The symbol of the bells is also important in the poem. Bells are traditionally a symbol of communication, and in Christabel they communicate both good news and bad, sometimes together. For instance, as Christabel's mother lies upon her death-bed, she expresses the wish that the castle bells ring twelve times on her daughter's wedding day. This way she will hear about Christabel's happiness from all the way up in heaven:

I have heard the grey-haired friar tell

How on her death-bed she did say,

That she should hear the castle-bell

Strike twelve upon my wedding-day.

There are several symbols in the poem "Christabel" by Samuel Taylor Coleridge. The first, and most obvious, symbol is that of light and dark. Light symbolizes good and dark evil. The lamp helps the reader see this. Christabel lights the lamp, and Geraldine cowers from it. Another symbol in the poem is the snake. The attackers in the poem are described as having "reptile souls". This snake symbol is also a Biblical allusion to the serpent and evil. Coleridge's symbols are integrated seamlessly into his work. His symbols are as important as his plot.