The Dark Vision of Love in 'La Belle Dame sans Merci' Anonymous 11th Grade

Keats is able to portray love in many different lights throughout the poem by linking ideas and meanings, like symbolism. His different uses of structure within the poem, come considered unusual for a ballad, also have connotations towards how love affects the main character. Unlike other poets, Keats creates an overall tone within the poem which raises questions such as ‘Is the desire of the night more lust over love?’ Then leading to the idea of negative tones running throughout the poem through implications of darker intentions behind the relationship formed.

Within the first stanza, Keats provides an insight to the knights feelings, he is described as ‘alone and palely loitering’. The repetition of the word ‘pale’ throughout the poem implies it is a negative state and could be describing him as sickly. This idea of his health depleting is again in stanza three, with Keats using flowers as symbolism for his health. Lilies are used to describe his complexion, ‘I see a Lilly on thy brow’. This flower often associated with funerals could mean the night is on the verge of death. This is further supported in line 11, ‘on the cheeks a fading rose/ Fast withereth too.’ With a rose often symbolising love it could be implies that,...