Christabel is a long narrative ballad by Samuel Taylor Coleridge, in two parts. The first part was reputedly written in 1797, and the second in 1800. Coleridge planned three additional parts, but these were never completed. Coleridge prepared for the first two parts to be published in the 1800 edition of Lyrical Ballads, his collection of poems with William Wordsworth, but left it out on Wordsworth's advice. The exclusion of the poem, coupled with his inability to finish it, left Coleridge in doubt about his poetical power. It was published in a pamphlet in 1816, alongside Kubla Khan and The Pains of Sleep.
Overview
Author
Samuel Taylor Coleridge
Year Published
1816
Type
Poem
Genre
Drama, Fantasy
Perspective and Narrator
The poem has a third-person omniscient
speaker with brief sections written in first person.
Tense
The poem is in the past tense.
About the Title
Christabel is the name of one of the two
main characters. She is the innocent daughter of Sir Leoline.
Synopsis
The story
of Christabel concerns a central female character of the same name and
her encounter with a stranger called Geraldine,
who claims to have been abducted from her home by a band of rough men.
Christabel
goes into the woods to pray by the large oak tree, where she hears a strange
noise. Upon looking behind the tree, she finds Geraldine who says that she had
been abducted from her home by men on horseback. Christabel pities her and
takes her home with her. However, supernatural signs (a dog angrily moaning
despite being asleep, fading flames on torches suddenly reigniting, Geraldine
being unable to cross an iron gate, denial of prayer) seem to indicate that all
is not well. They spend the night together, but while Geraldine undresses, she
shows a terrible but undefined mark: "Behold! her bosom and half her side—
/ A sight to dream of, not to tell! / And she is to sleep by Christabel"
(246–48).
Christabel's
father, Sir Leoline, becomes enthralled with Geraldine and orders a grand
procession to announce her rescue. He ignores the weak objections of his
daughter, who, although under enchantment, is starting to realize the enormity
of Geraldine's malign nature. The unfinished poem ends here.
Theme
Good v/s Evil
The theme
of good versus evil dominates the text of the poem. Christabel presents as a figure of innocence who trusts Geraldine and foolishly brings her into the castle. Geraldine's
nature is compared to that of the serpent on more than one occasion. The
serpent, traditionally, represents evil in
Western literature because of its connection with the Christian mythology of
the serpent's seduction of Eve in the biblical book of Genesis. Other symbolic
representations that align Geraldine with evil are that she cannot cross the door
without the help of Christable, that the dog barks in its sleep at her
presence, and that she casts out/to drive out the ghost of Christabel's mother
so passionately.
In
contrast to Geraldine's harshness, Christabel reacts with tears to her memory
of what has transpired in her chambers. Further, the next day her response is
"I have sinn'd." Christabel's inability to tell her father what she
thinks of Geraldine and her suspicions of the woman are, according to the text,
a result of the spell. The contrast of good versus evil is clearly represented
in the two women of the poem. Geraldine's loosened hair bare feet imply she is
a part of the dangerous aspects of nature or, perhaps, something supernatural.
Christabel, on the other hand, is an innocent daughter who is in the woods to
pray for her betrothed. She offers aid. She attempts to warn her father.
Throughout the entirety of the poem, Christabel is represented as good. In her
innocence she is vulnerable to the wiles of Geraldine, who is represented as
both sensual and deceitful.
Religion
The poem
relies heavily on religious allusions, most obviously in the biblical Garden of
Eden. When Bracy the bard reveals his vision or dream of the serpent, he makes
clear that the serpent is threatening Christabel.
He goes on to suggest that he has taken a vow to seek out "unholy"
threats in the forest. At this point, Christabel has already met Geraldine in the forest, and by this juncture in the poem, even the most trusting of readers will be
suspicious of Geraldine. Therefore, the reference to the Garden of Eden wherein
an innocent is seduced by a serpent should be apparent.
