It is a notable work of Polish romanticism, focusing on the issues such as thirst for power and evolution of the criminal mind.

Balladyna was performed as tragi-comedy in English for the first time in the United Kingdom in November 2018 by Passing Stranger Theatre Company at Drayton Arms Theatre in Kensington, London and directed by Emma Blacklay-Piech, with a Polish actress Anna Krauze in title role.

[4] From May 2024, a fair copy of Balladyna, given by Słowacki to friend Józef Reitenheim in 1834, is presented at a permanent exhibition in the Palace of the Commonwealth.

[7] In the play, the author creates a psychological portrait of a woman who starts to be overwhelmed by her passionate pursuit of power leading to her inevitable downfall.

The Hermit considers women untrustworthy and advises Kirkor to find a plain cottage and to marry a poor girl as he will be happier that way.

Goplana – the nymph queen of Gopło Lake - is in love with Balladyna's beloved, Grabiec, and because of her jealousy she intervenes in peoples' lives and changes their destiny.

The only things reminding Balladyna of the crime she committed are a bloody stain on her forehead that cannot be removed, pangs of remorse and terrible nightmares.

In the castle, a feast takes place, with the guests including Grabiec (dressed as the King of Bells [in English Diamonds], wearing the Hermit's/Popiel's crown), and the nymphs Skierka and Chochlik.

In the middle of the night, Balladyna and Kostryn kill Grabiec and take the crown – the symbol of legitimate royal rule – and leave for Gniezno to seize power.

At that moment Balladyna's mother enters the palace, blinded by lightning and complaining about her daughter who drove her out of the castle during the storm and who refused to have anything to do with her.