setting - This poem takes place in old ancient medieval times. The poem takes place in barren and open land.
conflict - The knight wants to be able to find the lost city of Eldorado. He travels very far and cannot find it, he rides through sunshine and shadow.
exposition - The knight seeks for something that is impossible to find. His fate is unexcapable.
rising action - The knight travels through the countryside for a long time until he grows old. He comes across a pilgrim shadow.
climax - He speaks with the pilgrim shadow and it tell him that he should ride on. This means that the Knights fate is death.
falling action - The Knight rides on and follows the shadow's advice.
resolution - The Knight travels in search of Eldorado and finds his fate: death.
Allusions
Mountains of the Moon - This phrase means that the Knight's goal is unreachable by normal human beings.
Valley of the Shadow - This line is used in part of a prayer. This could mean that Eldorado is only reachable through death. Or that by searching for Eldorado will only lead to death.
Both of these are biblical allusions which represent death. This shows that the pilgrim shadow is death and he tell the knight to ride on the the Mountains of the moon and the Valley of the Shadow. The Knight follows his words and meets his fate: death.
Symbolism
Eldorado - Eldorado is supposedly a city of great wealth and full of treasures. This could mean that the Knight is a treasure hunter and that this is his only goal in life. Eldorado could also symbolise the unachievable dream. The Knight seeks for something that is impossible to reach.
Diction
Gallant: Means brave or chivalrous, and was used to describe hero�s or knights in archaic times more often than modern times.
Pilgrim Shadow: A pilgrim shadow would be a wandering shadow, but which seems like a symbol used by Poe to describe some mysterious presence thatis conversing with the knight. A Pilgrim is any sort of a wanderer. The word pilgrim that poe uses to describe the shadow gives the impression of a wanderer or possibly a lost soul, which really adds to some of the dark symbolism used in this poem.
Shade: Another way of saying shadow, except that it carries a slightly less ominous tone.