The Ballad
themes
border
English vs Scottish
love/domestic tragedy
Lord Randal
magic
witchcraft
monsters
witches
outlaws
Robin Hood
characters
supernatural
fairies
witches
ghosts
natural
mortals
famous heroes
origins
Middle Ages
anonymous writer
no speech in first person
no personal comment
musical accompaniment
oral transmission
non- specialist audiences
popular folk-song
main stylistic features
short stanzas
four lines
ABCB rhymes
couplets
two lines
simple language
stichomythic lines
mix of dialogue and narration
refrains