Christabel

Out of all three poems that we had to read, I liked Christabel the best, since I thought it was the most interesting. Before discussing it in class I knew that Christabel was the dove and Geraldine was the snake but I did not realize the weird things that were happening were part of showing that something was not right with Geraldine.

If Geraldine is really Sir Roland’s daughter, I wonder how she became some type of evil snake like creature in disguise. Then maybe the main reason for why she was captured and told to wait under the oak tree was because, Sir Roland knew something was not right with his daughter so he ordered five warriors to take her away and leave her somewhere, hoping he would not have to be bothered with her again. Or maybe Geraldine made the whole story up and planned to use Christabel’s hospitality and innocence to her advantage. It really makes me wonder what kind of snake creature Geraldine really is if she is able to see spirits, like Christbel’s mother, and is able to make the spirit actually leave.

The theme of this poem really shows that hospitality can be used against you, since Geraldine betrayed the hospitality and kindness of Christabel and turned against her and tricked her father. But, I seriously think that Leoline should have known better, and he should have listened and tried to understand his daughter, his only family, instead of going off with Geraldine who he does not even know but has become enamored with. This makes me feel bad for Christabel, since all she wanted to do was help but she was naive for letting a stranger into her home and not figuring out at first that there is something wrong with Geraldine when she brings her to the threshold of the castle and she is in great pain.

Personally, I found it annoying that Coleridge published the poem and did not finish it, since I like to know what happens in the whole story to fully understand what truly happened. Other than the fact that it is not complete I thought it was a good story and I liked the imagery of the poem.

Discussion Questions:

Was Christabel naïve for letting a stranger into the castle or is she just too kind and innocent?

Do you think that Geraldine has some type of plan for the castle which involves the trust of Leoline and Christabel out of the way?