Primary Symbols in Keats’ “La Belle Dame sans Merci”

Year 2018, Volume: 4 Issue: 1, 47 - 54, 28.06.2018

Tuğçe Kaptan

Abstract

This study examines the primary symbols in British poet Keats’ poem, “La Belle Dame sans Merci”, and the poem strikingly revolves around a Knight and his, the protagonist’s love for a beautiful woman. However, the woman does not have mercy and pity for the knight. A great number of symbols are given to present the theme of love focusing on the knight’s desire for the fairy-woman. These symbols are incorporated with mythology specifying their relation with the themes of death and life. The article also reflects Keats’ use of primary symbols together with their close integrity with nature. The relation between love and nature has been illustrated throughout the paper. The knight’s first acquaintance with nature is provided by the fairy-lady. The fairy-lady’s offer of a transient bliss, a particular kind of imaginative experience to the knight proves that love has been source of life for the knight despite its brooding. Conclusion of the article helps reader grasp a close connection between nature and woman. Thus, the article stresses the stubborn fact that there is a close relation between the concepts of love, woman and nature. 

Keywords

Primary Symbols, Knight, Nature, Woman, Love

References

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