She walks in beauty by Lord Byron

Context

* Romantic poet and first ‘celebrity’
* Life was unconventional and adventurous
* Inspired by seeing a distant relative at a party
* Romantic era: emotional and subjective view o love

Language

* ‘She walks in beauty’
* Figurative language
* Ability to do what others can’t

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* ‘like the night of cloudless climes and starry skies’
* Simile
* Natural imagery creates immediate admiration

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* ‘her eyes’, ’cheek’, ‘brow’, ‘smiles that win’
* Blazon
* Traditional method to show the deepness of love

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* ‘One shade more, one ray less’
* Antithesis
* Intricate balance in beauty

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* ‘Starry skies’, ‘serenely sweet express’
* Alliteration, sibilance
* Adds to lyrical nature and sense of harmony

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* ‘heaven to gaudy day denies’
* Religious language

Form

* Lyric poem in the perspective of unknown


* Focuses is completely on women

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* Iambic tetrameter
* Builds fixation with the subject

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Structure

* 3 stanza, six lines long
* Usually reserved for hums
* Reflect religious imagery and content

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* Strict structure and categorisation of thought
* Speaker careful with how they articulate

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* Metrical inversion in line 4
* Highlight the opposing forces that meet

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* ABABAB
* Reinforces harmony