Relevant Background | Summary | Themes | Style

Relevant Background

• The poem you are studying is a written version of a song that was passed on by word of mouth for hundreds of years. It was probably first sung in communities along the Scottish-English border in the fourteenth century.
• The poem ' Sir Patrick Spens’ is based on an early Scottish Ballad. A ballad is a poem or song that tells a popular story in short stanzas.
• The poem records a disaster from the thirteenth century. There were a number of songs or ballads devoted to the story of the drowning of a Norwegian princess as she sailed across the North Sea to marry a British prince.
• The poem on your course tells the story of a knight, Sir Patrick Spens, who goes to sea on a mission for the king. Sir Patrick has to fetch the daughter of the king of Norway and sail with her to Scotland.
• As Sir Patrick Spens has to complete his mission in winter, he has a sense of doom about it. The poem tells the story, without any comment from the author about the events. The reader has to judge whether it was a wise voyage.
• Sir Patrick and his crew die on the voyage.

Summary

• This ballad is divided into two parts, the outward voyage to Norway and the return journey to Scotland.
• In the palace of Dunfermline, as the King enjoyed a drink of red wine he suddenly demanded a skilled sea captain to sail his new ship.
• The king’s right hand knight immediately nominated Sir Patrick Spens for the task.
• Sir Patrick Spens was enjoying a stroll on the beach when the king’s letter reached him.
• The letter demanded that he sail to Norway and bring home the King of Norway’s daughter.
• At first Sir Patrick roared laughing. Then he cried.
• He wondered with horror about who had told the king of his skill as a sailor at such a time of the year.
• Sir Patrick knew it was his duty to transport the princess, even in stormy weather.
• However, they set sail on a Monday, and arrived safely in Norway on Wednesday. As the second half shows, the ship carried an escort of Scottish Lords to accompany the princess back to Scotland.
• As they celebrated their safe arrival, Sir Patrick planned to return the next day, even though he feared a storm.
• He was superstitious because of the new moon.
• Early on the return voyage it grew stormy and dark.
• The storm broke the anchor and the main mast as well as wrecking the sides of the ship.
• Sir Patrick Spens ordered the sailors to repair the holes with silk and twine, probably believing the silk was magic.
• But it was in vain. Nothing could stop the sea from pouring in the sides of the ship. The Scottish Lords hid under the deck, unwilling to assist the sailors, for fear of wetting even their shoes. But they drowned.
• Soon, feather mattresses and bodies floated on the sea.
• Back in Scotland, wives and girlfriends cried long for their men.
• Young women, with their fine hairdos, sat awaiting the return of their men.
• But their bodies lay hundreds of feet below the sea, with the remains of Sir Patrick Spens.

Themes

• Loyalty
  Sir Patrick Spens accepted his duty to fetch the princess, even though he knew it was a very risky task.
• Nature
  The poem describes the sea in winter. Foamy water, a storm, darkness, pouring waves, hail and sleet are all mentioned.
• Sailing
  The poem informs us about the nature of winter sailing in the thirteenth century. The details include anchors, sails, topmasts, feather beds for the nobles, measurement in leagues and fathoms.
• Fashion in the thirteenth century.
  The poet mentions men’s cork-heeled shoes, men’s hats, feather beds, silken cloth, ladies’ fans and hair-combs.
• The social classes in the thirteenth century
  It was a feudal and formal society, with many divisions of rank. Kings, lords and nobles lived a life of luxury and leisure, drinking wine, enjoying feather beds even while at sea and avoiding hardship. Those of lower rank like Sir Patrick Spens and sailors were duty bound to obey them, even to die for them. Upper-class ladies didn’t do much. The lived a life of leisure as they sat around with fans in their hands and with fancy combs decorating their hair.
• Predicting the future
  Sir Patrick Spens feared a deadly storm. His fear was fulfilled. Neither the king not the awaiting ladies could read the signs of the future, unlike Sir Patrick Spens.

Style

Archaic diction [old-fashioned language]: Many of the words and phrases are no longer part of normal English e.g. ‘gurly’, ‘braid’, ‘ship o’ mine’, ‘half-owre’.
Dialogue: Many lines, such as three and four, seven and eight etc. are directly spoken by the characters.
Repetition: The words ‘Norway’, ‘loud’, ‘be it’, ‘mak’ ready’, ‘lang’ etc. are repeated. This creates a musical effect. It creates a repeating rhythm, along with the rhyme and alliteration.
Rhyme: The second and fourth lines only of each stanza rhyme.
Alliteration: A good example is the ‘f’ sound in the following quote:
‘feather bed that flatter’d on the foam’. Find others, such as ‘w’.
Metaphor: The poet compares the colour of the king’s wine to blood. This is good description. It also hints at the tragic outcome to the story.
Contrast: The poem contrasts two different social classes, those who gave orders and those whose duty was to carry them out.
Tone: There are tones of impatience, fear, mystery, respect, joy, and pity.
Atmosphere: There are some frightening images of the fierce sea where the sky darkened, the wind blew and the sea grew ‘gurly’ or violent. There is an eerie feeling created by the image of the young moon carrying the head of the old moon. There is a haunting image of the drowned lords at the bottom of the sea. There is a sorrowful atmosphere created by the picture of the waiting women.