Page 68 - 100 Best Loved Poems - Teaching Unit
P. 68
“La Belle Dame sans Merci”
by John Keats, pages 47-48
Vocabulary
loitering – hanging around
haggard – worn, fatigued
meads – meadows
manna – allusion to biblical food, made from the sap of trees and plants
sojourn – break, vacation
1. What point of view is the poem written in? Who is its speaker(s)?
The poem is written in the first person point of view. The poem is written as a dialogue between
a knight and another man.
2. In the second stanza, what does the speaker say are reasons for the knight-at-arms to not “ail”?
The speaker says the “squirrel’s granary is full,” meaning it has been a slow fall, allowing
much time for preparation. This concept is repeated in the second reason he gives, which is
“the harvest’s done.”
3. Why does the lady weep and sigh in the poem’s eighth stanza?
Answers may vary. Example: The lady weeps because she knows that while she loves the
knight, they cannot be together since they are too different.
4. How does the French title translate into English?
The title translates into “The Beautiful Woman with No Mercy.”
5. What does the speaker’s dream suggest about the woman whom he has fallen in love with?
The pale people of the speaker’s dreams warn him that he has fallen for a woman without pity,
suggesting that she has left him for good, without consideration of his feelings.
6. Why do you believe the knight-at-arms is so sad?
Answers may vary. Example: One reason might be that when he awoke from his dream, the
beautiful woman he had found and kissed was gone. Another reason might be his realization
that the woman he had seen did not truly love him.
7. Explain the significance in the speaker’s choice of words in the final stanza, especially
“sojourn” and “palely.”
The choice of “sojourn” suggests that the speaker is waiting for something, most likely his
love. The choice of “palely” parallels the description he has given of the kings and princes in
his dreams. This may infer that he has also fallen for la belle dame sans merci.
T-50
