Ballads

1. Ballads: analysis and additional information March 13, 2023

2. “SIR PATRICK SPENS” • Dumferling: • Dumferline, a town in Fife, on the Firth of Forth • an early residence of the Scottish kings • “sits”: • reigns, rules AND is stationary • seated BUT will make others move • “blood red”: • mighty power, power over life & death, foreshadowing

3. “SIR PATRICK SPENS” • “wine”: • party (Eros in “Love Armed”) • suggests the ease with which he wields such power • suggests that the question (sailing mission) = not well-thought, casual • that the one who takes this mission will die • “The Lottery” ( search for “The Lottery,” by Shirley Jackson if you want to understand this concept better). • win BUT lose by winning • typically, an honor to be chosen by the king • BUT this is an impossible, dangerous “suicide mission”

4. “SIR PATRICK SPENS” • “good” sailor: • skillful sailor • brave • decent human • loyal, obedient to king

5. “SIR PATRICK SPENS” • Elder Knight: • elder = respected • (“respect your elders”) • favored, respected by king, yields political power • (sits at king’s right knee) • line 14: • suggests Elder Knight = enemy of Sir Patrick Spence (“ill deid”)

6. “SIR PATRICK SPENS” • alliteration & stanza #3: • repetition of sound • “s” • sounds like snake, waves crashing on beach •  foreshadows SPS’ death • Long Letter to SPS: • written, signed, sealed by king • = royal decree • MUST be obeyed • SPS must sail the royal ship

7. “SIR PATRICK SPENS” • Sir Patrick Spence: • 1st meeting = reading king’s letter, walking on the beach • at leisure • his 1st reaction, 1st line = laugh • modest: laughs at praise • humor: thinks the mission is a practical joke • his 2nd reaction = cry • realizes this mission will be his death • but he cannot refuse the king’s command • feels set up/betrayed by someone • “O who is this who has done this deed / This ill deed done to me” • (repetition = for emphasis in Oral Tradition - foreshadowing)

8. “SIR PATRICK SPENS” • “done deed” to “deed done”: • repetition • certainty of death • Mirror World: • Court vs. Ordinary, appearance vs. reality • true friends • court politics, stab in the back, set up for death • Blinded by tears: • tears = water = waves, storm,…his death • blind seers of old – see the future, his future is death

9. “SIR PATRICK SPENS” • merry men: • good men on leave • at leisure, as SPS was on the beach • at leisure – yet dutiful to SPS • from merriment to death (Contrast) • bad signs: • bad moon rising – omens, harbinger • new moon with the old moon in its arms • dangerous weather = bad sailing, danger, death

10. “SIR PATRICK SPENS” • repetition: • “I fear, I fear” • stresses the danger • stresses the switch from “merry” to “fear”

11. “SIR PATRICK SPENS” • nobles: • Nobles don’t want to ruin their expensive shoes • IRONY • b/c SPS knows they will drown anyway • CONTRAST • Nobles’ nobility • (b/c of family inheritance) • SPS’ nobility • (brave, loyal, follows orders on suicide mission)

12. “SIR PATRICK SPENS” • Shipwreck = play: • play = game (“like flies to wanton boys, they kill us for sport”) • humans = at the mercy of fate, the fates, the gods • play = drama, to be watched by nobles • IRONY: • their hats swim while they drown • their hats are symbols of their wealth BUT all the money won’t save them from death • perhaps drowned by the weight of their opulent attire

13. “SIR PATRICK SPENS” • Hands: • CAUSE-EFFECT – • King signs letter w/hand, sending them to their deaths • Women hold fans in their hands, awaiting in vain the men to return

14. “SIR PATRICK SPENS” • Fans: • used to control the weather (when it’s too hot) • BUT • cannot control the weather at sea • CONTRAST: • women = hot • men = drenched • women stand for their men’s return (tension) • king sits to send them to their death (ease)

15. “SIR PATRICK SPENS” • Gold Combs: • symbols of opulence, richness • misplaced focus b/c worldliness/materialism = meaningless to Death • their hair will turn gray as the combs stay gold – • IRONY • Danse Macabre • Their own dear lords: • not “theirs” any more – belong to Death, the Sea • they wait to see them again (alive) BUT don’t • reader sees them again (dead)

16. “SIR PATRICK SPENS” • Mirror World: • ironic twist of social class – IRONY • the lords sit at SPS’ feet • he knew they were going to die • had no illusions • they had vanity, materialism • Will he go to heaven before them?

