‘La belle dame’ is described as a beautiful character implied by her name. However the other side of her character is shown within the rest of the title ‘Sans Merci’, without Merci. ‘Her hair was long and her foot was light’, ‘Her eyes were wild’, perhaps relating to the empowering side of ‘La belle dame’. Keats reinforces his point by using ‘wild eyes’ once again in the later part of the poem. Keats describes her, as a ‘faerys child’ and later says in ‘language strange she said I love thee true’ – this implies her mythical quality which mystifies and captures the knight .
The poem represents three characters the narrator, the knight and ‘La belle dame.’ The story is told by the knight, but begins with opening questions from the narrator, ‘o what can ail thee knight at arms, Alone and palely loitering? Keats portrays ‘La belle dame’ in a negative light, as a character who distrusts and mistreats the knight. Perhaps this expresses keats’ feelings towards women, however he creates separate characters with different personalities. Although ‘La belle dame’ is described as a beautiful mythical creature she uses the knight and leaves him to die. In the last three stanzas of the poem the knight describes the sight of dead men on the ‘ cold hill side’ who have also been enthralled by the ‘faery’s child’. Her kind words and beauty tricked the knight along with the other men. The title ‘La Belle Dame Sans Merci’ – the beautiful women without mercy highlights this.
The knight in some ways can be seen as being portrayed negatively. Keats portrays men as being superficial human beings who fall for the beauty of woman. The knight is fooled by the ‘faery’s child’ exterior failing to see her deceitful character. Women are seen as dangerous seducers of simple-minded men.
Browning’s poem ‘Pophyria’s lover.’ Is a dramatic monologue, in which we see everything from the speaker’s point of view; as in ‘La Belle Dame Sans Merci’. She is portrayed as being deceitful and flirtatious. Women are also seen as dangerous in another way. There lust for life is seen as a danger to their lovers. Mens’ social and physical power over women is not enough as Browning shows in ‘My last Duchess’ and ‘Pophyria’s lover’. Both the male characters are under the emotional power of the women in the poems, therefore the only way for them to have sole power over the women is when they are dead.
Within the poem Porphyria has no voice herself showing that the views of the Victorian era can be reflected within the constraints of the poem. Women were perceived as possessions of a male dominated society. They were unable to vote or hold any ranking positions within the work place. Only a few very wealthy aristocratic women had there own money, but most were dependent on the income or dowry of their husband. ‘Pophyria’s Lover’ shows a very morbid reality of the male perception of women during this period.
Pophyria is accused of feeling superior ‘From pride and vainer ties dissever, and give herself to me for ever’. This describes her pride as being overwhelming as if she is incapable of loving others as she is too in love with herself. When ‘Pophyria’s lover’ believes he has achieved a moment when she adores him he kills her. This shows that he believes he has reached a point where he has the power over her not vice- versa.
In all the poems the balance of power is different. Even though, it appears as if the poets are showing the greatness of men over women they in fact agree that women should be treated as mans equal. Browning shows how the fictional power possessed by a male tyrant can easily cause the death of a women, this is shown in both his dramatic monologues. Although, all the women within the poems die the poets show a sense of hidden power within all the characters excluding Tennyson’s depiction of Marianna. Their lack of voice shows the lack of respect shown towards the female characters. Only in ‘La belle dame sans merci’ is the female treated with a vague amount of admiration, however she is perceived as the most deceitful and untrustworthy of the five women.