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
Based on a true story.
Said it was written in 1808 but actually written at least 5 years later – deception was due to Byron’s attempt to hide the fact that the poem was written about Lady Frances Wedderburn-Webster.
Byron was having an affair with her but broke it off to save her reputation.
Byron was hurt when he found out later that she’d been having an affair with the Duke of Wellington and wrote this poem out of jealousy.
‘When we two parted’ by Lord Byron
Understand context and content
Explore poet’s language
Develop interpretation

3. Who was Lord Byron?
Extremely popular with women and conducted a vast number of affairs with women of high status, and, as rumours suggested, his half-sister.
Lived the life of a celebrity - one of his published works sold 10,000 copies in one day.
Hugely popular romantic poet.
Had a number of homosexual and heterosexual relationships.
Very famous – described as being ‘mad, bad and dangerous to know’.
Had an early life of poverty but inherited riches at age 10.
Lived a life of excess and debauchery (sin/wickedness).
Went to Trinity College, Cambridge, although he studied very little.
Wasn’t allowed to Oxford because of his partying reputation.
Fathered many illegitimate children.
Told friends he had slept with 100s of women, yet tried to curb his passions when he ran out of money and wished to marry a rich heiress to fund his lifestyle.
Married Annabella Millbanke, who left him shortly after.
Left Britain to avoid scandal, travelling across Italy and Greece (felt that these countries encouraged and embraced him) before dying of a fever age 36.

4. Form
Romantic poetry:
Dislike of urban life, embracing the natural world, love of the supernatural, use of ordinary everyday language.
Lyric poem:
Emotional poem where the speaker expresses their thoughts and feelings.
Although Byron was famous for his Romantic poetry, this poem is more about an expression of thoughts, feelings and emotions so a lyric poem using first person voice.
Byron wrote a number of lyric poems between 1808 and Jerome McGann said the common theme of these poems is ‘love being thwarted by betrayal and deceit of the woman Byron loved’. In these poems, Byron painted himself as a loving man and how women ruin this – this was Byron’s way of explaining his affairs as he painted himself as the victim of deceitful women.
This poem could be a satirical, self-mocking look back at his early life and how he got so sentimentally involved with these women. Byron was clever at painting a more positive picture of himself and knew how he wanted to be perceived by people (even in paintings he would ask people to manipulate his features). He wanted to portray that he was the perfect gentleman and in love with these women and say that they broke his heart to help save his reputation.

5. Structure
This poem is written in accentual verse – each line must contain the same amount of stressed syllables (2 in this case). 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’?
Lines 5 and 7 break the rule of accentual verse. These lines describe the moment when he was rejected by his lover showing he felt broken, shocked and rejected so the structure is also broken.
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.

6. Caesura pause represents the sudden stop in his feelings.
Structure
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?
Caesura pause represents the sudden stop in his feelings.
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)?
Follows the rhyme scheme of a sonnet (love poem) up until line 12 – caesura and sudden break from rhyme scheme used to show poet thoughts the relationship was worthy of sonnet form before he heard of the latest infidelity – felt cheated on.

7. Other points about structure
L26 ‘In silence I grieve’ – jumbled up sentences (poetic inversion) – adds emphasis to silence and adds a greater sign of the speaker’s distress – he’s unable to communicate as he’s a broken person.
The poem goes from past to present to future implying that the pain inflicted on him will last forever – this helps to paint Byron as the victim.

8. Language
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.
The feelings for his lover are dead after hearing his friends gossip about the relationship between ex-lover and Wellington.
sound of bell to signify death at funeral
Sensory description suggests the relationship was about sensory pleasure (physical and sexual intimacy). Whichother examples of sensory description can you find in the poem?
The Old Testament in the Bible refers to having sex as ‘knowing’ – “Adam knew his wife and she conceived” – using the Biblical form makes the relationship seem more honourable and sacred.
These are old-fashioned words even for when the poem was written. What does the ancient language suggest about the love?

9. Language
Anaphora (repeated start of phrase/sentence) is used to show how the poet is doomed to a repetitive nature of feelings of loss and grief.
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?
Repetition from L2: “In silence and tears” – represents the cyclical nature of the speaker’s feelings and how he can’t get over the love he feels.

10. There was an unpublished verse to this poem
Then-fare thee well – Frances – Now doubly undone – To prove false unto many – As faithless to One – Thou art past all recailing Even would I recall – For the woman once falling Forever must fall.
Why do you think Byron didn’t want to publish this final verse?

11. What do I need to remember when approaching the question?
Quotations
Methods / terminology
Interpretation / ideas
How does Byron present attitudes towards the end of a relationship in ‘When we two Parted’?
GROUP TASK: 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

12. Think, pair, share
What would you say is Byron’s typical attitude to love?
Homework task:
Find out about the true story behind this poem – the relationship between Byron and Lady Frances. Make sure this is added to your notes.

13. Plenary: How does this picture effectively portray elements of Byron’s poem? Discuss in pairs and come up with 3 or more ideas, ready to feedback.