1. Starter task: Using the visual clues, what is today’s poem about
Starter task: Using the visual clues, what is today’s poem about? What is suggested about the situation by these words?

2. ‘When we two parted’ by Lord Byron
Understand context and content
Explore poet’s language
Develop interpretation

3. Who was Lord Byron?
Famous for being ‘mad, bad and dangerous to know’; for his devastating good looks and his scandalous personal life - and for his writing.
Reputation for leading a life of excess and debauchery (sin/wickedness); lived the life of a celebrity - he would be photographed getting out of limos and locking lips with the hottest young women. He was promiscuous, allegedly sleeping with hundreds of women and also men.
Rumoured at one stage to have had an affair with his half sister, at which point he left England to live abroad.
Later in his life he tried to get more control of his reputation and ‘rein in’ his scandalous behaviour in order to attract a wealthy wife.
This poem:
Although Byron was famous for his Romantic poetry, this poem is more about human nature so a lyric poem – a form which expressed thoughts and feelings using first person voice.
There is a common theme to Byron’s lyric poetry – all about love and relationships thwarted by the betrayal/deceit of a woman. He often paints himself as a truly loving man, ruined by women – is he really a passive victim? Or is this self-mocking/satirical?

4. This poem is written in accentual verse – same number of stressed syllables in each line (although these may fall in different places within the line). Which 2 lines in the first stanza break this pattern? Why might this be?
When we two parted In silence and tears, Half broken-hearted To sever for years, Pale grew thy cheek and cold, Colder thy kiss; Truly that hour foretold Sorrow to this.
What is implied by the line ‘half broken-hearted’?
What is suggested by ‘sever’?
The repetition of ‘cold…colder’ is an example of polyptoton – when a word is repeated in a slightly different form. Here it is used to emphasise the lady’s cool rejection of the speaker - explain to your partner how this works.
Lines 5 and 7 break the accentual verse pattern – highlighting the impact/shock of the severing and cooling of their relationship – it shakes him to the core.

5. In pencil, mark the rhyme scheme on your poem up to L12 (‘Of what I feel now’). What do you notice?
The dew of the morning Sunk chill on my brow— It felt like the warning Of what I feel now. Thy vows are all broken, And light is thy fame: I hear thy name spoken, And share in its shame.
Does the ‘dew of the morning’ symbolise him waking up without her/ with the remembrance/realisation that their relationship is over?
Or is Byron here describing a premonitory cold sweat? What would this suggest?
Poem is in (Shakespearean) sonnet form/rhyme scheme up to line 12 – then shifts – could have been a true love story but this marks the end of their relationship. This point is also marks a shift in the poem from past tense to present tense and is end-stopped.
Which vows is the speaker describing here? What might be the irony of the use of this word (hint: what does it remind you of?)?
What other change do you notice between L12 and L13? Why might this be important?

6. At the end of stanza 2/start of stanza 3, the speaker describes the impact of him overhearing other people discussing his beloved.
They name thee before me, A knell to mine ear; A shudder comes o'er me— Why wert thou so dear? They know not I knew thee, Who knew thee too well: Long, long shall I rue thee, Too deeply to tell.
Knowing what a ‘knell’ is, what kind of impression or feeling is the poet suggesting when this happens?
sound of bell to signify death at funeral
Furthermore, what does ‘shudder’ suggest?
The verb ‘know’ in the Bible can suggest a sexual relationship with a person. Note that it’s in the past tense here to create a sense of distance. Using Biblical language like ‘vow’ and ‘knew’ could make their affair seem more noble and important.
regret
Why do you think ‘long’ is repeated in this line?

7. Anaphora (repeated start of phrase) is used at the start of L25 and 26 (‘In…’) and this is an example of poetic inversion - in ordinary speech, we would probably say ‘we met in secret’ instead. This highlights his private mourning of their relationship – it was a ‘secret’ affair, so he cannot tell anyone of his pain, and coupled with the anaphora creates a sense of doom.
In secret we met— In silence I grieve, That thy heart could forget, Thy spirit deceive. If I should meet thee After long years, How should I greet thee? -- With silence and tears.
These verbs portray the speaker’s bitterness at the lady’s actions and imply her culpability for the end of their relationship. What impact does this have on the way the reader views the speaker?
Here the poem shifts again – explain how. What does this imply about his pain?
What do you notice about the last line? Why does the poem end in this way – what is implied about the speaker/his feelings?

8. What do I need to remember when approaching the question?
Interpretation of attitudes
Quotations
Scribe
Methods/ terminology
How does Byron present attitudes towards the end of a relationship in ‘When we two Parted’?
Colour Groups: in books, make a plan to show how you would tackle this exam-style question.
What do I need to remember when approaching the question?
Identifying the ‘what’ and ‘how’ – what is suggested about a particular character, setting or situation (interpretation)? How does the writer communicate these ideas (methods)?
Use plenty of carefully chosen quotations to support your points/interpretation
Use precise vocabulary to express your interpretation, the methods used and the effects created

9. How does this picture effectively portray elements of Byron’s poem
How does this picture effectively portray elements of Byron’s poem? Discuss in pairs and come up with 3 ideas,

10. Think, pair, share
What would you say is Byron’s typical attitude to love?
Extend your learning:
Find out about the true story behind this poem. Make sure this is added to your notes. (Hint – Shmoop and YouTube’s Mr Bruff are good sources to use)