BALLADS
MEDIEVAL & MODERN
BALLAD HISTORY
• HISTORY
• Late Medieval Europe (12001400s).
• Began as a type of folk song that
told an exciting story.
• Francis James Child, wrote the
book The English and Scottish
Ballads, which was a compilation
of the ballads of the time.
• Robin Hood was a ballad
BALLAD 5 CHARACTERISTICS
1) A ballad…
• tells a simple, dramatic story, typically in
third person narrative.
• Usually begins at a catastrophe
• ballads tell of love, death, the supernatural, or a
combination of these
BALLAD 5 CHARACTERISTICS
2) A ballad…
• focuses on actions and dialogue of a
single crucial episode or situation rather
than characteristics and narration.
• Little attention to the setting and character
descriptions
• Plain language
BALLAD 5 CHARACTERISTICS
3) A ballad…
• A ballad has a simple metrical structure
and sentence structure. That means the
lines have roughly the same amount of
syllables
I went to the market today
1
2
3
4
5-6
7-8
BALLAD 5 CHARACTERISTICS
4) A ballad…
• is sung to a modal melody. (rhythmical
pattern)
• Heavy amount of repetition, refrains and
parallelism, which may be a way of
discharging emotion, or to serve as a
mnemonic technique.
BALLAD 5 CHARACTERISTICS
5) A ballad…
• is of the oral tradition,
passed down by word of
mouth. Therefore, it
undergoes changes and
is of anonymous
authorship.
• Originally circulated
among “illiterate” or
“semi-literate” groups
BALLAD 5 CHARACTERISTICS
DETAILS, DETAILS
Rhyme: Traditionally, the second
and fourth lines rhyme in each
quatrain
Structure: Varied, but most often a
series of quatrains and incremental
repetition.
Measure/Beat: Typically iambic
tetrameter and iambic pentameter on
alternating lines
Common Themes: Love, tragedy,
religion, politics, triumph, loss
Sample Stanza:
The wind cauld blew south and north,
And blew into the floor;
Quoth our goodman to our goodwife,
“Get out and bar the door.”
BALLAD SPECIAL TERMINOLOGY
Direct Address – construction in which the speaker
directly addresses another person (who is usually in
the poem as well)
Example from “Lord Randall”:
"Oh where ha'e ye been, Lord Randall my son?
O where ha'e ye been, my handsome young man?"
"I ha'e been to the wild wood: mother, make my bed soon,
For I’m weary wi' hunting, and fain wald lie down."
MEDIEVAL LANGUAGE
• DON’T RECOGNIZE A WORD?
• Look at the bottom under definitions
OR
• Say the word out loud to yourself take an
educated guess as to what the words/phrases
mean. Often it is just spelled differently.
• Ex. “do ye take auf the old man’s beard?”
• WORDS WITH APOSTROPHES
• Apostrophes mean letters are missing!
• “the first word whae’er shou’d speak”
~GET UP & BAR THE DOOR ~
ANONYMOUS
•
1 It fell about the Martinmas time,
And a gay time it was then,
When our goodwife got puddings to make,
And she ’s boil’d them in the pan.
•
5 The wind cauld blew south and north,
And blew into the floor;
Quoth our goodman to our goodwife,
“Get out and bar the door.”
•
“My hand is in my hussyfskap,
10 Goodman, as ye may see;
An’ it shou’dna be barr’d this hundred year,
It ’s no be barr’d for me.”
•
They made a paction ’tween them two,
They made it firm and sure,
15 That the first word whae’er shou’d speak,
Shou’d rise and bar the door.
•
Then by there came two gentlemen,
At twelve o’ clock at night,
And they could neither see house nor hall,
20 Nor coal nor candle-light.
•
“Now whether is this a rich man’s house,
Or whether is it a poor?”
But ne’er a word would any o’ them speak,
For barring of the door.
•
25 And first they ate the white puddings,
And then they ate the black.
Tho’ muckle thought the goodwife to hersel’
Yet ne’er a word she spake.
