Compare and contrast the theme of elusiveness in Lamia and La Belle Dame Sans Merci.

Elusiveness was a theme that Keats used in much of his work, and indeed it ties into his idea of negative capability, the idea to not understand everything is better than doing so- intentional ignorance. Therefore, elusiveness, which is defined as something being hard to grasp or pin down, ties into the idea of purposefully ensuring ones own incomprehension. However, Keats was somewhat contradictory in his works, particularly La Belle Dame Sans Merci, as many of them characterise this elusiveness as a negative thing. In their overall plots, both Lamia and La Belle Dame are elusive, and neither of them answer all the questions that the reader may have. La Belle Dame refuses to give closure on its events- the poem ends not with progression and the reader satisfied, but in the same place as it started, with a knight alone and palely loitering. The circular narrative reinforces the fact that the Belle Dame is elusive to the point of being unattainable, and that the knight is in thrall to her, that he will never stop searching for her. In this case, Keats shows us the negative side of not knowing something, that the knight will never be happy until he haves her, which he also knows is impossible. In Lamia however, the elusiveness of the plot comes at the climax, which is very short compared to the rest of the poem and leaves much unsaid, and the two main plot points (Lamias disappearance and Lyciuss death) happen within two lines of each other, and the poem itself ends just three lines after that. Whilst Lyciuss death is fairly conclusive, we dont know what happened to Lamia- whilst it may be the end of Lamia, it may not be the end of the characters story. The time setting of Lamia shows that the piece is elusive, or at the very least indefinite, we are told it is before the faery broods, which seems to place it in the very distant past, the time of myth. La Belle Dame is even more so, no time period is given as the work contains just three main characters and a handful of physical locations. We are invited to assume that the piece takes place during medieval times, as the conventions of courtly love and medieval language are used. The presence of a knight, a mystical woman and the pastoral setting adheres to conventions of Arthurian tales, but there is no conclusive evidence to prove this but what the reader picks up from their reading of the text. Further elusiveness can be found in the setting of La Belle Dame. Whilst Lamia is clear cut as to where it takes place, Crete and Corinth, La Belle Dame takes place on a cold hills side. This creates elusiveness in the contradiction of the pastoral and gothic imagery used- whilst we expect a pastoral image given, we are instead introduced to a place where The sedge has witherd from the lake/And no birds sing. The use of pathetic fallacy to reflect the knights emotions subverts the readers expectations, as does the use of Romantic language such as flowers, roses and knights to describe him as near-death. However, pastoral imagery is also used in a conventional way, in lines such as The squirrels granary is full/And the harvests done, as well as when we first meet the lady in the meads. The gothic contrast with the chronologically earlier brighter pastoral language is never really explained, and whilst Keats may just have been using pathetic fallacy, it could be interpreted that he is implying that the Belle Dame is responsible for the change; it is never made clear.

Characters are a very important part of the theme of elusiveness in both. In La Belle Dame it is especially prevalent, as none of the characters are given names- La Belle Dame sans Merci is more of a title, whereas the nameless knight-at-arms is so far from our expectations of knights it is difficult to empathise with him. The nameless narrator at the start of the poem is never given a character either, so we cannot draw conclusions about them either. Lamia gives its characters names, but crucially, the two most elusive are both female, and both non-human, namely, the nymph and Lamia herself. Interestingly, this idea of elusive femininity is also reflected in La Belle Dame, where the titular character is definitely the most elusive. The two characters of most similar nature between the two poems would most likely be the Belle Dame and the nymph, yet although they are alike they show differing presentations of elusiveness. Both have a similar effect on men, with the Belle Dame having pale warriors, kings and princes all in thrall, as well as the withering knight, whilst the nymph is given rich gifts by Satyrs and languid Tritons, all of whom on land witherd and adored her. However, whilst the Belle Dame is active, seemingly hunting men, changing their lives forever during the short time in which she is with them, the nymph is a passive, constant non-presence. She is nowhere to be found thanks to Lamias gift of invisibility, she seems not to be tempted by the world of love that is at her feet, yet is desired all the same. Whilst the Belle Dame is at least tangible, even if it is for a short while, the nymph never directly interacts with any of her admirers save Hermes. Lamia is also elusive in her form, her portrayal as a serpent is elusive in that the overabundance of description means that it is near impossible to form an idea of what she looks like, incorporating every element Keats describes, such as her being vermilion-spotted, striped like a zebra, golden, green, and blue, all of which are difficult to imagine together. Her metamorphosis also shows her true form as hard to pin down, as she transforms, she reaches a stage where she is left bereft of all her sapphires, greens and amethyst, and that nothing but pain and ugliness where left. However, the poem tells us that she then melted and disappeard, before telling us that she is now a lady bright. This could be interpreted as showing elusiveness as a disguise of her true form, that the period of ugliness could be a glimpse of how she is truly supposed to be, before she is covered up by beauty. This use of beauty as a disguise is also utilised by the full beautiful woman in La Belle Dame who uses it to bewitch men. However, the intentions of the Belle Dame are also not clear cut. In stanza VIII, the knight claims that the woman wept, and sighd full sore, which could either be interpreted as crocodile tears, or as though she feels pity for the knight and what she is about to do to him, that it may not be fully under her control. If we are to believe the latter, it leads to a contradiction- her title as La Belle Dame sans Merci means that she is without mercy or pity. This could be Keats hinting that she may not actually be La Belle Dame sans Merci, she is never directly addressed as such, but rather the reader assumes as the pale warriors seem to be talking about her. However, it could be argued that the Belle Dame is a much greater force which may not even be present in the poem. Apollonius in Lamia is presented as the antithesis of elusiveness- he sees through Lamias disguise and reveals her true form as a serpent, which depending on the interpretation of the poem could be seen as Keats going against his idea of negative capability, as Apollonius is described as a sage, a trusty guide/And good instructor of Lycius, yet is presented as scornful towards him during the course of the poem, and someone that Lycius deliberately tries to avoid.

Perhaps the most ambiguous element regarding characters in Lamia is Keats own opinion of them, and which characters he wishes the reader to side with. Apollonius, as previously discussed, is a sage yet acts with scorn and is indirectly responsible for Lyciuss death. However, Lamia herself is presented as sympathetic, and whilst those who know of her backstory as the one time lover of Zeus who was driven mad when Hera killed her children would be wary, without this prior knowledge she does no wrong except win human love under false pretences. Keats could be suggesting that she does not deserve love because of her true serpent form, but yet she is not an evil creature, and Apolloniuss actions towards her seem to cause more harm than good. The character which the audience is intended to identify with is the ambiguous, which confuses the reader as to how they are to react to the events of the poem. In conclusion, the messages Keats is trying to convey with both his poems are never clear; one could even argue that the events of La Belle Dame dont happen at all but are the imaginings of the original narrator. Lamia, on the other hand, depending on your reading of it could be shown to warn of the dangers of gaining love under false pretences. The reader is not given closure at the end of La Belle Dame- the true nature of the woman remains elusive, leaving the reader wondering. In both of these examples, elusiveness involving love is seen as a bad thing, which directly contradicts Keats own idea of negative capability, leading us to conclude that whilst it may not be wise to wish to understand everything, love should always be presented clearly and without pretence.

1,616 words Robbie Belok