Lord Anthem Theme Essay

Major Theme in “Lord Randal” In the Scottish ballad, “Lord Randal,” there is an overall theme of death (“Lord” 105). What can be inferred from this is that an unexpected death, especially at this period in time is something to be feared. Within the poem, Lord Randal, the main character of the poem, shows an oblivious approach to death. Meanwhile his mother, the other character in the poem, is frantic and worried about Lord Randal and concerned due to his sudden death. Overall, the theme throughout the poem is how impactful a premature death can be (“Themes” 106-107). During the course of the poem, Lord Randal himself maintains a mellow outlook on death. He is even able to keep calm enough to not spook his mother. This is displayed when Lord Randal says to his mother, “O yes, I am poisoned, mother, mak my bed soon, For I’m sick at the heart, and I fain wad lie down,” (“Lord” 23-24). This shows that even when his mom is terrified, he basically asks her to stay calm and help him have a peaceful death. At the time, this would have been a terrifying and horrible death. (“Themes” 106-107). …show more content…
At this time, a person’s ideal death is under two conditions. One, an individual would have wanted to die surrounded by family and loved ones. Also, a person would have wanted to die saved. To achieve salvation, almost always, an individual would undergo some sort of ritual, varying by religion. These two things are bad for Lord Randal because as far as the reader knows, only Lord Randal’s mother is present. That means no religious officials and no family members are present to help him pass from his earthly body in peace. (“Themes”