003 – Ballads 1 Handout

Ballads Quiz… how much do you know?

Mark each statement with a True or False. Correct any false statements.

1. ___ The original authors of ballads are well known

2. ___ The story told by ballads are often tragic (involving death)
3. ___ Ballads usually focus on themes such as love, treachery, and adventure
4. ___ Ballads are usually arranged in 10-line stanzas
5. ___ ballads often have conversations in them
6. ___ Repetition in ballads is common because it makes the ballad easy to
remember
7. ___ Repetition in ballads is common because it allows the audience to
participate
8. ___ ballads have musical characteristics and are always sung
9. ___ ballads are known for their rhyme and rhythm
10. ___ Ballads often leave the story incomplete so that the audience’s
imagination can fill in the missing pieces
003 – Ballads 2 Handout

Lord Randal
Anonymous
“O where ha you been, Lord Randal, my son?
And where ha you been, my handsome young man?”
“I ha been at the greenwood; mother, mak my bed soon,
For I’m wearied wi hunting, and fain wad lie down.”
“And wha met ye there, Lord Randal, my son? 5

And wha met you there, my handsome young man?”

“O I met wi my true-love; mother, mak my bed soon,
For I’m wearied wi hunting and fain wad lie down.”
“And what did she give you, Lord Randal, my son?
And what did she give you, my handsome young man?” 10

“Eels fried in a pan; mother, mak my bed soon,

For I’m wearied wi hunting, and fain wad lie down.”
“And wha gat your leavins, Lord Randal, my son?
And wha gat your leavins, my handsome young man?”
“My hawks and my hounds; mother, mak my bed soon, 15

For I’m wearied wi hunting, and fain wad lie down.”

“And what becam of them, Lord Randal, my son?
And what becam of them, my handsome young man?”
“They stretched their legs out and died; mother, mak my bed soon,
For I’m wearied wi hunting, and fain wad lie down.” 20

“O I fear you are poisoned, Lord Randal, my son!

I fear you are poisoned, my handsome young man!”
“O yes, I am poisoned; mother, mak my bed soon,
For I’m sick at the heart, and I fain wad lie down.”
“What d’ye leave to your mother, Lord Randal, my son? 25

What d’ye leave to your mother, my handsome young man?”

“Four and twenty milk kye; mother, mak my bed soon,
For I’m sick at the heart, and I fain wad lie down.”
“What d’ye leave to your sister, Lord Randal, my son?
What d’ye leave to your sister, my handsome young man?” 30

“My gold and my silver; mother, mak my bed soon,

For I’m sick at the heart, and I fain wad lie down.”
“What d’ye leave to your brother, Lord Randal, my son?
What d’ye leave to your brother, my handsome young man?”
“My houses and my lands; mother, mak my bed soon, 35

For I’m sick at the heart, and I fain wad lie down.”
“What d’ye leave to your true-love, Lord Randal, my son?
What d’ye leave to your true-love, my handsome young man?”
“I leave her hell and fire; mother, mak my bed soon,
For I’m sick at the heart, and I fain wad lie down.” 40
003 – Ballads 3 Handout

1. Who is the ballad a conversation between?

a. Lord Randal and his true love
b. Lord Randal and his Mother
c. Lord Randal and the narrator

2. Where had Lord Randal been

a. He had been hunting
b. He had been partying all night
c. He had been lying down (sleeping)

3. Why is Lord Randal so tired?

a. He had been hunting for a long time
b. He had been up all night
c. He had been poisoned

4. What happened to Lord Randal when he saw his “true love”?

a. She fed him fried eels
b. She walked the forest with him
c. She killed his hawks and bloodhounds

5. Why is Lord Randal insisting his mother make his bed so he can lie down?
a. He feels faint
b. He is tired
c. He likes ordering his mother around

6. What happened to Lord Randal’s hawks and hounds? Give evidence from
the ballad to support your statement.
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003 – Ballads 4 Handout

7. Lord Randal feels he was poisoned on purpose. What evidence from the
ballad tells us this is how he feels?
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8. What do we know about Lord Randal from this ballad?

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9. Did the ending of the ballad surprise you? Do you think his true love
poisoned him on purpose, or could it have been food poisoning?
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10.Using context clues from the poem, tell what each of the following
expressions from the poem must mean:
a. wi ___________________________
b. fain wad ___________________________
c. wha ___________________________
d. kye ___________________________
003 – Ballads 5 Handout

11.Repetition is very common in ballads – describe what is repeated in this

ballad
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12.What is the rhyme scheme of this ballad (just show the first stanza)
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13.How many stressed syllables (beats) are in each line of each stanza?
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