Marmion: A Tale Of Flodden Field

About the book

Set on the eve of the Battle of Flodden, Scott's narrative poem follows the English Lord Marmion through a world of castles, religious houses, diplomacy, and approaching war. His desire for Clara de Clare is bound up with deceit that threatens her lover and entangles a former mistress, Constance, in dangerous loyalties. The story moves between these personal wrongs and the larger conflict gathering around the Scottish court. Songs, legends, atmospheric landscapes, and letters introducing the cantos give the poem a range beyond its central intrigue. Scott's vigorous verse carries readers toward military spectacle while repeatedly contrasting outward chivalric honor with concealed misconduct. The approach of battle makes private ambition part of a history that no individual fully controls.

• Honor and deceit
• Love and ambition
• War and history

Why read it

Read it for Scott's rapid narrative verse and the way personal intrigue gathers force within a broad historical landscape.

English text