SOURCE: Hallett, Charles A. “Theme and Structure in Henryson's ‘The Annunciation.’” Studies in Scottish Literature X, no. 3 (January 1973): 165-74.

In the following essay, Hallett analyzes the structure of “The Annunciation” and asserts that it is Henryson's personal examination of divine love in the form of poetry.

Though Robert Henryson is being rediscovered and the pleasures of his poetry are being appreciated once again as they undoubtedly were in his own time, critical attention has so far been concentrated upon the skillfully written Testament of Cresseid and the witty Fables, while the minor poems, many of which have equal charm, are still largely neglected. Henryson's “The Annunciation” is a case in point. On the surface the poem, I suppose, seems too simple to require explication. It is clearly a poem in praise of the Virgin, and its purpose appears to be simply to celebrate the mystery that rendered Mary...