Vasily Andreevich Zhukovsky is an outstanding Russian poet, one of the founders of Russian romanticism. Ballads occupy a significant place in his work. The ballads of Walter Scott, Schiller, Goethe, and in Russian literature - Karamzin were the model for Zhukovsky. It was in the ballads that Zhukovsky’s romantic aspirations were most expressed; dissatisfaction with life, a desire to contrast it with an imaginary world full of mystery and miracles. The themes of good and evil, fate, and personal responsibility are present in almost all of Zhukovsky’s ballads. This explains his interest in ancient and medieval subjects. However, the main thing in them is not fantasy or mysticism, but an understanding of the complex spiritual experiences of man. Like the lyrics, Zhukovsky’s ballads are distinguished by artistic originality and completeness of form. The book is published on the 200th anniversary of the birth of V. A. Zhukovsky.