she walks in beauty Flashcards
who wrote this poem?
Lord Byron
what was Byron most famously described as?
“mad, bad and dangerous to know”
why was he exiled from England?
due to rumours of his escapades
who did he have an affair with?
his half- sister and fathered a child
what is the poem an example of?
romanticism
how many stanzas does this poem have?
3
how many lines does each stanza contain?
6 lines
what is this type of poetic form usually used for?
hymns- associated with divinity and chasteness
what is untypical due to it being a traditional love poem?
it does not refer to passionate/sexual love
what is the rhyme scheme?
ABABAB
what is the poem’s meter written in?
iambic tetrameter
when was this poem written?
when Byron met his cousin
what awe does Byron feel and what is peculiar about this?
he experiences the awe one would feel for a painting/nature- unusual as he was known for his lascivious affairs
what iamb is it written in?
iambic tetrameter - the lines contain 4 sets of 2 beats
1st= unstressed syllable
2nd= stressed syllable
where is there examples of enjambment?
in the first stanza: lines 1 and 2- “she walks in beauty like the night of cloudless climes and starry skies”
lines 5 and 6- “thus mellowed to that tender light which Heaven to gaudy day denies
where is there examples of alliteration?
“which waves”- 2nd stanza, line 3
“serenely sweet” - 2nd stanza, line 5- also an example of sibilance
what does the imagery do in the poem?
triggers the readers senses- for example, “in every raven tress” and “of softly lightens o’er her face”
where is there juxtaposition?
“all that’s best of dark and bright”
what does the 1st stanza do?
sets the tone of the poem with a comparison that seems almost divine- beauty like the vast, starry night
what does her beauty seem like?
does not seem completely physical- her beauty is an aura, a shield of beauty that is she unaware of/ innocent
what is unusual about Byron comparing her to the night, instead of the day?
compares to night- not daylight- the tradition for Romantic poetry was to compare to bright nature
what could the darkness of the word “night” refer to?
reference to the Greek ideal- the beauty is so strong, it could almost be catastrophic
Helen of Troy was one of such beauty- this woman seems to be another similar
a divine being whose sole purpose in the poem is a shift of Chiaroscuro balance
what imagery does stanza 2 convey?
images of Virgin Mary- easy to make divine, religious connotations due to the poem’s structure of a hymn
the lady’s beauty is virginal- the poet cannot find a word to describe her beauty
what does the lady reconcile?
both dark and light
appearing both glowing but also shrouded in darkness
the darkness that surrounds her- Byron met her at a funeral- the spiritual darkness
but she manages to brighten even the darkest atmospheres due to her breath-taking beauty
or it could be the expression of the ultimate peaceful beauty
what does the line “so soft, so calm, yet eloquent” mean?
unlike the day, the night is devoid of clouds and quiet
when the world stops and things rest
she is not warped by her own beauty and she exists in a world that is to Byron, peaceful- her heart is innocent and her mind is clear
what is interesting about this innocence being Byron’s perception of beauty?
Byron’s nature of troubled thoughts- interesting that this innocence is his perception of beauty- perhaps he is so consumed by her beauty that he has now adopted this new perception of beauty
how does the poem end?
“a heart whose love is innocent!”
what does the final line mean?
he is interested in her inner beauty as well as her outer/ physical beauty
the woman is left unaware that she has become a symbol of beauty to someone witnessing her presence
what was Byron a leading figure of?
the Romantics Movement
what did the Romantic Movement attempt to do?
dispel the scientific, rational movement’s effect and bring back magic and wonder to a humanistic world
what was Byron regarded as?
one of the greatest British poets
what is the main idea of the poem?
perfect beauty and kindness can exist in one woman
she walks in beauty…
like the night
of cloudless climes…
and starry skies
and all that’s best of dark and bright..
meet in her aspect and her eyes
thus mellowed to that tender light..
which heaven to gaudy day denies
one shade the more..
one ray the less
had half impaired…
the nameless grace
which waves in every raven tress…
of softly lightens o’er her face
where thoughts serenely sweet express…
how pure, how dear their dwelling place
and on that cheek…
and o’er that brow
so soft so calm yet eloquent…
the smiles that win, the tints that glow
but tell of days in goodness spent…
a mind at peace with all below
a heart whose love…
is innocent
