interestingly, although he has promised her to do as she pleases; he rejects her desire of a sexual encounter. He shows humility towards her for he is “completely unworthy” (Fitt 3.1244) of her seduction. He wants to remain true to his word, but cannot come to terms of allowing himself to

She wraps her female sexual fantasy of Guenever's humiliation around a woman's perception of a male masturbatory fantasy. A handsome, dejected knight withdraws to a forest meadow next to a stream to reflect on his ill fortune. When he wakes from a nap, two lovely maidens take him to a fabulous pavilion where he spends the afternoon making love to the most beautiful woman on earth who loves him "more than anything" (116). Moreover, his generous lover provides him with "a dowry" of inexhaustible means and the opportunity to have her whenever he wishes, knowing he will circumscribe his pleasures to discrete circumstances. Marie's lai reflects twelfth-century feminine tastes.

Chaucer’s portrayal of the knights tail exaggerates every tiny detail. Often when details are scrutinized over an author is trying to paint their

In this tale, it is told that a knight, which overcomes lust to rape women, is to be punished by death for his sexual impulses. After given another chance by fulfilling a request of what women really want in love in a span of a year and a day, the knight makes a deal with an old lady as his last resort. “What thyng it is, that wommen moost desire. / Koude ye me wisse, I wolde wel quite youre hire. [...] /

Just as the knight thinks that he is free, the foul women who helped save the knight’s life asks the queen and court do her a favor. She asks the knight to marry her and the knight then replies, “But for God’s love now, choose a new request! / Take all my goods, and let my body go. (1066-1067)” The old woman says that she does not want gold or any other material possession, she just wants his love.

In the short story The Wife of Bath’s Tale, author Geoffrey Chaucer utilizes irony to downplay the honor maintained by knights, describe the gender inequalities of the time period, and satirize members of the aristocracy. Through irony, Chaucer ridicules the diminished code of honor that knights supposedly must uphold, but routinely violate in their abuse of women and other disparaging activities. The knight, who serves as the central figure of the tale, is no exception, having been brought to trial for the unlawful rape of an innocent woman. To save his own life, the knight returns to court with an old crone who will testify in favor of the quest the knight has gone on to discover the truth about what women desire. Chaucer first satirizes the knights’ code of honor when the crone says, “For which he swore, and pledged his honor to it” (197), in reference to the knight’s promise to repay her for her testimony that ultimately saved his life.

After a few rooms the knight found himself in the master room where Adalbert dwelled in, and Adalbert at that time was changing into a white robe when the knight walked in and saw him. “The Golden Maiden,” The knight exclaimed, for he had not seen more than a few women in his lifetime, such that he mistook Adalbert as a maiden due to the long, silky hair that he possessed. His excitement blinded him, making him forget about how the Golden Maiden had already returned to heaven years ago.

In medieval literature, the knight is held to the highest esteem among all members of the king’s court. The knight is bound to a shared code that dictates how one should act in any possible situation that may arise. While embarking on their epic journeys, knights are often put through trials that test the strength they have to uphold the Knightly Code. In Geoffrey Chaucer’s Wife of Bath’s Tale, the nameless knight disregards his duty to the Knightly Code in several instances throughout the tale. The knight in question is brought into Arthur’s court labeled with charges of rape. Posed a question by the queen the knight was tasked with supplying her the correct answer in order to save his life. The way the knight carries out his task and how he handles the situations that arise after his life is secure are reasons to question his moral character and his true loyalty to his knighthood.

This convention is used by Keats to show the reader what events happened that led to the ailment of the knight. The knight describes how he met the enchantress and when they kissed she lulled the knight to sleep. During this dream like state the knight encounters other victims of the enchantress including other death-pale knights, princes, and warriors. All of these victims cry “La Belle Dame sans Merci hath thee in thrall.” La Belle Dame sans Merci, which is also the title of the poem, translates to “the beautiful lady without mercy.”

For years the Book of the Duchess has raised suspicion whether the character Gerffrey the dreamer’s intentions to console the Black Knight was sympathetic or simply criticism. Therefore many readers wonder why the dreamer does not seem to comprehend the Knight’s sorrow for his beloved. My paper will explore the fact that the dreamer overhears the Knight’s weeping at the death of his lady but still continues to misunderstand what is truly said because he process to provide a compassionate ear. As a result the Knight is able to make sense of his frustration and sorrow for his grief.

John Keats was born in 1795 and died in 1821. He lived a short life as

Thomas Keats and Frances Jennings gave birth to John Keats on 31 October 1795 at his grandfather’s livery stable in London, United Kingdom.(“Keats, John (1795-1821).”) His father died in a riding accident when John was only 8 years old. As for John’s mother, she died when he was 14 years old due to tuberculosis.(“Keats, John (1795-1821).”) John had two younger brothers, George and Tom, and a younger sister named Fanny. John and his brother’s George and their younger brother went to John Clarke’s school at Enfield. Keats got guidance, encouragement and a strong friendship from his teacher, Charles Cowden Clarke.(“John Keats”.) Charles was the headmaster and a person of a strong literary interests and radical political