"La Belle Dame Sans Merci"

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John William Waterhouse (1849 - 1917) was a painter of classical, historical and literary subjects (Eg. Greek Mythology, Femme Fatale's, etc) . He studied in the Royal Academy Schools in 1870, after assisting his father at his studio. 

The poem "La Belle Dame Sans Merci" is full of synaesthetic images related to nature, which Waterhouse made honor to in this painting through the background and development of nature. For example in the expression "sweet moan", which can also have a sexual connotation, where all senses intertwine.

 It seems that nature is connected with the human figures in the painting, which highlights the importance of nature and the link between human life and the natural world. "She found me roots of relish sweet" shows this sustainability that plants create on humans.

We can also clearly notice an atmosphere of love and admiration between the man and the woman present, and an engaging connection between them. The woman seems to be dragging the man towards her, through an intense gaze. It can be analyzed that the woman mentioned in the poem is actually Fanny Brawne, and that Keats is reffering to how his illness will cut short their relationship (he knows his time lefth is short), as this poem was written the year he contracted turberculosis. 

"La Belle Dame sans Merci" Henry Meynell Rheam, 1901

In my opinion, the painting that better represents the poem by Keats is Waterhouse's, as it shows in a more effective way the connection between human and the nature world, while in the painting by Maynell Rheam nature is not as present and there is no link with the human world. Also, in Waterhouse's painting, the light helps highlight the presence of the woman, placing her in a higher level of importance.

RYTHM AND METER IN "LA BELLE DAME SANS MERCI"

Keats' "La Belle Dame Sans Merci" subverts the traditional ballad form. Traditional ballads have verses of four or six lines which follow two basic meters: 4-4-4-4 or 4-3-4-3. In this case, Keats' does not follow the traditional scheme used; he uses only three stressed syllables int eh fourth line of each quatrain. That is to say, each of these lines are shorter and end before expected, creating a slower pace. The poem follows an iambic tetrameter in quatrains, as shown in:

"O what / can ail / thee, knight / at arms,"