Analysis of Lord Randal

Lord Randal is one of the most popular ballads in Western culture. It is divided into three
parts. In the first one there is an introduction of past events in the form of a dialogue
between Lord Randal and his mother. He has been poisoned by his true love and he is going
to die because his dog and his hawk ate his leaves and died. In the second part, there is the
mother’s open declaration, who cares more about the heritage that his son will be leaving
instead of his critical condition. In the third and last part, there is Lord Randal’s oral
testament: he is leaving to his mother twenty-four cows, to his sister gold and silvery as a
dory for her future marriage, to his brother houses and lands and to his true love hell and
fire. In this ballad, a four-line stanza is used and there are many refrains.