You are thrilled, you are focused on it and it overwhelms you. “La belle dame sans merci” was written on April 21, 1819 by John Keats. A Romantic poet who, despite his reputation as one of the most beloved poets of all time, was not well received during his short life. Indeed, Keats's reputation did not grow until after his death towards the end of the nineteenth century. Today he is considered one of the key figures of the second generation of the Romantic movement. Keats's major works did not focus on religion, ethnicity, morality, or politics. He wrote mainly about sensational experiences about the richness of life. While experiences may be pleasant at first, they don't always have a fairytale ending, sometimes life's pleasures can become overwhelming, like the theme of Keats's ballad "La belle dame sans merci". There are several suggestions as to what gave Keats the idea. for “La belle dame sans merci” At the time, Keats was very upset about a hoax that had been played on his brother Tom, who had been deceived into a romantic relationship. He was also undecided whether to embark on a relationship of his own with Fanny Brawne, whom he loved but whose friends disapproved of her possible marriage to Keats. Shortly before the poem was written, Keats recorded a dream in which he met a beautiful woman in a magical place that turned out to be full of pale slave lovers, and shortly before the poem was written, Keats had read Spenser's account of the false Florimel , in which an enchantress impersonates a heroine in front of her fiancé, then vanishes. All these experiences probably contributed to the creation of this powerful ballad. (Friedlander Ed) The setting takes place in late autumn in England during the Age of Chivalry. The ballad... middle of paper... sometimes the pleasures of life are too much to bear and bring down the harsh reality when we realize that nothing lasts forever. We could also enjoy what we have while we have it and not dwell on things when they are no longer there, or we could just be all alone and loitering palely. Enjoying "La Belle Dame Sans Merci" January 30, 2005: March 29, 2011 http://www.pathguy.com/lbdsm.htmWilhelm, Julian .“Keats, John - La belle dame sans merci - a ballad” 2001, April 1 ° 2011 http://www.hausarbeiten.de/faecher/vorschau/103290.htmlMelani Lilia. Department of English http://academic.brooklyn.cuny.edu/english/melani/cs6/belle.htmlShmoop University. Images and wordplay La Belle Dame Sans Merci Symbolism, 2011 http://www.shmoop.com/la-belle-dame-sans-merci/symbolism-imagery.html