When We Two Parted

Question 1

Who wrote ‘When We Two Parted’?

Answer 1

Lord Byron

Question 2

When was it published?

Answer 2

1816 (19th century)

Question 3

What are the main themes of the poem?

Answer 3

-Anger and hurt
-Sadness
-Betrayal
-Death

Question 4

Give a summary of the poem

Answer 4

-Speaker lied to by lover (betrayal)
-Frustration at her unfaithfulness to him w/ Duke -> ironic bc see context card

Question 5

What are the speaker’s emotions?

Answer 5

-Heartbroken
-Bitter
-Devastated
-Angry
-Regret

Question 6

Describe some context surrounding the poem

Answer 6

-Romantic poet (industrial revolution)
-Separation = embarrassing (left England bc of this)
-Romantics believed in embracing inner emotions and value of nature (concerned financial gains were becoming more important)
-Slept w/ 300+ people
-Had child w/ half sister

Question 7

‘In silence and tears’
‘In secret we met - In silence I grieve’
‘With silence and tears’
‘They know not I knew thee’

Answer 7

-Sibilance = edge of secrecy
(constant sibilance throughout poem = reminding us of secrecy and silence)
-Links to idea that relationship was secret & private
-Silence repeated 3 times overall = adds to emphasis
-Dash in 3rd quote: hidden, passing time

Question 8

‘In silence and tears’

Answer 8

-Repeated in first & final stanza
-Repetition = highlights pain & depth of loss that speaker feels
-Cyclical structure = reader returned to beginning of poem & speakers original thoughts of ‘When we two parted’
-Gives impression speaker will never be free of intense emotional memory and heartbreak of parting
-Keeps going back, going round in circles, can’t get out, trapped

Question 9

*‘Sever’
‘Pale’
‘Cold’
‘Sorrow’
‘Knell’
‘Grieve’
‘Spirit’

Answer 9

-Theme of death
-Loss of passion
-*Depict brutal separation as has connotations of being cut or wounded

Question 10

‘They name thee before me, A knell in mine ear’

Answer 10

-Knell = bell rung at funeral
-Metaphor for love that died
-Reinforces lover’s pain
-Message: Warning abt human nature & its capacity to hurt others
-Speaker feels as though his lover has died, so his loss is strong
-How he feels when hears her name - angry, dead

Question 11

-Strong rhythm

-Regular rhyme scheme

Answer 11

-Formal, not natural
-Suggests masking his pain

-Consistency in feelings (still angry)

Question 12

‘Thy vows are all broken’

‘Thy spirit deceive’

Answer 12

-Holy promise
-Marry in eyes of God
-She betrayed her religious promise
-Harsh line bc targeting her morals
-Betrayal, marriage

-Context: Spirit = purest part of you
-Saying she = liar + evil at heart