The masterful wit of Oscar Wilde whose aphoristic quotes still remain popular today, is alive and well in this long poem, The Ballad of Reading Gaol. Here, Wilde recounts the horrors of the penal system (something which he had first hand experience from after being imprisoned for homosexual crimes). The poem tells the story of a soldier, Charles Woodridge, who was hanged for killing his wife. Wilde states that ' each man kills the thing he loves', rather than a display of sympathy for criminals, Wilde portrays a pessimistic view of the futility of chasing life's pleasures. The bitter irony of the poem and the resignation of the narrator; 'we did not care: we knew where we were' is somewhat tragic, considering Wilde's fall from society. However, Wilde maintains a strong narrative voice in this poem, describing the thoughts of the prisoners as well as the fate of the condemned man. The description of the 'weeping prison wall' is comparable to the 'thick-ribbed walls' described in Wordsworth's lyrical ballad, The Convict. Similarly, Jacques Rosseau's famous quote, that 'man is everywhere borne in chains' is highly relevant here, the oppression of the prisoners of Reading Gaol is such that there 'souls are in pain'. The condemned man is a figure of utter despair, there is no hope for redemption, the other prisoners are left ' to watch him as he tries to pray'. The comical humour of Wilde's previous work seems trivial to the sobering irony of this poem.
The internal rhymes and differing rhythmic patterns of this poem give a bouncy although somewhat disjointed feel. Each six line stanza feels like another moment waiting in prison, whilst the upbeat rhyme scheme lends a ballad-like feel. Although the poem reads like an upbeat song, the subject matter is grim and rife with despair, this was obviously Wilde's intent to create a bittersweet irony that would both shock the reader with its subject matter and satiate their poetic appetite.
