Duality in Coleridge's Christabel
Morality in Christabel
In “Christabel,” Samuel Taylor Coleridge addresses the issues of human nature and morality by portraying Christabel and Geraldine as both good and evil while at the same time never allowing one’s morals to outweigh or appear superior to the others. At first glance, it appears to the reader that Christabel is the picture of piety and that Geraldine is an evil, beautiful witch. However, upon further examination, the reader can see that neither Christabel nor Geraldine are purely good or evil and that there are traces of both in each character. By using similar language when building their characters, Coleridge attempts to force the reader to understand the similarities that exist between Geraldine and Christabel. The similar upbringings and situations experienced by Christabel and Geraldine helps to make these similarities stand out. The most striking similarity is the inconsistent nature of their actions. Christabel, the one that is supposed to be the good one, is the one that actually initiates the seduction, and Geraldine, the supposedly evil one, temporarily becomes Christabel’s guardian spirit. During the dream sequence the lines between good and evil become further grayed because both Christabel and Geraldine are equally the serpent and dove. Thus the poem becomes a commentary on the inability to categorize people into such narrow constraints as good and evil. At the beginning of the poem, Christabel is described as innocent and pious. There are clues, however subtle, that this is not entirely true. Christabel’s character is first described as being one “whom her father loves so well” (line 24). It can be inferred from this that she must be worthy of such love, meaning that she is one that can be viewed as good or moral. The reader is also made aware that Christabel is one that cares for others, as she is “pray[ing] / for the weal of her lover that’s far away” (lines 29-30). This paints Christabel as a pious, loving,
In “Christabel,” Samuel Taylor Coleridge addresses the issues of human nature and morality by portraying Christabel and Geraldine as both good and evil while at the same time never allowing one’s morals to outweigh or appear superior to the others. At first glance, it appears to the reader that Christabel is the picture of piety and that Geraldine is an evil, beautiful witch. However, upon further examination, the reader can see that neither Christabel nor Geraldine are purely good or evil and that there are traces of both in each character. By using similar language when building their characters, Coleridge attempts to force the reader to understand the similarities that exist between Geraldine and Christabel. The similar upbringings and situations experienced by Christabel and Geraldine helps to make these similarities stand out. The most striking similarity is the inconsistent nature of their actions. Christabel, the one that is supposed to be the good one, is the one that actually initiates the seduction, and Geraldine, the supposedly evil one, temporarily becomes Christabel’s guardian spirit. During the dream sequence the lines between good and evil become further grayed because both Christabel and Geraldine are equally the serpent and dove. Thus the poem becomes a commentary on the inability to categorize people into such narrow constraints as good and evil. At the beginning of the poem, Christabel is described as innocent and pious. There are clues, however subtle, that this is not entirely true. Christabel’s character is first described as being one “whom her father loves so well” (line 24). It can be inferred from this that she must be worthy of such love, meaning that she is one that can be viewed as good or moral. The reader is also made aware that Christabel is one that cares for others, as she is “pray[ing] / for the weal of her lover that’s far away” (lines 29-30). This paints Christabel as a pious, loving,