# The Dole of the King’s Daughter explained — Poetry

> Chapter companion for Poetry by Oscar Wilde.

## What happens

A Breton ballad depicting a king's daughter burdened by seven sins, surrounded by imagery of death and decay. A knight lies slain, a page is dead, and ravens gather for a feast. One man who loves her digs a grave for four, highlighting themes of sin, guilt, and tragic love.

## Themes in this chapter

### Love and Loss

The one man who loves her true digs a grave for four, underscoring tragic love amidst death and sin.

### Suffering and Redemption

The king's daughter bears seven sins, and the lover's single sin suggests a path through suffering toward possible redemption.

## Character check-ins

### The Young Man

The one man who loves the king's daughter truly, he digs a grave for four by the darksome yew.

### Death

Present through the slain knight, dead page, and the ravens feasting on the dead.

## Key lines

> Seven sins on the King’s daughter, Deep in her soul to lie.

The king's daughter carries seven sins hidden deep within her soul.

_Introduces the central burden of guilt._

> There is one man who loves her true, (Red, O red, is the stain of gore!) He hath duggen a grave by the darksome yew, (One grave will do for four.)

A man who genuinely loves her digs a single grave for four bodies near a dark yew tree, stained with blood.

_Highlights the lover's devotion and the grim outcome._

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/poetry_18_se/chapters/the-dole-of-the-king-s-daughter
- Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/poetry_18_se
- All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/poetry_18_se/chapters