John Keats- La Belle Dame Sans Merci

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La Belle Dame Sans Merci- 

'O what can ail thee, kight- at arms,' 

  • The kight possess megalopsychia (greatness of soul)
  • 'Kight' relates to midieval/ Arthurian times- has connotations with strength and power used for acts of good- contrasts to first 3 stanzas where the knight is ill and weak becuase of the woman or 'faery' 

'Full beautiful- a faery's child' 

  • 'faery'- too good to be true? too beautiful?
  • She is physiclly beautiful
  • 'faery's child'- connotations of innocence- contrasts with the line 'And her eyes were wild'- she isn't innocent/ sexual object
  • Knight is blinded by her beauty and cannot see it will end badly- tragic blindness

 'I made a garland for her head, And bracelets too,' 

  • could be seen as knight tradionally wooing her with flowers
  • or bracelets could represent handcuffs- handcuffs her then

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