17. “SIR PATRICK SPENS” • Aberdour: • “half over to Aberdour” • half-way from Norway to Aberdour • two villages of Aberdour on the east coast of Scotland – • one in Aberdeenshire • the other in Fife, on the north shore of the Firth of Forth. • Either may be meant.

18. “SIR PATRICK SPENS” THEMES • anti-materialism • anti-worldliness • power: • abuse of power (knight) • reckless or indifferent wielding of power (king) • anti-monarchy? • Fate, Death: • cannot escape, control (like seas) • must obey (like king’s command) • SPS accepts his fate & gets his crew to, too • nobles are ignorant of their fate

19. “SIR PATRICK SPENS” THEMES • duty: • to king • to men/sailors • to wives • Why do men serve those they serve? • in court – for political favor, power • on ship – allegiance, respect, honor • criticism of court life: • pettiness • spitefulness • luxury • materialism

20. Get up and bar the door

21. " “Get Up and Bar the Door” • Setting • Around Martinmas time (the feast of Saint Martin of Tours) • November 11 • Usually celebrated with a big feast • Much like our modern holidays • A lot of work needs to be done around the house

22. Conflict • The door needs to be barred • The husband wants the wife to do it • The wife wants the husband to do it

23. Conflict: Conclusion • “They made a paction tween them twa, They made it firm and sure,That the first word whaeer should speak, Should rise and bar the door.” • The first person to speak has to go and lock the door

24. Characterization • Stubborn • Silly • Battle of the sexes

25. Plot • Two men come into the house and eat all the food • Neither the husband nor the wife say anything because they do not want to lose the wager • The two intruders then decide to cut off the man’s ‘beard’ and ‘kiss’ the wife (clearly a euphemism about killing the man and abusing the wife) • The man finally responds: • “Will ye kiss my wife before my een And scad me wi pudding-bree?”

26. " Plot • The woman responds after the man: • “Goodman, you’ve spoken the foremost word, Get up and bar the door.” • Humorous ending • Her priority is winning the bet.

27. The TwaCorbies

29. Synopsis • The poem is very interesting, but quite morbid. Ravens tend to represent death and this gives the poem a more negative connotation and sets the tone to be ominous. The poem is about a discussion between two ravens who stumble upon a “new slain knight” and are trying to decide on the best usage for the knight's body.

30. Literary devices • Personification: The crows spoke to each other "I heard twacorbies making a mane" • Symbolism: " The wind shall blaw for evermore" symbolism life moving on • Imagery: "I'll pike out his bonny blue een" Readers can almost see the crows eating the corpse.

31. Theme • The theme of the poem is that life moves on. This is shown by the quote, • ¨The wind shall blaw for evermair¨, meaning that the wind will continue to blow, even though the knight is now dead.

32. Barbara Allan

33. Barbara Allan: the conflict • In Barbara Allan, the conflict is when John becomes very ill and is wanting to see his truelove, Barbara Allan. When she comes to see him, she believes that he is sick. John’s last words to her was “Hardhearted Barbara Allan.” Barbara Allan begins to feel guilty because all around her she hears “Hardhearted Barbara Allan,” from the bells and the birds, anything that surrounds her. When she sees John again, she is in despair and decides to do a deed for John in return by dying for him. In the end they are buried together and a rose from John's grave starts to grow around their graves in a true love knot as forgiveness from John. • Guilt and forgiveness makes humans weak through conflict. • In the poem Barbara Allan is feeling guilty from how she acted when John died

34. Figurative Language • The theme of this poem is unrequited love and guilt. Sir John Graeme falls in love with Barbara Allan and then when she denies him his love and life leaves him. She is consumed by guilt by not being able to see past his one mistake and decides to give her life in sacrifice, feeling it her duty to her lost love for being so unreasonable.

35. The personification of death in lines 22 and 28 evoke the image of dying as a tangible force over the two lovers • Repeated words and phrases, at least one per stanza, is included to add emphasis to the topic it is discussing and also to add to the sing song integrity of the ballad. • Local Scottish dialect is included because it was part of the oral tradition, and when passed down throughout generations that is how the people spoke it.