She walks in beauty Flashcards
(10 cards)
What is the poem about ?
‘She Walks in Beauty’ is a short eighteen line poem celebrating female beauty. The beauty of the woman the speaker describes is in bothher external appearance and herinnergoodness. Althoughit might generally be classified as a love poem, the poet never actually declares that love. He concentrates on the subject’s captivating attractiveness and purity. The speaker is a highly biased observer and he seems entirely fascinated by the woman’s beauty. He is telling himself what he finds most captivating about this woman but at the same time communicating his feelings to a wider audience - the reader. Weare therefore given a portrait of this woman, as seen through someone else’s eyes. The speaker is keen to emphasise that it is not all about outward appearances. The early description of her physical beauty is matched by the description of her inner beauty or ‘goodness’ towards the end of the poem. She almost seems to be unobtainable and, to some extent, we may sympathise with the poet’s sense of longing.
When was the poem published ?
1814
What is the context of this poem ?
Byron was a leading figure of the Romantic movement and liked to break conventions.
Byron’s private life was very public and he was known for his many relationships with different women. He had many stormy relationships
Know as mad, bad and dangerous to know
Byron is believed to have been inspired to write
the poem after seeing a woman with very good
looks at a fashionable London party.
It has been claimed that
the lady in question was in mourning and dressed
in a black spangled gown; the first two lines
shows how this interpretation would seem to
mirror the image that Byron creates.
What is the structure of this poem ?
- At the beginning of the poem, Byron expresses his admiration for the woman and as the poem progresses he then speaks about her inner ‘goodness’. He ends the poem with the idea of ‘love’, an experience that perhaps brings together both the external and internal beauty.
The rhyme scheme is regular and follows
the pattern ababab. The rhythm of the poem is
highly regular. This consistent rhythm emphasises
the regularity of the subject’s walk but also her
faultless perfection.
Working against this rhythm,
Byron makes much use of enjambment. It is
almost as though the speaker cannot pause for
breath in trying to tell the reader about how
beautiful this woman is.
What are the possible themes are links of the poem ?
Relationships and love : Sonnet 43,
Cosy apologia
and
Valentine
What is meant by the opening line and opening sentence “She walks in beauty” ?
It celebrates female beauty and illustrates a picture of the beautiful women throught Byron’s eyes
What quotes have a reference to light that can suggest the women has inner radiance ?
“starry skies”
and
“tender light”
How does Bryon show that she has a sense of mystery and danger around her ?
She is compared to the dark of night “like the night” and “raven tress” which is associated with bad omens.
How else could Byron be using the quote “raven tress” to describe the women’s outer beauty ?
Raven tress is a reference to black hair that is linked with a lightened face. Explaining why Bryon compares her to “dark and bright”
What did Byron mean by the last line of his poem “A heart whose love is innocent” ?
It is the first time life is mentioned and he is now celebrating the Women’s inner and outer beauty
