The Lay of the Last Minstrel by Sir Walter Scott
"The Lay of the Last Minstrel," written by Sir Walter Scott and published in 1805, is a narrative poem set in the Scottish borders during the eighteenth century. The story revolves around an aging minstrel who seeks refuge in Branksome Hall, the home of the Duchess of Buccleuch, and entertains her with tales of her sixteenth-century ancestors. Central to the plot is the ongoing conflict between the Scots and the English, and the widow of Lord Buccleuch, who is portrayed as a strong protector of her family amidst these tensions.
Key themes include love, loyalty, and the supernatural, with elements such as a magical book, the appearance of spirits, and a dwarf character who adds both mischief and intrigue. The story also features a duel to resolve a conflict provoked by familial honor and betrayal. As the narrative unfolds, it highlights the complexities of pride and love, culminating in a resolution that embraces familial ties over enmity. This rich tapestry of characters and events reflects the historical context of Scotland, inviting readers to explore themes of identity, honor, and the consequences of pride. The poem remains an important work in the canon of Romantic literature, showcasing Scott's ability to weave history with folklore and fantasy.
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The Lay of the Last Minstrel by Sir Walter Scott
First published: 1805
Type of work: Poetry
Type of plot: Historical
Time of plot: Mid-sixteenth century
Locale: Scottish border
Principal characters
Lady Buccleuch , Lord Branksome’s widowMargaret , her daughterMaster of Buccleuch , her sonLord Cranstoun , Margaret’s loverSir William of Deloraine , a knight in Lady Buccleuch’s serviceThe Dwarf , Lord Cranstoun’s pageGhost of Michael Scott , a wizard
The Poem:
An old minstrel, allegedly the last of his kind, wanders through the Scottish borders some time in the eighteenth century, lamenting the lost past; he asks for hospitality in Branksome Hall, the residence of the duchess of Buccleuch, and pays for his keep by singing a romance about her sixteenth century ancestors.
Lord Buccleuch has been killed in battle with the English, but his widow and children are well protected in Branksome Hall by a group of knights who had followed their dead leader. Although a truce has been declared, there are still skirmishes between the English and the Scots throughout the border country.
The widow, Lady Buccleuch, is the daughter of a magician; before he had died, he taught her to talk with the spirits.
One night, the lady hears the spirits predicting that the stars will show no favor to Branksome castle until pride should die and make love free. She presumes that this omen is meant for her, because her daughter, Margaret, loves the young Lord Cranstoun, who has fought against Lord Buccleuch. Lady Buccleuch swears nevertheless that Margaret shall never wed a foe of the family, no matter what the spirits might say. She sends William of Deloraine to Melrose Abbey to secure the mystic book of Michael Scott, a famous wizard who is buried in the abbey crypt. She orders William not to look into the book, on peril of his life.
The porter at the abbey leads the knight into to the wizard’s tomb: Deloraine, the bravest of knights in battle, shivers with dread as he looks down at the body of the magician, which is as well-preserved as if he had not been dead for a day. When the knight takes the book from the dead wizard’s hand, he seems to frown. As Deloraine leaves the vault, he hears noises reminiscent of the laughter and sobbing of friends.
While Deloraine is on his way back from the abbey, Margaret slips out of the castle to meet her lover, Lord Cranstoun, who is accompanied by the Dwarf, who had attached himself to the lord some time before and now refuses to leave him. The Dwarf, also known as Goblin, serves him as a page. The Dwarf warns the lovers of the approach of a horseman; it is Deloraine, returning from his mission. Margaret runs away and the two knights fight. Deloraine is seriously wounded.
Cranstoun orders the Dwarf to take Deloraine to Branksome Hall so that his wounds can be properly tended. The Dwarf finds the book but cannot open it until he has smeared the cover with the wounded man’s blood. While he is reading one of the spells described in the book, an unseen hand strikes him on the cheek and knocks him down; the book snaps shut and cannot be opened again. The Dwarf hides it under his cloak, then proceeds to Branksome Hall with the wounded Deloraine.
At the castle, the Dwarf sees the young master of Buccleuch. Changing himself and the boy into dogs, he leads the child into the woods. There, after they have resumed their real shapes, the child is captured by the English soldiers patrolling the border. His absence remains undiscovered at the castle, because the Dwarf returns and assumes the child’s shape, and then proceeds to make mischief. Lady Buccleuch, busy tending the wounds of her faithful knight, fails to notice the child’s strange behavior.
