Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

Edward Field’s poem “Charmed Pool” explores the themes of disillusionment, failed expectations, and the search for identity through a reimagined fairy tale. By subverting the archetype of Prince Charming and blending fantasy with stark reality, Field crafts a compelling narrative that questions the very nature of happy endings.

The poem begins with Prince Charming standing by the "charmed pool," surrounded by creatures both “flying, crawling, swimming, and stationary.” The prince knows the fairy tale prophecy, that a cursed princess awaits his kiss to return to her true form. Despite feeling “ridiculous,” he steps into the water, willing to fulfill his role. Field uses humor to depict the absurdity of the prince’s task: “He was willing to try this kissing game / Even if a snake or a stone wasn’t his idea of a good time.”

Prince Charming’s first attempt, a kiss on a frog “with a gummy eye,” does not yield a princess. Instead, he finds “Prince Foolish, still pimpled from self-abuse,” swooning “with the same old admiration.” The prince immediately drops him flat, realizing “this magic can be an odd occupation.” Here, Field humorously comments on the unpredictability of life and the folly of pursuing fairy tale ideals.

The prince proceeds to kiss all manner of creatures, only to find undesirable people in their place. A dragonfly becomes “Jack the Jew-Killer,” a mushroom turns into “Miss Venom of the grammar school,” and other “unpleasant people” join the crowd. Field’s juxtaposition of magical transformation and stark reality highlights the grim nature of the prince’s quest and subverts the conventional narrative of good triumphing over evil. The witch’s curse, it turns out, was not entirely indiscriminate, as “that witch had excellent taste in whom to banish.”

Eventually, the prince finds “a princess” in a stone, but she is not his ideal princess. Instead, she is “the orphan princess, / With a calculated tear running down her nose / And crossed eyes that said, ‘Pity me.’” Field describes her manipulative behavior and infidelity: “He had, until he found her in the scullery with his uncle, / Praying at the head and sinning at the tail.” Disillusioned, the prince realizes “the Princess obviously wasn’t there.”

In a symbolic act of rejection, he takes off his prince costume, revealing “a quite attractive but ordinary young man / Who no longer knew what to do or where to go.” Stripped of his princely identity, he becomes vulnerable and uncertain, no longer guided by the clear path of a fairy tale narrative. Field emphasizes this uncertainty by questioning the conventional ending: “According to the story he found his princess at last / But, reader, do you really think he did?”

The poem ends with a series of existential questions about the prince’s fate. Did he find the “road back to where he came from” and learn to live “like us”? Did he “ever fall in love again?” Field leaves the ending unresolved, challenging the reader to consider the prince’s fate outside the confines of fairy tale conventions. By suggesting that any definitive ending would “just be made up,” Field critiques the artificiality of happy endings in stories and acknowledges the ambiguity and complexity of real life.

Structurally, “Charmed Pool” is written in free verse, allowing for a fluid and conversational tone. Field’s use of dialogue, internal monologue, and direct address to the reader enhances the narrative’s intimacy and immediacy. The progression from hopeful beginnings to disillusionment mirrors the prince’s emotional journey, providing a cohesive narrative arc.

In summary, “Charmed Pool” is a poignant meditation on the disillusionment that accompanies the search for idealized love and the pressure to live up to societal expectations. Edward Field deftly subverts the fairy tale archetype of Prince Charming, using humor and stark imagery to depict the universal struggle of finding one's identity amid disillusionment. The poem leaves readers contemplating the gap between expectation and reality and the challenges of navigating life beyond the bounds of familiar narratives.

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