•
Then said the one unto the other,
30 “Here, man, take ye my knife;
Do ye take auf the old man’s beard,
And I’ll kiss the goodwife.”
•
“But there’s no water in the house,
And what shall we do than?”
35 “What ails ye at the pudding-broo,
That boils into the pan?”
•
O up then started our goodman,
An angry man was he:
“Will ye kiss my wife before my eyes,
40 And scald me wi’ pudding-bree?”
•
Then up and started our goodwife,
Goed three skips on the floor:
“Goodman, you’ve spoken the foremost word!
Get up and bar the door.”
~GET UP & BAR THE DOOR ~
ANONYMOUS
•
1 It fell about the Martinmas time,
And a gay time it was then,
When our goodwife got puddings to make,
And she ’s boil’d them in the pan.
•
25 And first they ate the white puddings,
And then they ate the black.
Tho’ muckle thought the goodwife to hersel’
Yet ne’er a word she spake.
•
5 The wind cauld blew south and north,
And blew into the floor;
Quoth our goodman to our goodwife,
“Get out and bar the door.”
•
Then said the one unto the other,
30 “Here, man, take ye my knife;
Do ye take off the old man’s beard,
And I’ll kiss the goodwife.”
•
“My hand is in my hussyfskap,
10 Goodman, as ye may see;
An’ it shou’dna be barr’d this hundred year,
It ’s no be barr’d for me.”
•
“But there’s no water in the house,
And what shall we do than?”
35 “What ails ye at the pudding-broo,
That boils into the pan?”
•
O up then started our goodman,
An angry man was he:
“Will ye kiss my wife before my eyes,
40 And scald me wi’ pudding-bree?”
•
Then up and started our goodwife,
Goed three skips on the floor:
“Goodman, you’ve spoken the foremost word!
Get up and bar the door.”
•
They made a paction ’tween them two,
They made it firm and sure,
15 That the first word whae’er shou’d speak,
Shou’d rise and bar the door.
•
Then by there came two gentlemen,
At twelve o’ clock at night,
And they could neither see house nor hall,
20 Nor coal nor candle-light.
•
“Now whether is this a rich man’s house,
Or whether is it a poor?”
But ne’er a word would any o’ them speak,
For barring of the door.
IS IT A BALLAD?
1) Quatrains (4 line stanzas)
2) Lines 2 & 4 rhyme (in blue)
3) Tells a story & uses direct address
~GET UP & BAR THE DOOR ~
ANONYMOUS
COMPREHENSION:
• What does the goodman want the goodwife to
do and why? What is the goodwife’s reply to this
request?
• How do they resolve their problem?
INTERPRETATION/ANALYSIS:
• What does the stranger mean when he suggest
taking “aff the auld man’s beard?”
• What serious point does this humorous ballad
make?
• What words best describe the goodwife and the
goodman in the poem?
DEBATEALBE THOUGHTS:
• Who is more foolish – the husband or the wife?
• Can people be hurt by stubbornness (their own or
someone else’s)? Give an example.
• Can we relate this poem to couples today?
TWA CORBIES (TWO RAVENS)
As I was walking all alane,
I heard twa corbies making a mane.
The one unto the tither did say,
“Whar sall we go and dine the day?”
“Ye’ll sit on his white hause-bane,
And I’ll pike out his bonny blue e’en;
Wi’ a lock o’ his golden hair
We’ll thatch our nest when it grows bare.
“In behint that auld fail dlyke,
I wont there lies a new-slain knight;
And naebody knows that he lies there
But his hawk, his hound and his lady fair.”
“Many a one for him makes mane,
But none sall care whar he is gane.
O’er his white banes, when they are bare,
The wind sall blow for evermair.”
“His hound is to the hunting gane,
His hawk to fetch the wild-fowl hame,
His lady’s ta’en anither mate,
So we may make our dinner sweet.
