When we two parted 💔😡 Flashcards
1
Q
What is accentual verse?
A
- Accentual verse has a fixed number of stresses per lines, regardless of the number of syllables that are present.
2
Q
What can you tell me about the dactylic meter of When we two parted?
A
- the use of dactylic meter in ‘when we two parted’ gives the poem a stop-start rhythm because of this broken pattern in the poem.
- this suggests that the speaker is struggling to move on from his memories of this woman + this secret relationship he had.
- C= which is contextually important as it reflects how Byron claimed to have written this poem in 1808, before his affair [with Lady Francis Webster], yet he wrote it later.
- and also ommited the final stanza in the published version which included the word ‘Fanny’- a shortened form of the woed Frances, to conceal how this poem was written about their affair because their relationship was forbidden.
3
Q
What alternative interpretations can you tell me about the dactylic meter of ‘When we two parted?
A
- I= Alternatively, the use of dactylic meter could also highlight how the speaker is unable to express his sadness since the relationship was a secret.
- I= On the other hand, the use of dactylic meter could perhaps highlights the passing/movement of time- could the speaker be desperate for time to stop; this passing is unavoidable because time never stops, but he wants to go back to that moment with her.
- This is shown in stanza 2 which begins in the morning + by the end, the speaker looks towards the future.
4
Q
What can you say about the use of accentual verse in ‘when we two parted?’
A
- In when we two parted, the use of accentual verse by Byron (with the two-stressed syllables) could perhaps communicate the speaker’s feeling of disappointment, and feelings of betrayal.
- which reflects Byron’s distress since Lady Frances has ‘betrayed’ him as she no longer loves Byron and was the one who ended their relationship which would anger him as he was typically the one who ended his affairs [in which he had supposedly 200 affairs]
5
Q
What are alternative interpretations of accentual verse in ‘when we two parted’?
A
- I= ; the two-stressed syllables, is perhaps a constant reminder of ‘the one who got away’ .
- But there are two exceptions to the rule of the two-stressed syllables in line 5 + line 7, which has three-stressed syllables. And in line 5- “pale grew thy cheek and cold’- is this the key moment, that the speaker notices she doesn’t love him back? Is this the Volta in when we two parted?
- ; the use of monosyllabic words in line 5, might imply her ‘cold’ nature is actually sucking the energy our of the speaker, as he sounds drained, as he begins to lose her.
6
Q
What can we say about the use of alternate rhyme in ‘when we two parted?’
A
- The use of alternate rhyme in when we two parted, might suggest that the parting of the lovers; it could also suggest that there is something else why their relationship has severed or broken down.
- I= the use of alternative rhyme, could perhaps reflect the departure of feelings- she is growing cold, yet he is still infatuated with her.
7
Q
‘Half broken-hearted’
A
- perhaps it could suggest the speaker was in denial, because he only realised his entire heart was broken, after the poem furthers.
- I= only the speaker was commited + only he was heart-broken not her.
- I= it could also suggest that neither of them are completely broken at the break up.
8
Q
‘To sever for years’
A
- L= Byron uses the transitive verb ‘sever’ in an unusual way, since there is no object. He does this because it implies there’s no way the relationship can ever be repaired.
- L= The use of violent imagery also implies that the parting was painful since the speaker still feels sorrow and is still emotionally affected.
9
Q
‘The dew of the morning’
A
- the dew is still on the grass + the morning is cold, so maybe this suggests how the speaker [still] feels her coldness towards him, her devoid of emotion towards him.
- ‘dew’ is also a metaphor for the future, that is pessimistic since the speaker’s life is now without who he loves. [because she has ended their relationship]
- C= which is contextually important, since ot reflects how he had an affair with Byron, them in 1816 had another affair with Lord Welligton [who became a national hero]
- L= pathetic fallacy- perhaps the cold weather is pathetic fallacy, reflecting how her emotions towards the speaker were in fact never real since she never loved him.
- the chilly dew of the morning, could also suggest that this memory still makes him break out in a cold sweat (like the cold dew), just because of remembering their parting.
10
Q
‘What alternative interpretations can we say about the quote: The dew of the morning’
A
- I= Alternatively, dewy mornings are a symbol of autumn + approaching old weather, similar to how the season of the two’s love is in fact dying.
- Moreover, this is symbolic because autumn is a representation of conserving life + it’s vital necessities- is she a necessity for the speaker? Additionally, autumn allows us a chance to reconnect with ourselves- ; the speaker isn’t able to reconnect with himself, after she leaves.
- Furthermore, autumn is symbolic of letting go, since as temperatures drop + leaves fall, autumn reflects letting go + this highlights how everything that surrounds us is temporary- which shows how the speaker must let go, yet he is struggling to, even though he is entering outrageous/scandalous relationships.
11
Q
‘The vows are all broken’
A
- all the vows are broken- all the promises she made to him were unfulfilled.
- R= makes the reader what the vows she has made to him are- was it a discussion of marriage + she broke this vow because a vow has connotations of marriage.
- perhaps she may have broken her marriage vows by committing adultery.
- C= which is contextually important because it reflects how Lady Frances Webster, was a married woman who had an affair with Byron in 1813, despite the fact she was still married.
- I= Alternatively, it implies she’s broken a vow of love to the speaker by ending their relationship.
- I= ; it could also suggest that perhaps she has broken a marriage vow before God.
12
Q
‘What are alternative interpretations of A knell in mine ear’
A
- I= But in religion, the bell is the voice of God (however Byron opposes established religion), so alternatively is engaging in sex before marriage + affairs are seen as sacrilegious in the eyes of God.
- I= Alternatively, the ancient philosophers thought the dome of the bell represented the female genitals + the clapper [which is in the centre of the dome] represented the male genitals. They thought it was a physical + sexual representative- so is this a representation of this relationship?
13
Q
‘A knell in mine ear’
A
- his lovers’ name becomes a bell in his ear.
- metaphorically, bells can also symbolise an expansion of consciousness- as the speaker is beginning to become more aware of his own emotions + maybe the truth about this lover- she dosen’t love him.
- Also, when a bell sounds its a warning before an annoucement/declaration is made; the speaker shudders.
- L= the use of the noun ‘shudder’ suggests that although they have parted for years, she still has a powerful + emotional on him just after hearing her name.
- a ‘knell’ is a bell that signals or announces death, so hearing her name may sound like a metaphorical bell to the speaker as she killed their love + is perhaps dead to the speaker.
14
Q
What can you tell me about the repetition of silence in ‘when we two parted?’
A
- the repetition of silence is linked to the opening, as we end and begin with a sorrowful tone, reflecting how the speaker is struggling to overcome his grief of their relationship.
- is he perhaps trapped in his own ‘grief’ because of the parting + his heartbreak.
15
Q
What is dactylic meter?
A
- Dactylic meter is a rhythmic structure in accentual verse that uses dactyls. A dactyl is a three-stressed syllable, that is followed by two-unstressed syllables.
