Statement of Inquiry
Through the creative use of structure, style and
theme, it is possible for (narrative) poets to
bring to life people, places, emotion and
mystery.
Two Facts
Built: The oldest parts of the castle have not
been definitively dated, but the first written
record of the castle is 1005. From 1150 to 1250,
the castle was greatly expanded.
Written: is a 392-line narrative poem by Lord
Byron (1788-1824). Written in 1816, it chronicles
the imprisonment of a Genevois monk, François
Bonivard, from 1532 to 1536.
The Story of The Prisoner of Chillon
• A prisoner is alone in a cell by the banks of Lake
Geneva, in Switzerland, where he has grown old as a
prisoner.
• He says that his father was killed for his political beliefs,
and all six of his sons (the prisoners brothers) have
suffered persecution for the same reason.
• Three of the six sons died outside of the prison: one
was burnt at the stake and two died in battle.
• The narrator of your story, the prisoner of Chillon, was
originally imprisoned with his two remaining brothers.
He was the oldest of the three, so he tried to keep their
spirits up, even though the three of them were chained
to individual pillars in a large cell and couldn't even
walk around.
• The middle brother, who was an outdoorsy, huntsman
type of guy, just couldn't bear to be imprisoned, so he
gave up hope (and food) and died.
• Our prisoner was left with the youngest brother, who
was cheerful and patient. But, unfortunately, he also
wasted away and died.
• The prisoner almost gives in to grief, but is revived
when he hears the singing of a bird outside his window.
• It reminds him that there's beauty and hope in the
world. So he clings to that thought and survives. Years
later (the prisoner stopped counting the days ages
ago), the guards arrive to set him free.
• But he's been in jail so long that he doesn't know what
to do with freedom once he has it.
• Everyone he loves is dead, and he has nowhere else to
go.
Task:
Your task is to write about a part of the story of the prison of Chillon. Here,
you need to write in first person narrative point of view and tell the reader
about your experiences in the dungeon.
a) Plan your writing before you begin.
b) Narrative: It’s as though you ARE the
prisoner of Chillon.
c) Think about language. Aim to describe the
atmosphere of the location you are in.
d) Use powerful language to describe your
emotions. The prisoner experiences great
hardship and emotional difficulty, so capture
this accurately.
Day 1017. Or is it 2087. Who knows? Who cares.
I’ve been here so long that there’s not much point
even remembering what day of the week it is….
My brother was failing fast. I knew he had given up
hope and had not long left to live. I reached out to
touch his hand with mine to give him comfort, but
the chains held me back, pinned to the wall…
I heard it before I saw it, the most beautiful bird I
have ever seen. It’s song was like nothing I’d heard
before but everything I’d remembered….
Analysis of a stanza of the poem
1. Five minutes to work as a group, reading and
jotting down notes on the stanza you have
been given. Look up any words you are
unfamiliar with.
2. Work carefully to answer the questions.
Write your answers on a separate piece of
paper.
Feedback
1. Introduce your stanza and explain what it is
all about (who, what, when, where, how,
why?).
2. Read the questions and answer them.
3. Choose five lines from your stanza. Read
them to the class and explain what you liked
about them. What do the lines reveal?
Features of Narrative Poetry
What features of narrative poetry have you seen
in Byron’s “Prisoner of Chillon”?
Homework:
Please bring in some information about Lord Byron. Choose
two of the following:
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Picture of him
A picture of Chateau de Chillon
A famous poem
Where was he born and what was his life like in England?
Why did he leave England?
Three interesting facts about his life
Three interesting facts about his time in Switzerland.
How did he die?
Something of your choice.
Starter
To consolidate the work from our previous lesson on “The Prisoner of
Chillon”, write a response to the section of the poem that you worked
on.
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Title, author, which stanza?
What happens in that stanza?
What do you find most striking about this stanza?
What is the effect of the stanza?
Did you enjoy this part of the poem?
Draw a simple pencil sketch directly underneath to capture the
stanza.
(1/2 page)
Elements of Romantic Poetry
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Mid to late 18th century
Encouraged readers to feel power and passion
Tried to capture personal experiences (of the poet or the subject)
Used imagination or showed the effect of imagination
Showed that nature is transformative
Demonstrated that imagination can be stimulated by nature
Encourages the reader to see the world in all its beauty
Tells of sadness and tenderness
It was hoped that poetry could help improve horrific social
conditions
 The supernatural
 Faith in senses and feelings
Summary: How can we tell
that “The Prisoner of
Chillon” is a romantic
poem?