There are eleven recorded versions of the popular folk ballad “The Cruel Brother,” resulting in an extensive amount of possibilities for comparisons and contrasts between each of the different variations of the ballad. Since the origins of ballads are unknown, it makes the interpretation process of them quite complex, and requires audiences to analyze the content of ballads with extremely limited contextual clues. Considering, again, the fact that there are eleven versions of this single ballad, it can be concluded that there is an importance in finding the similarities and differences between various versions of the ballad by utilizing the textual evidence found within the ballad itself. By focusing on two different versions of the “Cruel
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The first knight is dressed in white and asks the lady if “she’d be his delight,” the second knight is dressed in green and asks “if she’d be his queen,” and the third knight is dressed in red and asks her if “she would wed” (5-10). Both the green and red knights’ questions to the lady in Version F are very similar to the spoken words of the green and red knights described in Version K. In both versions of the ballad, there are knights that wear green and red, but Version F describes the third knight as dressed in white as opposed to the third knight dressed in blue in Version K. This is a pretty significant difference between the two versions of the ballads that can be interpreted in multiple ways. The differences in the colors of the knights’ clothing could have been a simple technical choice made by a specific performer of the ballad or it could have been used to support an alternative argument about the types of men that women encounter. For example, in Version F the white knight does not speak about his supposed true love like the blue knight; instead, the white knight asks if she would be his “delight,” which produces an emphasis on male satisfaction. The white knight puts the pressure on the lady to delight him, indicating his focus on her physical beauty as well as his assumption that women are …show more content…
In the two versions analyzed in this essay, it is apparent that a single ballad can be transformed into different forms, lengths, and narratives. While there are many differences to be pointed out between Version F and Version K of the “Cruel Brother” ballad, it is very possible to discover common meanings and moralistic interpretations of the different versions. It is noted that the number of main characters as well as the number of males and females in these two versions differ, the three knights listed in each version of the ballad have physical and personal similarities and differences, and in one version the female speaker is murdered; however, despite these critical differences, both versions of the ballads display similar arguments demonstrating the impending dangers men have on women in the culture and society that these ballads were created in. While Version F proves this claim through the contrast of the female speaker’s marriage and her murder, Version K proves this claim through its absence of men in the presence of women. Whether a woman has a familial or romantic relationship with a man, both versions of the “Cruel Brother’ ballad demonstrate the privileges of manhood in this time
The first knight is dressed in white and asks the lady if “she’d be his delight,” the second knight is dressed in green and asks “if she’d be his queen,” and the third knight is dressed in red and asks her if “she would wed” (5-10). Both the green and red knights’ questions to the lady in Version F are very similar to the spoken words of the green and red knights described in Version K. In both versions of the ballad, there are knights that wear green and red, but Version F describes the third knight as dressed in white as opposed to the third knight dressed in blue in Version K. This is a pretty significant difference between the two versions of the ballads that can be interpreted in multiple ways. The differences in the colors of the knights’ clothing could have been a simple technical choice made by a specific performer of the ballad or it could have been used to support an alternative argument about the types of men that women encounter. For example, in Version F the white knight does not speak about his supposed true love like the blue knight; instead, the white knight asks if she would be his “delight,” which produces an emphasis on male satisfaction. The white knight puts the pressure on the lady to delight him, indicating his focus on her physical beauty as well as his assumption that women are …show more content…
In the two versions analyzed in this essay, it is apparent that a single ballad can be transformed into different forms, lengths, and narratives. While there are many differences to be pointed out between Version F and Version K of the “Cruel Brother” ballad, it is very possible to discover common meanings and moralistic interpretations of the different versions. It is noted that the number of main characters as well as the number of males and females in these two versions differ, the three knights listed in each version of the ballad have physical and personal similarities and differences, and in one version the female speaker is murdered; however, despite these critical differences, both versions of the ballads display similar arguments demonstrating the impending dangers men have on women in the culture and society that these ballads were created in. While Version F proves this claim through the contrast of the female speaker’s marriage and her murder, Version K proves this claim through its absence of men in the presence of women. Whether a woman has a familial or romantic relationship with a man, both versions of the “Cruel Brother’ ballad demonstrate the privileges of manhood in this time