She walks in beauty Flashcards
Author
Byron
Context
- Inspired by a lady at a party in 1814- Mrs Robert
- He had many relationships with both men and women
Whys
Byron uses the poem as a vehicle to pay homage to the aesthetic beauty of a female subject, as well as her moral and virtuous character.
“She walks in beauty”
Present tense- suggests her beauty is continuous and permanent
“Like the night of cloudless climes and starry skies”
Woman has been compared to a perfect night plenty of starts, connotations of mystery and beauty. Unconventional comparison.
“best of dark and bright”
juxtaposition suggests she is both things at once, and therefore better than them both
“that tender light”
soft, beautiful light lies in her face and eyes
“which heaven to gaudy day denies”
Critical by calling it gaudy. Byron criticised daytime for being too bright. Perhaps challenging conventions of love and literature.
Structure->Enjambent
represents breathlessness, suggesting excitement and passion and being ‘blown away’ by women beauty.
“One shade the more, one ray the less”
Antithesis- opposites represented in a repeated structure, highlights how delicately balanced the woman’s beauty is. Any more of any less will ruin the balance.
“nameless grace”
Adjective suggests woman’s beauty is beyond words
“which waves in every raven trees”
Image suggests woman’s beauty is alive
Sibilance (so soft, so calm e.t.c)
creates a calm, soothing mood, just like woman’s thoughts
Semantic field
Byron celebrates woman’s purity and goodness
Last few lines
Poem ends with the description of her virtues, morality and personality and not her appearance.
