When We Two Parted Flashcards
‘When we two parted/In silence and tears,/Half broken-hearted/To sever for years’
The direct address makes it more personal.
It is in silence as nobody knew about the relationship, as he couldn’t tell anybody. He felt that he was the only one in the relationship who had real feelings and therefore only half of the relationship is upset. The vicious verb ‘sever’ reflects how difficult the breakup was for him.
‘Pale grew thy cheek and cold,/Colder thy kiss’
The repetition of the harsh sounds shows the coldness of the women and the height of the betrayal he feels. It also creates the image of death, as if his lover is a corpse.
‘Sunk chill on my brow’
Foreshadowing reflects the coldness between him and his lover
‘And share in its shame’
Reflects how he is involved in her shame as he also had an affair. Also, the repetition of ‘sh’ relates to the silence of the situation.
‘A knell to mine ear’
This metaphor suggests that her name sounds like a death knell to him and reminds him of the death of their relationship (sound imagery)
‘Why wert thou so dear?’
The rhetorical question reflects how deeply he felt for her, he cannot bear the thought of her with another man.
‘Thee’
Reflects how he is still preoccupied with her through the direct address.
‘Rue’
He doesn’t just feel sadness, he is starting to regret it in the first place
‘Grieve’
He is mourning the relationship like death
‘With silence and tears’
The cyclical structure reflects how he is still hurting and how he is unable to move on
