She Walks in Beauty Flashcards
Who is the poet of She Walks In Beauty?
Lord Byron
Summarise the poem
- Speaker describes an unnamed woman’s beauty as she passes by, conveying his wonder at her ethereal, innocent aura and appearance
- Speaker tries to capture the beauty of the woman, and her enchanting effect on others
- Although it may generally be classified as a love poem, the poet never actually declares his love, instead concentrating on the subject’s captivating attractiveness and purity
State the themes of the poem
Love
Lust
Appearance
Beauty
Innocence
Humanity
Unrequited love
Describe the form of She Walks in Beauty
- Lyrical in tone and nature, focusing on abstract ideas of beauty and innocence
- Written in iambic tetrameter + has an unwavering ABABAB rhyme scheme
- Written in third person, talking only about the woman and implicitly conveying the persona’s adoration, but possibly objectifying her as no more than a vessel of beauty
What is the effect of the iambic tetrameter and the rhyme scheme?
→ perhaps expressing the conviction of the speaker’s thoughts
→ regularity links with her consistent beauty
RHYME SCHEME:
→ reflective of her internal and external beauty
→ mimics subject’s walk, but also her faultless perfection
Describe the structure of She Walks in Beauty and its effect on the poem
Three stanzas, equally as long as each other (all 6 lines), creating a poetic form that is generally adopted for hymns
Balanced alternating rhyme scheme
Every stanza ends with an endstop
Exclamation: emphasises contrast between the pair } they will never be
What is the effect of the equally long stanzas?
→ reflects the religious imagery within the poem
→ poetic structure used to effectively mirror the poem’s content as a love poem
What is the impact of each stanza ending with an endstop?
→ could be speaker’s struggle or hesitation as they try to explain their feelings towards her
→ OR snapping back to reality to stop and idealise her
Describe the language used in She Walks in Beauty
Alliteration
Similes: used to illustrate the woman’s beauty
Sibilance: (primarily the repetition of ‘s’ sounds) combine to give texture and harmony to the poem
Assonance
What language devices add to the musicality of the poem?
- alliteration
- assonance
- sibilance
What is the effect of the sibilance?
Creates a soft, whispery sound which reflects the speaker’s starstruck state of mind
State any motifs, symbols and themes in the poem,
- Appearance
- Light vs Dark: contrasting imagery (ANTITHESIS)
- Sense of wonder
What is the impact of the theme of appearance?
Appearance:
→ avoids conventional symbols to describe the subject’s appearance, e.g.: flowers on a summer day
→ less conventional appearance that is described
What is the impact of the light vs dark imagery?
→ several references to day and night + aspects of the natural world that create light (stars) + an inner light of radiance
→ repeated use of opposites may reflect the confusion of the speaker’s mind as he tries to come to terms with trying to describe the woman’s overwhelming beauty
How is the poet’s sense of wonder expressed throughout the poem?
→ not directly expressed but comes from nature of the comparisons he makes between the woman and the aspects of the natural world
What is the context surrounding the author?
- English Romantic poet
- Womaniser
- Described as ‘mad, bad and dangerous to know’
- Poem said to be inspired by Mrs Anne Wilmot, his cousin’s wife
Complete the quote
She walks in beauty…
…like the night
Analyse the quote
She walks in beauty like the night
→ repetition of title to emphasise poet’s awe of the subject’s beauty
→ also a metaphor to create dreamy sense of how the world seems when this woman walks
→ ‘beauty’ emphasised by caesura, encouraging the reader to pause and consider the woman’s beauty
→ unconventional simile, alludes to mystery + mysterious behaviour
→ his lust for her may be why he compares her to the night
Complete the quote
Cloudless climes and…
…starry skies
Analyse the quote
Cloudless climes and starry skies
→ first comparison of light and dark
→ alliteration used to emphasise the flawlessness of the woman
→ speaker’s dark intentions to her bright beauty
→ references things that are far (clouds and stars) emphasising that his feelings for her are immeasurable
→ however, the sky is also out of reach, such as this relationship
→ repetitive alliterative sounds for clarity, he can see her beauty clearly
Complete the quote
Mellowed to that…
…tender light
Analyse the quote
Mellowed to that tender light
→ her softness and beauty
→ her beauty is almost heavenly and delicate
→ recaptures their meeting at night
→ her beauty is effortless
→ ‘mellowed’ creates an image of haziness, dreaminess and romance
Complete the quote
which heaven to…
…gaudy day denies
Analyse the quote
which heaven to gaudy day denies
→ brightness of light acts as a realisation that they can never be
→ in comparison to her, even daylight is ‘gaudy’ vulgar and inferior: woman’s beauty is just that powerful
Complete the quote
Nameless…
…grace
Analyse the quote
Nameless grace
→ poet literally speechless when it comes to her beauty
→ her beauty is so powerful he cannot comprehend it
→ doesn’t even know her name
→ compares her to an angel (‘grace’)
→ could also be referencing the light she radiates
Complete the quote
How pure, how dear…
…their dwelling place
Analyse the quote
How pure, how dear their dwelling place
→ she is intelligent as well as beautiful
→ metaphysical beauty
Complete the quote
so soft…
…so calm
Analyse the quote
so soft, so calm
→ repetition of ‘so’ emphasises point + sibilance
→ creates a tenderness in the poet’s voice + punctuation shows the slows down the rhythm of the tone
→ caesura: he is clearly pausing and taking her in fully
Complete the quote
A heart whose…
…love is innocent!
Analyse the quote
A heart whose love is innocent!
→ fantasising about her
→ first mention of love shows that attraction is purely physical
→ OR that the whole poem was him admiring her physically until he falls in love with her at the very end
