The man’s corpse is mocked and disrespected by prison officials, but at last he is cremated and buried, and Wilde says that he is “at peace, or will be soon.” In the fourth part, the prisoners are let out from their cells and walk, saddened and fearful, to the man’s grave.
Finally, the execution is performed, and Wilde describes the man’s strangled cry as he is hanged. Wilde and the other prisoners anxiously await the morning, and when morning comes they anxiously await the execution. He discusses how although he and the other inmates could not sleep the night before the execution, the man who was to die slept soundly throughout the night. Wilde describes seeing an open grave that had been dug for the man’s corpse. The third part describes the inmate’s continuing indifference, and even contentedness, in the days leading up to his execution. Although the other prisoners expect him to be depressed and self-pitying, they are surprised to find that he is not upset and seems to be trying to enjoy his time left. The second part of the poem describes the condemned inmate’s emotional reactions to his approaching death. Within this part of the poem, Wilde also compares the condemned inmate’s situation to the situations faced by other men, saying repeatedly that “each man kills the thing he loves” as the inmate killed the woman he loved. The first part of the poem consists of several verses describing the prisoner: his appearance, emotions, and situation. “ The Ballad of Reading Gaol” is a poetic description of Oscar Wilde’s experiences in prison, specifically witnessing the sentence and execution of a fellow inmate at Reading Gaol.
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