Lord Randal

Lord Randal is a ballad, right from the title the reader expects that the main character of the ballad will be a lord so we know that his place in the hierarchy of the time is elevated; besides we know the surname of the lord "Randal".

This ballad is organized into ten stanzas and each has four lines that are long and repetitive.

This is a supernatural ballad and tells the adventure of a young and handsome man. One they this Lord went in the greenwood to hunt but when he came back home he felt him tired and almost to die so he asked her mother to make his bed soon to go to sleep. After that her mother asked him if he met somebody in the greenwood so he answered that he met his true love and she gave him eels fried in a pan, after that his mother asked him about the leavings, and what he left to his mother, his sister, his brother and his true love. To his parents he leaves something of precious and expensive, to his true love instead he leaves only hell and fire. This means that he hates his true love and he wishes her to go to the Hell because she is the cause of his death.

In the first line and the second line of the first stanza create an anaphoric structure "Oh where have you been, Lord Randal, my son?" and "Oh where have you been, my handsome young man?"; the third and the fourth lines create instead a rhyme with the words "soon" and "doon". Part of the first, second, third and fourth lines will be also in all the other quatrains. This style creates a continuous incremental repetition in the entire story. The fourth line is equal from the fourth line of the first stanza to the fourth line of the fifth stanza.  

In the second stanza there is again an anaphoric structure in the first and second line "An' wha met you there, Lord Randal, my son?" and "Ah' wha met you there, my handsome young man?". The second part of the first and second line is equal to the first two verses of the first stanza. The third and the fourth lines create instead a rhyme with the words "soon" and "doon".

In the third stanza the third and fourth lines create a rhyme with the same words of the first and second stanza "soon" and "doon". The first and second stanza create an anaphoric structure and the repetition of the verses present in the first and second stanza "And what did she give you, Lord Randal, my son?" and "And what did she give you, my handsome young man?"

In the fourth stanza the words "soon" and "doon" of the third and fourth stanza create a rhyme. The first and second verse create an anaphora and a repetition of a part of the verses settled in the preceding stanzas "An' what got your leavings, Lord Randal, my son?" and "An' what got your leavings, my handsome young man?"

In the fifth stanza  the words "soon" and "doon" of the third and fourth stanza create a rhyme. The first and second verse create an anaphora and a repetition of a part of the verses settled in the preceding stanzas "An' what became of them, Lord Randal, my son?" and "An' what became of them, my handsome young man?"

In the sixth stanza the fourth line "For I'm sick at the heart, and fain wad lie doon" is equal in all the following stanzas. There is the rhyme of the words "soon" and "doon" in the third and fourth lines. In the first and second lines there is an anaphora, that is creates by the sentence "Oh I fear you are poisoned, Lord Randal, my son" and "Oh I fear you are poisoned, my handsome young man".

In the seventh stanza there is the rhyme of the words "soon" and "doon" in the third and fourth lines. In the first and second lines there is an anaphora, that is creates by the sentence "What d'ye leave to your mother, Lord Randal, my son?" and "What d'ye leave to your mother, my handsome young man?"

These lines will be repeated in the following stanzas and these create an incremental repetition and an anaphora. The fourth line "For I'm sick at the heart, and fain wad lie doon" is equal in all the following stanzas.

In the eight stanza there is the rhyme of the words "soon" and "doon" in the third and fourth lines. In the first and second lines there is an anaphora, that is creates by the sentence "What d'ye leave to your sister, Lord Randal, my son?" and "What d'ye leave to your sister, my handsome young man?". The fourth line "For I'm sick at the heart, and fain wad lie doon" is equal in all the following stanzas.

In the ninth stanza there is the rhyme of the words "soon" and "doon" in the third and fourth lines. In the first and second lines there is an anaphora, that is creates by the sentence "What d'ye leave to your brother, Lord Randal, my son?" and "What d'ye leave to your brother, my handsome young man?" The fourth line "For I'm sick at the heart, and fain wad lie doon" is equal in all the following stanza.

In the tenth stanza there is the rhyme of the words "soon" and "doon" in the third and fourth lines. In the first and second lines there is an anaphora, that is creates by the sentence "What d'ye leave to your true-love, Lord Randal, my son?" and "What d'ye leave to true-love, my handsome young man?"