When We Two Parted Flashcards
Context for the poem?
- Written by Lord Byron - a poet from the romantic period
- The poem is about Lady Frances Webster who had two high profile affairs during her marriage
- Byron lied about who the poem was by removing the last stanza which included her being a fallen woman and her unfaithfulness to God
How is love presented in the poem?
Unrequited love which has to come to and end, finite
What are some themes in the poem?
Emotional pain, pessimism, anger, regret, grief
“In silence and tears”
Sibilance - emphasises the speakers pain
Also he cannot express his pain as they had an affair
“To ____ for years”
“To sever for years”
Violent verb - relationship is emotionally dead, and they are physically cut off from each other
Also doesn’t say forever only years so the speaker may have hope they can get back together
“Pale grew thy cheek”
“Colder thy kiss”
“A knell”
All similar ideas
Imagery - lack of passion and emptiness of warmth like a corpse
Metaphor - funeral like
Accusatory Tone - the speaker is blaming the woman for everything, anger
“____ in its shame”
“Share in its shame”
Repeated “shhh” sound - links to “silence and tears” as it was an affair
Involved with her shame as he had an affair with her
“Half broken-_____”
Alliteration - only his heart is broken as she never really cared for him, unrequited love
“That hour foretold sorrow to this”
Enjambement - shows that there is no change in his sadness and regret despite the change in time
Importance of ending the poem with “How should I greet thee?”
Rhetorical question - self pity + she cant answer
Shift of focus to the future and still no change in pain
What is the importance of the rhyme scheme?
It follows an A B rhyme scheme which could indicate that the speaker still wants a relationship with the woman
What is the importance of the structure
The structure is cyclical which could indicate that there is no end to the speakers pain
The poem moves through past, present and future
