Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

"King Charlemagne" is a ballad-style poem by Robert Southey that tells the story of a romance between the aging King Charlemagne and the beautiful but humble Emma. The poem is set during Charlemagne's reign in the late 8th and early 9th century. "King Charlemagne" was first published in 1798, as part of Robert Southey's collection of poems titled "Poems: Containing The Retrospect, Odes, Elegies, Ballads, &c." Southey wrote the poem during his time at Oxford University, around 1794.

Content:

The poem opens with the admission that it was "strange that he loved her" because Charlemagne was no longer a young man. Nevertheless, he fell deeply in love with Emma, who was "the loveliest maid in all France." Despite her low social status, Charlemagne made her his queen.

However, Emma's beauty and the attention it drew from other men caused Charlemagne to become jealous and possessive. He began to lock her away in a tower, forbidding her from speaking to anyone but him. Emma eventually escapes with the help of a knight, and Charlemagne's grief over losing her drives him mad.

Form:

"King Charlemagne" is written in ballad form, with a rhyme scheme of ABAB. The poem has a clear narrative structure, with a beginning, middle, and end, and uses repetition and alliteration to create a musical quality.

Poetic Elements:

Southey employs a variety of poetic devices in "King Charlemagne," including repetition, alliteration, and personification. The repeated phrase "for youth was gone by" emphasizes the age difference between Charlemagne and Emma, while alliteration is used to create a musical quality throughout the poem. Personification is used to describe Charlemagne's grief as a "spell" that possesses him.

Summary:

"King Charlemagne" is a well-crafted poem that tells a compelling story of love, jealousy, and loss. Southey's use of ballad form and poetic devices such as repetition and alliteration creates a musical quality that enhances the emotional impact of the poem. However, the possessiveness and jealousy exhibited by Charlemagne towards Emma may be viewed as problematic by contemporary readers.