Analysis of Geordie

Geordie is a popular ballad that originated in Scotland. It talks about a deer poacher, a man
that haunts animals without permission, who is caught up and sentenced to death. The story
begins with the narrator that tells us that as he was walking on the London Bridge, he heard
a pretty woman lamenting for her lover, Geordie. She says that he will be hanged. Geordie is
a noble man who fell in love with a virtuous lady. She has her horse braided and rides to
London’s court of Justice to plead for the life of her lover. She states that he never stole
anything: he only stole, this time, sixteen deers from the King and sold them in Bohenny.
When she arrived she said to the judge that she had two children with Geordie and that she
was now pregnant. And she would sacrifice them in exchange for Geordie's life. The judge
was sorry but told the maid to leave because he couldn’t pardon him and he would be
hanged. In this ballad is used a four-line stanza and there are refrains. Moreover, there is a
mixture between dialogue and narration.