MOODLE ASSIGNMENTS
•
PRACTICE ASSIGNMENTS DUE
TONIGHT Practice assignments (poem
analysis & poetry in music
discussion)
NEW ASSIGNMENT - due M 10/29
Ballad analysis assignment on
“Barbara Allen” (multiple choice
& short answer)
OPEN-ENDED FORMAT:
Answer - Proof - Enhance
BALLAD REVIEW
MEDIEVAL TIME PERIOD (1200-1400s)
• Anonymously passed down
through oral tradition until James
Child who wrote them down
CHARACTERISTICS
1. Simple, dramatic narrative
2. Focus on event/dialogue (direct
address w/in the poem)…
NOT characters or setting
3. Simple meter and sentence
structure
4. Quatrains w/ incremental rhymes
(lines 2 & 4 traditionally)
5. Meant to be sung - modal
melody (repetitive with
mneumonic devices)
“Get Out & Bar the Door”
“Twa Corbies”
“We Real Cool”
"Oh where ha'e ye been, Lord Randall my son?
O where ha'e ye been, my handsome young man?"
"I ha'e been to the wild wood: mother, make my bed soon,
For I’m weary wi' hunting, and fain wald lie down."
"Where gat ye your dinner, Lord Randall my son?
Where gat ye your dinner, my handsome young man?"
"I dined wi' my true love; mother, make my bed soon,
For I'm weary wi' hunting, and fain wald lie down."
"What gat ye to your dinner, Lord Randall my son?
What gat ye to your dinner, my handsome young man?"
"I gat eels boiled in broo: mother, make my bed soon,
For I'm weary wi' hunting, and fain wald lie down."
"What became of your bloodhounds, Lord Randall my son?
What became of your bloodhounds, my handsome young man?"
"O they swelled and they died: mother, make my bed soon,
for I'm weary wi' hunting, and fain wald lie down."
"O I fear ye are poisoned, Lord Randall my son!
O I fear ye are poisoned, my handsome young man!"
"O yes, I am poisoned: mother, make my bed soon,
For I'm sick at the heart, and I fain wald lie down."
ANALYSIS
1.
Summary
2.
Ballad
characteristics
3.
Direct Address
4.
Theme opinionated
statement about
the topic
5.
Tone - author’s
feeling
6.
Character
Descriptions
(mom & son)
The king sits in Dumferling town,
Drinking the blood-red wine;
“O where will I get a good sailor,
To sail this ship of mine?”
“Make haste, make haste, my merry men all,
Our good ship sails the morn.”
“O say not so, my master dear,
For I fear a deadly storm.
Up and spoke an ancient knight,
Sat at the king’s right knee:
“Sir Patrick Spens is the best sailor,
That sails upon the sea.”
“Late, late yesterday evening I saw the new moon
With the old moon in her arm,
And I fear, I fear my dear master,
That we will come to harm.”
The king has written a broad letter,
And signed it with his hand,
And sent it to Sir Patrick Spens,
Who was walking on the sand.
O our Scot nobles were right loath
To wet their cork-heeled shoes,
But long before the play were played,
Their hats they swam above.
The first line that Sir Patrick read,
A loud laugh laughed he;
The next line Sir Patrick read,
The tear blinded his e’ (eye).
O long, long may their ladies sit,
With their fans into their hand,
Or every they see Sir Patrick Spens
Come sailing to the land.
“O who is this has done this deed,
This ill deed done to me,
To send me out this time of year,
To sail upon the sea!”
O long, long may their ladies sit,
With their gold combs in their hair,
Waiting for their own dear lords,
For they’ll see then no more.
NERLAN NOEL – KENTUCKY BBALL PLAYER
WHO DOES THIS LOOK LIKE?
