1. La Belle Dame Sans Merci
‘the beautiful woman without mercy’

2. What happens?
Write a quick summary of what happens in each stanza or group of stanzas, who is talking etc.

3. Summary
 The first speaker is walking along and sees a knight. It's autumn and the speaker asks the knight why he is out in the middle of the meadow.
The knight is scruffy and sad. He's also pale and sweating while the rosy colour in his cheeks is fading.
Now the knight begins to speak. He says that he met a fairy child.
He gave her jewellery and perfume and it was love at first sight.
He put her on his horse and she sang for him. She gave him food and said, “I love you”.
Then, she took him to her cave and she began to cry. He kissed away her tears and then fell asleep.
He dreamed of a hillside with many pale kings and warriors on it. These ragged men claimed that La Belle Dame sans Merci had him in her trance/charm.
The knight then woke up on that cold, dark hillside just before twilight.

4. Where’d it come from?
Title of a Middle French court poem by Alain Chartier (1424)
‘merci’ mean thanks now, but then meant mercy
Keats probably knew a version that was supposed to have been translated by Chaucer.
Spenser also had a poem called ‘The Faerie Queen’ with similar ideas ( ).

5. Where’d it come from? Wrote the poem on April 21, 1819.
Referred to in letter 123 to his brother George.
Brother Tom had recently been deceived in a ‘romantic liaison’ – it upset Keats.
Keats undecided about whether to enter into a relationship with Fanny Brawne, who he loved but whose friends disapproved.

6. Inspiration
Keats dreamt he met a beautiful woman in a magic place which turned out to be filled with pallid, enslaved lovers.
Read Spenser’s ‘The Faerie Queen’ just before writing his poem .
Florimel = an enchantress impersonates a heroine to her boyfriend, and then vanishes.

7. Topics for Exploration
Working in groups of 4, you will take on one of the following topics for exploration:
The Belle Dame
The Knight
The Location
Ambiguity
Annotate the poem thoroughly with regard to your topic. Then, write a summary analysis of your topic.