Next Section Glossary Previous Section The Ballad of Reading Gaol Summary How To Cite in MLA Format Burkhard, Reece. Will review the submission and either publish your submission or provide feedback. You can help us out by revising, improving and updatingĪfter you claim a section you’ll have 24 hours to send in a draft. He is described by Wilde as being 'all in shiny black' this presents him as dark and evil, corresponding to the fate of the prisoners. The Governor of the prison is presented as the personification of judgement. This makes the theme of religion more negative. Wilde has included this character to show that God has forgotten the guilty men. The Chaplain is a fairly minor character in this poem. Charles is not the only guilty man, every man is guilty of something. They are included to emphasize Wildes view that all men 'kill the thing they love'. The Trial Men are the other men who are on trial throughout this poem. This links to the line ‘all men kill the thing they love’ as it shows that the rule applies to all men, guard or not. The guardsman is described similar to the criminal as ‘wearing a suit of shabby gray’. Wilde has included the guardsmen in this poem to show that all men are the same. The Guardsman is a recurring character throughout this poem. Charles Thomas Wooldridge is the main focus of this text, as well as that Wilde dedicated the poem to him (CTW). Wooldridge was sentenced to death and he was to spend some time at Reading Jail prior to his execution. They ended up on the street outside where Charles slit Ellen’s throat using a cut throat razor. When Ellen didn’t show up to a meeting between her and Charles, he visited her house and an argument ensued.

Wooldridge being part of the army put a great strain on their relationship eventually, Ellen began using her maiden name again. Charles Thomas Wooldridge married Ellen Glendell in 1894. The ‘he’ that is introduced by Oscar Wilde in the opening sentences of the poem is Charles Thomas Wooldridge. While In Jail he encountered many prisoners, one of the prisoners, Charles Thomas Wooldridge, is the main focus of the ballad of Reading Gaol. On May 25th 1895 Oscar Wilde was sentenced to 2 years in reading Jail for the crime of homosexuality. In this poem, the author, Oscar Wilde, is also the narrator. We are thankful for their contributions and encourage you to make your own. These notes were contributed by members of the GradeSaver community.

The ballad of reading gaol text