The sentinels in the castle sight signal fires, indicating that the English are gathering to attack the Scots. Messengers are hurriedly dispatched to summon friendly clansmen to the defense of Branksome Hall. In the confusion, the Dwarf, still in the form of the master of Buccleuch, escapes from the knight assigned to watch him.
The English arrive before the castle and make their demands. They want William of Deloraine turned over to them, accusing him of murdering the brother of one of their group. They also demand that two hundred English knights be quartered in Branksome, in order to prevent the Scots from carrying out raids on the English side of the border. If these demands are not met, they declare, the castle will be stormed and the heir of Buccleuch will be sent to the English court to serve as a page.
Lady Buccleuch refuses these demands. She proposes that Deloraine should meet the brother of the slain man in combat, to settle the dispute in knightly fashion. Initially, the English leaders refuse and then begin preparing to attack the castle when one of their number brings word that Scottish clansmen are approaching the castle. Fearful of being outnumbered, the English accept the proposal for a settlement by mortal combat between the two knights concerned, or by the wronged man and a substitute for Deloraine should his wounds not be healed in time.
Other knights argue over the right to represent Deloraine, who is still weak from his wounds, but at the last minute, a knight appears in Deloraine livery and armor, ready to fight. The fight lasts some time, and both knights lose a great deal of blood before the Englishman falls. The victor, standing triumphantly over his fallen rival, does not remove his visor. The spectators are amazed to see Deloraine approaching from the castle. The supposed Deloraine is revealed to be Lord Cranstoun, who has stolen Deloraine’s armor so that he might defend the hall and save Margaret’s brother. At first, Lady Buccleuch refuses to receive him, but remembers the prophecy of the spirits and concedes that she must forget pride and allow love to prevail. She consents to give her daughter to the knight who had been her husband’s enemy, and swears that she will return the book to Michael Scott’s tomb.
At the wedding feast, the Dwarf continues to make trouble. To undo the mischief he causes, the assembled minstrels sing songs of days gone past. As the last song dies away, the banquet hall grows suddenly dark. A flash of lightning strikes the Dwarf, who vanishes. Deloraine is terrified, having seen the form of the dead wizard in the unearthly light. Lady Buccleuch renounces the magic of her father, and the knights undertake pilgrimages to pray for Michael Scott’s soul.
Bibliography
Cockshut, A. O. J. The Achievement of Walter Scott. London: Collins, 1969. A succinct but solid general introduction to Scott and his work that neatly places The Lay of the Last Minstrel in the broad context of Scott’s literary production.
Davis, Lloyd. “The Story in History: Time and Truth in Scott’s The Lay of the Last Minstrel.” Clio 18, no. 3 (1989): 221-238. An assiduous exploration and evaluation of the historical detail fleshed out in the notes to the 1830 edition of The Lay of the Last Minstrel.
Felluga, Dino Franco. The Perversity of Poetry: Romantic Ideology and the Popular Male Poet of Genius. Albany: State University of New York Press, 2005. An examination of the nineteenth century reception of Romantic poetry, focusing on the work of Scott and Lord Byron. Explores the manner in which Scott’s poetry was represented as a panacea for the era’s utilitarianism, capitalism, industrialism, and democracy.
Gamer, Michael.“’To Foist Thy Stale Romance’: Scott, Antiquarianism, and Authorship.” In Romanticism and the Gothic: Genre, Reception, and Canon Formation. New York: Cambridge University Press, 2000. An analysis of Scott’s poetry and works by other Romantic writers, attempting to demonstrate the influence of the conventions of earlier gothic literature.
Goslee, Nancy Moore. Scott the Rhymer. Lexington: University Press of Kentucky, 1988. Includes separate chapters on The Lay of the Last Minstrel and other pastiches, providing one of few serious critiques of Scott’s long poems undertaken since modern techniques of analysis were developed, and thus warranting serious attention.
Johnson, Edgar. Sir Walter Scott: The Great Unknown. 2 vols. New York: Macmillan, 1970. Intended to commemorate the two hundredth anniversary of Scott’s birth, Johnson’s critical biography remains one of the most important modern books on Scott. Has detailed discussions of his major poems, including The Lay of the Last Minstrel.
Lincoln, Andrew. “Towards the Modern Nation: The Lay of the Last Minstrel, Marmion, The Lady of the Lake, and Waverly.” In Walter Scott and Modernity. Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press, 2007. Lincoln argues that Scott’s poems and novels are not works of nostalgia, but that Scott uses depictions of the past to explore modernist moral, political, and social issues.