BALLAD REVIEW
MEDIEVAL TIME PERIOD (1200-1400s)
• Anonymously passed down
through oral tradition until James
Child who wrote them down
CHARACTERISTICS
1. Simple, dramatic narrative
2. Focus on event/dialogue (direct
address w/in the poem)…
NOT characters or setting
3. Simple meter and sentence
structure
4. Quatrains w/ incremental rhymes
(lines 2 & 4 traditionally)
5. Meant to be sung - modal
melody (repetitive with
mneumonic devices)
“Get Out & Bar the Door”
“Twa Corbies”
“We Real Cool”
MODERN BALLADS
(Simple, dramatic stories; direct address often used;
repetition used, but not necessarily in quatrains)
MODERN BALLADS
(Simple, dramatic stories; direct address often used;
repetition used, but not necessarily in quatrains)
1) The Show Must Go On - Queen
2) Faithfully - Journey
3) Hurricane – Bob Dylan
4) Stairway to Heaven – Led Zeppelin
5) Wanted Dead or Alive – Bon Jovi
6) Turn the Page – Bob Sager
7) American Pie – Don McClean
8) Every Breath You Take – The Police
9) Behind Blue Eyes – The Who
10) Piano Man – Billy Joel
11) November Rain – Guns N Roses
12)Desperado – The Eagles
13) Tears in Heaven – Eric Clapton
14) Candle in the Wind – Elton John
15) My Immortal – Evanescence
16) Picture to Burn – Taylor Swift
17) Dear Mama – Tupac
18) Ballad of a Fallen Soldier – Jay-Z
19) Sing for the Moment – Eminem
20) Fast Cars and Freedom – Rascal Flatts
21) Good Stuff – Kenney Chesney
22) One – Metallica
23)Sleep now in the Fire - Rage Against the Machine
24) November Rain - Guns & Roses
25) War Pigs – Black Sabbath
*BF/GF = boyfriend/girlfriend
“I LOVE YOU SWEATHEART” – THOMAS LUX
A man risked his life to write the words.
A man hung upside down (an idiot friend
holding his legs?) with spray paint
to write the words on a girder fifty feet above
a highway. And his beloved,
the next morning driving to work...?
His words are not (meant to be) so unique.
Does she recognize his handwriting?
Did he hint to her at her doorstep the night before
of "something special, darling, tomorrow"?
And did he call her at work
expecting her to faint with delight
at his celebration of her, his passion, his risk?
She will know I love her now,
the world will know my love for her!
A man risked his life to write the world.
Love is like this at the bone, we hope, love
is like this, Sweatheart, all sore and dumb
and dangerous, ignited, blessed--always,
regardless, no exceptions,
always in blazing matters like these: blessed.
HECTOR IN HADES
Greek Mythology:
•Hector was the eldest son of Priam, King of Troy.
•Achilles was a Greek warrior who killed Hector in a one on one
battle during the Trojan War. After killing Hector, Achilles drug
Hector’s body around the Trojan Wall for 12 days.
•Hades is the underworld (Ancient Greek version of Hell).
Yes, this is where I stood that day,
Beside this sunny mound.
The walls of Troy are far away,
And outward comes no sound.
And in that space our shadows run,
His shadow there and mine,
The little flowers, the tiny mounds,
The grasses frail and fine.
I wait. On all the empty plain
A burnished stillness lies,
Save for the chariot's tinkling hum,
And a few distant cries.
But narrower still and narrower!
My course is shrunk and small,
Yet vast as in a deadly dream,
And faint the Trojan wall.
The sun up in the towering sky
Turns like a spinning ball.
His helmet glitters near. The world
Slowly turns around,
With some new sleight compels my feet
From the fighting ground.
I run. If I turn back again
The earth must turn with me,
The mountains planted on the plain,
The sky clamped to the sea.
The grasses puff a little dust
Where my footsteps fall.
I cast a shadow as I pass
The little wayside wall.
The strip of grass on either hand
Sparkles in the light;
I only see that little space
To the left and to the right,
The sky with all its clustered eyes
Grows still with watching me,
The flowers, the mounds, the flaunting weeds
Wheel slowly round to see.
Two shadows racing on the grass,
Silent and so near,
Until his shadow falls on mine.
And I am rid of fear.
The race is ended. Far away
I hang and do not care,
While round bright Troy Achilles whirls
A corpse with streaming hair.