What’s Up With the Title?

The title is—wait for it—the main character's name. That makes sense, right? Christabel is the first character whom the reader is introduced to, and the first part and its conclusion to that section stay focused completely on her. In the second part, we get more information about the people around Christabel: her dad, Sir Leoline, bard Bracy. We even get a bit about Geraldine and her father, Lord Roland. However, since the poem is entitled "Christabel," it seems safe to assume that the next two sections that Coleridge planned to write would have remained focused on Christabel's experience of what is about to happen. Think about how the evil queen and the seven dwarves play critical roles in the story, but the tale is still called Snow White because, as usual, it's all about the princess.