When We Two Parted

Question 1

What is When We Two Parted about?

Answer 1

The narrator recalls the day he and his lover parted, she seemed to no longer have any feelings for him. Though time has passed, hearing people talk about her hurts him deeply, especially hearing about her affairs with other men. He also believes that he will always feel hurt and that he feels more pain now than he did when they broke up.

Question 2

Who is the poet’s lover rumoured to be?

Answer 2

Lady Webster, who was married to a friend of Byron’s at the time

Question 3

Describe the form of the poem.

Answer 3

Strong rhyme scheme and regular rhythm showing his pain and his intricate thoughts about his affair.

Question 4

Describe the structure of the poem.

Answer 4

The poem moves through time, constantly sifting between past, present and future. The juxtaposition between past and future emphasises that there is no change in his feelings.

Question 5

Describe the use of language about death.

Answer 5

The narrator compares his break up to a death, which emphasises his former lover’s lack of feelings for him and how deeply he was emotionally in the relationship.

Question 6

Describe the use of language about senses.

Answer 6

It contrasts normal love poetry’s pleasing imagery through negative descriptions such as the lover’s “cold” cheek, and the sound of a funeral “knell” in order to demonstrate how he feels like he’s lost love and is hurt by it.

Question 7

Describe the use of language about silence and secrecy.

Answer 7

The use of silence in the poem is to show how their relationship was secret, the narrator and his lover were silent when they parted and he stays silent about is ow. This contrasts how his friends talk about his ex-lover, unknowingly and shows the reader that he feels that he’s unable to express how he feels.

Question 8

When was the poet alive?

Answer 8

1788-1824

Question 9

When was the poem published?

Answer 9

1816

Question 10

When was the poem claimed to have been written?

Answer 10

1808

Question 11

What is the significance of we two (Line 1)?

Answer 11

The narrator addresses the former lover directly, which makes the poem feel more personal. This contrasts the use of “They” (line 17) which hints that he shared a bond which his lover that they keep separate and secret from others. The use of “we” also suggests that he still sees the two as a couple, and has not got over the relationship.

Question 12

What is the effect of silence (Line 2)?

Answer 12

This may mean that they has nothing to say to each other any more but could also reflect that their relationship was a secret and couldn’t be loudly proclaimed as over.

Question 13

What is the implication of Half broken-hearted (Line 3)?

Answer 13

It could suggest that they weren’t in love with each other, but it is clear that the narrator was deeply affected by their parting, so perhaps he’s accusing his lover of only being “half” in love with him, or that he is only “half” broken hearted since she is unaffected by the parting

Question 14

What is the impact of sever (Line 4)?

Answer 14

The violent imagery suggests that the parting was a painful and traumatic experience.

Question 15

What is the impact of Pale and cold (Line 5)?

Answer 15

The narrator describes his lover like a corpse, which implies her feelings for him have died.

Question 16

What is the significance of the consonance in Lines 5 and 6?

Answer 16

The repetition of the harsh K sound emphasises the lover’s coldness

Question 17

What is the significance of chill (Line 10)?

Answer 17

The cold dew on the narrator’s forehead reflects the coldness between him and his lover.

Question 18

What is the significance of now. (Line 12)

Answer 18

The poem switches to the present tense, demonstrating that his suffering is ongoing.

Question 19

What is the effect of broken, (Line 13)?

Answer 19

It links back to “broken” in “broken-hearted” (line 3) of the first stanza, which emphasises how his feelings haven’t changed.

Question 20

What is the implication of light is thy fame; (Line 14)?

Answer 20

The lover’s reputation is damaged because people know about their affairs.

Question 21

What is the significance of I hear thy name spoken (Line 15) and They name thee before me (Line 17)?

Answer 21

He hears people talking about the former lover and the affairs she’s now having, which is painful for him. It could imply that he is so affected by the relationship he seems to be hearing her name constantly.

Question 22

What is the effect of sibilance in Line 16?

Answer 22

The repeated SH sounds link to the theme of silence in the poem and reflect how the narrator couldn’t talk openly talk about his lost love.

Question 23

What is the effect of a knell to mine ear; (Line 18)?

Answer 23

A knell is the sound of a bell rung slowly at a funeral to mark a death, the metaphor implies that hearing the lover’s name feels like hearing funeral bells, reminding him how the relationship has died.

Question 24

What is the effect of why wert thou so dear? (Line 20)?

Answer 24

The rhetorical question emphasises how deeply he felt for her, it shows how painful it is for him to hear how she’s having affairs with other men. The use of a rhetorical question highlights the unrequited love.

Question 25

What is the effect of the repeated use of thee (Lines 21, 22, and 23)?

Answer 25

The narrator repeatedly addresses the lover directly, which creates the impression that he’s still preoccupied with her and shows how her actions continue to upset him.

Question 26

What is the effect of long, long (Line 23)

Answer 26

The repetition emphasises the tiresome and endless regret he feels about the relationship.

Question 27

What is the effect of rue (Line 23)?

Answer 27

It shows that he doesn’t just feel sadness but also regrets their relationship in the first place. The bad ending of the relationship made him think it wasn’t worthwhile suggesting that he thought it would last forever.

Question 28

What is the impact of too deeply to tell (Line 24)?

Answer 28

It reveals that his silence isn’t solely for the need for secrecy, but also because he feels he is incapable of expressing the depth of his pain

Question 29

What is the effect of in silence (Line 26)?

Answer 29

It reminds the reader that because nobody knew about their affair, he cannot talk about his pain.

Question 30

What is the implication of grieve (Line 26)?

Answer 30

He acts as though he is mourning a death, which reflects his sadness at the end of their relationship.

Question 31

What is the impact of forget (Line 27) and deceive (Line 28)?

Answer 31

The accusatory language implies to the reader that he feels angry with the lover and how their relationship ended.

Question 32

What is the significance of I should meet thee (Line 29)?

Answer 32

The poem switches to think about the future and displays his pessimism of how he believes that he’ll still be preoccupied with her even after many years. It also may suggest a hint of psychosis that he isn’t trying to get over the relationship at all.

Question 33

What is the impact of silence and tears (Line 32)?

Answer 33

The repetition from stanza 1 using a cyclical structure emphasises the need for secrecy and his sorrow, he’s still hurting and is unable to move on, and that he is stuck in a loop of never ending sorrow.

Question 34

Who wrote the poem?

Answer 34

Lord Byron