Lilies and Roses

An interesting element that I found about this poem is the relation of the structure to the Belle Dame.  The ballad seems to have a slow flow to it that kind of mesmerizes the reader along with the Knight.  Like some of the other ballads we’ve read in class, the Belle Dame is very simplistic and straightforward; however, from the technical aspect these elements work with the poem to create a kind of ambiance.  Due to the vagueness of details, we feel that some details are kind of strange and hazy—like when he describes the Belle Dame as being a “fairy child.”  The Knight describes the woman as if putting her on a pedestal.  I feel that the lack of detail and overall, hazy and dreamlike descriptions are a representation of the Knight coping with and surrendering to death.  The Belle Dame could be a symbol for death.  When the Knight’s appearance was described using two flowers; the lily, a symbol for death, and a rose that is “fading” quickly I thought immediately of a woman.  She seems to be described with the feminine likeness of a flower, but then I thought about how the roles of dominance switch.  When the Belle Dame goes from holding a position of submission to one of dominance it is because the Knight gives it to her.  This can be seen a him surrendering himself to his eminent death.