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IV Fourth level of meaning

If we add to this that the only thing we get to know about the narrator is his friendly attitude to the Knight-Poet, we might conclude that the Poet and the Narrator are two aspects of the same mind, and the Poet is questioning himself about his own tragic, artistic fate: the ballad is an internal dialogue by the poet about the destiny of the romantic artist.

Task/groupwork

Listen to the following performances of the ballad by Keats, and decide which one(s) you like and why. Pay attention to tone, musicality, atmosphere, historical mood.

“La Belle Dame Sans Merci” recordings

1.

2.

3.

4.