Topic > The Dark Vision of Love in La Belle Dame Sans Merci by John Keats

Keats is able to portray love in many different lights throughout the poem by connecting ideas and meanings, such as symbolism. Its different uses of structure within the poem, considered unusual for a ballad, also have connotations about how love affects the main character. Unlike other poets, Keats creates an overall tone within the poem that raises questions such as "Is the desire of the night more lust than love?" Then leading to the idea of ​​negative tones running throughout the poem through implications of darker intentions behind the relationship formed. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay In the first stanza, Keats gives an insight into the knight's feelings, he is described as "lonely and palely loitering." The repetition of the word "pale" throughout the poem implies that it is a negative state and could describe it as sickly. This idea of ​​his declining health is again in the third stanza, with Keats using flowers as symbolism for his health. Lilies are used to describe her complexion: "I see a Lilly on your forehead." This flower often associated with funerals could mean that the night is on the brink of death. This is further supported in verse 11, “on the cheeks a withering rose / Even quickly withers.” With a rose often symbolizing love, it could be implied that his love is fading along with his life. Considering it as a physical description, Keats describes the dying knight very clearly, the "rose" being the image of reddened cheeks. This further intensifies the encounter between the knight and the woman, implying that she brings him back from the brink of death. However, by depicting the knight in such a desperate position, he manages to intensify the contrast between the knight and the lady. Stanzas one and four connect together because of this contrast. While the knight is described as "lonely" and "pale", she is described as "beautiful" and "her hair was long, her foot light / and her eyes wild". These qualities were those of a stereotypical perfect woman. Furthermore, because of the contrast, it is portrayed as something new and perhaps an exciting prospect for the knight. This is further supported in stanza six, line 21, when he writes “and there was nothing seen all day.” This implies that since he has it in his life nothing else is needed – perhaps the exact definition of love that we recognize today. The idea that the knight's perspective is changed or brightened because of the lady is further supported by looking at the rhyme scheme. Usually a ballad follows an AB AB pattern, however this only applies in stanzas where the knight is accompanied by the lady. This could infer that his life is easier with her because of the way the poem flowed when spoken aloud. Beyond that, the use of commas in the fourth stanza to describe the woman could imply a sense of endless positive qualities, since commas usually represent continuation. Unlike the language and structure, the overall tone of the poem could represent a darker side of love. Due to Keats' constant use of euphemisms, there is a sexual tone that overpowers the entire poem. The “ideal woman” mentioned earlier contained depictions of “wild eyes” and “long hair.” Both were often used in place of describing a woman as sexual. For this reason we see that the knight can see the woman in a purely sexual light. This could take away the beauty of love and rely entirely on.