Christabel

The poem is the beginning of a tale about a demon or vampire. At the opening, it is midnight. Everyone is asleep except for Christabel, who is roaming the woods longing for her lover. She encounters a beautiful lady who had been kidnapped by five warriors, tied to a white horse, and brought to the oak tree. The woman tells Christabel that her name is Geraldine and asks Christabel for her help. Christabel agrees and …

…that the two women are sexually attracted to each other and act upon their feelings in a small way. I did not think that part two of this poem was very interesting. It mainly dealt with the relationship between a father and his daughter. It is clear that Christabel is jealous of her father’s infatuation with Geraldine. At the end of the poem, Coleridge discusses the irrational anger of a parent toward a child.