Genre
Chivalric romance
Setting and Context
Springtime during the middle ages.
Narrator and Point of View
The narrator is third-person.
Tone and Mood
The tone of the poem is moving and adventurous.
Protagonist and Antagonist
The protagonist is Orfeo and the antagonist is the fairy king.
Major Conflict
The major conflict is Orfeo's attempt to save his wife from the fairy king.
Climax
The climax of the poem is the return of the king.
Foreshadowing
The Queen's bad health foreshadows her subsequent disappearance.
Understatement
Sir Orfeo perhaps understates how difficult getting his wife back will be.
Allusions
Sir Orfeo himself is an allusion to Orpheus, a figure from Greek mythology.
Imagery
Imagery is used to describe the beauty of Springtime when the poem begins.
Paradox
N/A
Parallelism
The qualities and character of the Queen before and after her transformation are paralleled.
Metonymy and Synecdoche
"mortal weed" is used as a metonym for life.
Personification
N/A
