The Graduate

In the last few scenes of the film, the music becomes extremely important to the story line, especially through the song "Scarborough Fair/Canticle." The first time it's heard, Mrs. Robinson had just told Benjamin goodbye, and there is a following montage of Benjamin going back to staring at his fish tank and pool, as well as stalking the Robinson home. The lyrics match up pretty well with the storyline- the song is about a man trying to win his true love, as the herbs used in the lyrics represent virtues (Parsley was comfort, sage was strength, rosemary was love, and thyme was courage). Ben loved Elaine at this point, but as she clearly didn't feel the same way, he had to find a way to win her back. The song ends when Ben tells his parents that he was going to marry Elaine Robinson, which was his idea of a plan to make her love him. 

The next time Scarborough Fair starts, Ben is driving up to Elaine's college... which is only about a minute or so after the song ended the first time. The song's overall mood doesn't fit as well this time, because Ben is on an impossible quest. Elaine hates him, and she doesn't want to see him, much less marry him. 

But again, Scarborough Fair plays a mere minute after the last one ended, except this time the song is just instrumental as Ben watches Elaine on her campus. The song then plays twice more, once after Elaine leaves Ben in front of the monkey exhibit at the zoo, and for the last time when Elaine asks Ben not to leave, not until he has a definite plan for himself. The song progresses this way because the lyrics talk about a man trying to win his true love, just like how Ben begins to win Elaine back through the impossible task of convincing her to marry him. Slowly though, his plan begins to work, and so the song just becomes instrumental, then only a portion of it is played, until finally, only the ending of the song is played when Elaine gives in to Ben. 

Is this an accurate analysis of the song, and even if so, why do the remainder of Scarborough Fair lyrics contain references to a war? Is this because Ben's love life is a battlefield, or because he battled between the two Robinson's before deciding he loved Elaine?