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Sunday, January 8, 2012

Attempting an interpretation of Coleridge's Christabel

 ‘Christabel’- An Atmosphere of Subtle Mystery  

            Sir Walter Raleigh said that ‘romance’ throws over us the ‘magic of distance’.
Ordinary events and experiences, if seen through the glamour of distance of time or
circumstances, assume a charm which is defined as romantic. This is exactly what
Coleridge has done in ‘Christabel’. Though we can not exactly place the events of the
poem in any particular century, yet we are not far wrong in associating them with
that vaguely defined extent of period known as the middle ages, while planning a
new volume of poems (Lyrical Ballad 1798) to be jointly written by Wordsworth and
Coleridge, Coleridge undertook to deal with the supernatural. As he himself tells us in
“Biographia Literaria” (1817): “It was agreed that my endeavours should be directed
to persons and characters supernatural or at least romantic, yet so as to transfer
from our inward nature a human interest and a semblance of truth sufficient to
procure for this shadow of imagination that willing suspension of disbelief for the
moment which constitutes poetic faith”. The middle Ages provided Coleridge with
themes, setting and atmosphere to which he wished to accomplish.

               "Christabel , a lengthy poem by Samuel Taylor Coleridge, was planned to be

written in five parts, but only two parts were completed in 1800. It is a graceful
recreation of the medieval world of fantasy, magic and marvel. Here Coleridge does
not attach to the supernatural to anything concrete and definite rather by hinting
invites the supernatural with the air of suggestion and indefiniteness which not only
strikes the readers for its failure, but also it suggests eeriness of a remote horror.
Above all, the trick of carry on narrative through questions and answer is very much
apt to this purpose.

                A proper supernatural atmosphere is created from the very beginning of the
poem. The poem opens at midnight, the time when charms and enchantments are
undertaken and ghosts appears and walk about. This midnight hour is accompanied
with the mysterious activities of owls, cock and mastiff bitch. They seem to scent the
figure of a visitant from the other world. Again it is the time when the spirit of the
dead-wife of Baron to visit the castle to guard her daughter from evil spirit.
                “Tis the middle of night by the castle clock,
                And the owls have awakened the crowing cock
                Tu - Whit! Tu - Whoo!”
Thus by the process of slow and attentive elaboration poet makes us psychologically
prepared for the appearance of Geraldine.

                              In ‘Christabel’ Coleridge’s finer imagination catches the medieval

atmosphere of faith, beliefs, superstitions and mystery. A medieval lady went to a
forest at midnight to prey for the welfare of her betrothed knight, whom she had
dreamed in the yester-night. In the middle Ages people would have the protection of
Jesus and Mary and cross themselves when they were face to face with danger.
Christabel as we have seen have done everything according to the medieval chivalry
to rescue ladies in distress and then to send them to their parents under the care of
armed guards. We hear Christabel to assume Geraldine to send her safe and bring to
her father’s hall. In the middle ages it was the custom to hang swords, shield and
trophies on the walls of the hall.

                The poem also makes reference to the darkness of the medieval period – its
witchcraft and ruffians. In the middle ages witches were pernicious beings. They
caused their victims to waste and wither away by the power of their diabolical spell.
Geraldine exercises such a power under the spell of Christabel’s dead mother in
order to keep it off.

                The exercising power and the physical description of Christabel is essentially
medieval. The lady is exceedingly beautiful. Her white neck, blue veined unsandal’d
feet, her silken robe, her dazzling jewels on her hair makes it clear that she belongs
to not the world. Christabel is seized with a fear. Above all, the naked breast of
Geraldine suggests something ominous;
                “Behold! Her bossom and half her side-
                A sight to dream of, not to tell!”

                Thus Coleridge in ‘Christabel’ has recreated the very atmosphere and spirit
of the Middle Ages with the help of romantic imagination. So the supernatural
atmosphere becomes more vivid with the medievalism. The spirit of romance on
which the supernaturalism thrives can be best evoked by taking the imagination to
the dim, distant part. In Christabel he takes us to the old medieval days and let us see
their castle with its moat, gate, tower – clock and bitch, and breathe their religious
and superstitious air.

Biswadeep Datta at 9:32 AM

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