I will be comparing the poems Lochinvar written by Walter Scott in 1808 and Le Belle Dame Sans Merci written on 1820 by John Keats.

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English Literature                                                                               Kieran Walsh 10E

Comparison of Poems

I will be comparing the poems Lochinvar written by Walter Scott in 1808 and Le Belle Dame Sans Merci written on 1820 by John Keats.

        Lochinvar and Le Belle Dame Sans Merci are two Romantic poems that claimed popularity in the movement of Romanticism simply because they were short in length, they both tell a story and contain a plot, they were fashionable for the Romantic movement also they were easy to remember and recite.

        The main and most obvious similarity between the two poems is that they are Romantic. The Romantic period began about 1798 and ended approximately around 1832. Romantic poetry concentrated on nature, feelings and emotions. Furthermore the subject matters of the supernatural and medieval were used. It was a break with the old tradition, that was until the Victorian movement moved in and people, actions, outward morality and reason were more important. Poems such as ‘Porphyria’s Lover’ were written during the Victorian movement.

        One of the main differences between the two poems would be that Le Belle Dame Sans Merci is a ballad whereas Lochinvar uses rhyming couplets and archaic language. In addition Le Belle Dame Sans Merci could be described as being tragic and heart-rending where Lochinvar is the perfect fairytale with the idyllic ending.

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Le Belle Dame Sans Merci can be considered a ballad because of its tragic content, the inclusion of a knight and the effective use of natural imagery. It is broken into four line stanzas as ballads usually are and a regular rhythm. Additionally each of the four line stanzas describes a separate incident in the poem, breaking it up into small, short scenes. Le Belle Dame Sans Merci rebels against being a ballad in a few ways. One of the most important being that it does not follow the expected rhyme scheme of A B A B; instead it ...

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