Feminist Approach in “La Belle Dame Sans Merci” by John Keats
The most amazing aspect about literature is that it can be interpreted in thousands of ways. Because of this, I have chosen a poem that at the first glance has absolutely nothing to do with feminism, but more likely with a romantic ballad.
To understand better Keats’ style, I read some other writings and I reckon that he has a lot in common with Eminescu: the love of nature, the subject of mythology (the poem “Hyperion”), the admiration for true beauty which can be found in the most unexpected places or beings. But as it can be seen, feminism is still absent.
The story line seems to be a simple one. A knight that wonders through the woods is seduced by a supernatural seductive feminine character that causes his destruction. For all this simplicity, this poem opens many interpretations, other than sexual pleasure or the knight infatuation with his muse. It is hilarious that the lyrical voice tries to convince the reader that he deals with a femme fatale and that the knight is the actual …show more content…
Better that this, he made “a garland for her head, / And bracelets too, and fragrant zone;” with the purpose to conciliate her. Considering this fact, it can be sustained that the roles have switched and the man stops being the victim. In fact, does she actually do something to seduce him? Certainly not! She is described as a cruel enchantress, but in reality he is the one that starts everything. It is a common accusation that women are the ones that own evil forces, for example the biblical myth. Adam claimed that Eve was the only culprit for the ancestral sin, she was the temptation.
Moreover, the knight starts to show his domination. From the excerpt “I set her on my pacing steed”, the objectification of women can be seen once again. The knight acts like he possesses the female. He is hardly a helpless
The most amazing aspect about literature is that it can be interpreted in thousands of ways. Because of this, I have chosen a poem that at the first glance has absolutely nothing to do with feminism, but more likely with a romantic ballad.
To understand better Keats’ style, I read some other writings and I reckon that he has a lot in common with Eminescu: the love of nature, the subject of mythology (the poem “Hyperion”), the admiration for true beauty which can be found in the most unexpected places or beings. But as it can be seen, feminism is still absent.
The story line seems to be a simple one. A knight that wonders through the woods is seduced by a supernatural seductive feminine character that causes his destruction. For all this simplicity, this poem opens many interpretations, other than sexual pleasure or the knight infatuation with his muse. It is hilarious that the lyrical voice tries to convince the reader that he deals with a femme fatale and that the knight is the actual …show more content…
Better that this, he made “a garland for her head, / And bracelets too, and fragrant zone;” with the purpose to conciliate her. Considering this fact, it can be sustained that the roles have switched and the man stops being the victim. In fact, does she actually do something to seduce him? Certainly not! She is described as a cruel enchantress, but in reality he is the one that starts everything. It is a common accusation that women are the ones that own evil forces, for example the biblical myth. Adam claimed that Eve was the only culprit for the ancestral sin, she was the temptation.
Moreover, the knight starts to show his domination. From the excerpt “I set her on my pacing steed”, the objectification of women can be seen once again. The knight acts like he possesses the female. He is hardly a helpless