More over
references to religion are in the frequency of Christabel's prayers, the statue
of an angel, and the daily church bells that invite listeners to contemplate
their mortality. The poem, set in the medieval era, highlights the devotion of
Christabel and her father. However, after spending the night with Geraldine,
Christabel's assessment is "I have sinn'd."
Seduction
Seduction,
an important theme in this poem, is both literal and figurative. Geraldine figuratively seduces Christabel by playing on her fears of the unknown in the night. Coleridge sets the scene with standard
Gothic elements including a full moon, a dog howling, owls, and a tale of
kidnapping. Geraldine is presented alone, barefoot, with the story of
maltreatment by a group of five men. Not surprisingly, Christabel feels
sympathy and invites Geraldine into her home. Geraldine has seduced Christabel
with her plight through her words. However, a more literal seduction appears to
take over when the two women reach Christabel's chambers. Geraldine directs the
younger woman to disrobe, and then she does the same. Because of the spell
Geraldine has cast upon Christabel, the details of what happens are unspecified
in the speaker's account of the evening and later. However, Christabel's waking
words are important: "Sure I have sinn'd."
The theme
of seduction continues when Geraldine meets the baron. He is quick to offer her
his aid, but more importantly the poem notes he "forgot his age." His
anger spikes, and he offers to "dislodge their reptile souls / From the
bodies and forms of men." When the poem's focus shifts to Christabel, the
comparison between Geraldine and a serpent appears. Christabel is unable to
warn her father. In short order the baron is so seduced by Geraldine that he
believes his daughter is jealous of Geraldine and, therefore, discounts her
warnings.
Genre
During the era in which Romantic
literature thrived, society was conflicted by the age of reason. England in
particular was plagued with economical and societal collapse. As a result, many
writers attempted to escape their troubles by writing about fantastic,
supernatural, and unexplainable tales .Though Samuel Taylor Coleridge was a
Romantic writer, he participated in the gothic genre. His poem “Christabel” is
a prime example of his supernatural work. It contains quintessential gothic
characteristics, such as dark scenery, damsels in distress, and a hint of the
supernatural. These Gothic elements make “Christabel” a Gothic poem hidden
beneath a Romantic mask.
Gothic literature: Gothic
settings commonly include dark and desolate areas, such as haunted castles,
unknown regions, and the recesses of the human mind. These settings are often
accompanied by ominous sounds, such as screeching animals, ticking noises, and
other specific sound effects. “Christabel” uses many of these tactics. Scenes
take place in darkened areas, while readers imagine the sounds of screeching
owls, howling dogs, and ticking clocks. Many Gothic villains have a piercing
eye that holds people under its spell .Gothic villains are also commonly
unexplained. Though it may be obvious that supernatural elements are at work,
readers cannot define the exact evil. This is certainly the case for Geraldine.
Coleridge implies that she may be a witch, or maybe a vampire. Witches are
known for casting spells and controlling other people. Vampires usually require
invitations before entering a private place, and they commonly have the ability
to hold people under their thrall. All of these characteristics apply to
Geraldine, so it is impossible to know who or what she is.
The Gothic nature of “Christabel” is
evident throughout the poem.
The contrast of the darkness of the
woods and the light innocence of Geraldine makes the reader think she must be
pure.
The progression of the poem indicates
that Geraldine is not what she first appeared to be. Though she gives off
light, she is the dark element for whom the reader waited in the woods. Her
words are contradictory, and she acts as a damsel in distress to mask who she
really is. Geraldine is first introduced as a victim who was kidnapped by five
men. Once Christabel offers her assistance, Geraldine acts strangely. As the poem progresses, it becomes obvious that evil
requires the assistance of innocence to gain entry into any area, including the
human mind.
The events of “Christabel” are tragic
and scary, but they are even more horrifying because Coleridge does not explain
them. There is no way to determine if Geraldine is an evil being, or if she is
only influenced by an evil being. As Coleridge never finished his poem, there
is no way to be certain. Supernatural powers are certainly involved, but there
is no way to know their full extent. It is this element of the unknown that
makes “Christabel,” and Gothic literature in general, so horrifying.
