1.1.2

Themes: Death & Loss

Test yourself

Death

Much of the language in the poem relates to death. Here are some examples:

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'Pale' and 'cold'

  • 'Pale' cheeks and 'cold' kisses almost makes it sound like his lover has died.
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'Knell'

  • Lines 17-18 - 'They name thee before me / A knell to mine ear' - imply that even the sound of his lover’s name reminds him of death.
  • The term 'knell' is associated with the ringing of a bell at a funeral.

Loss and Separation

Lord Byron emphasises the narrator's feelings of loss and separation from his lover using these techniques:

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Dark language

  • Byron subverts tropes (recurring themes) of love poetry.
  • We would expect that his lover’s cheeks would be flushed but instead they are 'pale' (line 5) and her kisses grow 'colder' (line 6).
  • By using the diction (choice of words) you might expect in a less positive poem, Byron creates an exaggerated sense of loss for his reader. The reader is shocked by his darker use of language.
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Pronouns

  • Byron uses pronouns to establish the separation between them.
    • The collective 'we' is only used twice in the poem: once at the beginning, and once at the end. Then, 'me' and 'thee' are used throughout the rest of the poem to emphasise his emotional distance from his lover.

Jump to other topics

1When We Two Parted - Lord Byron (1788-1824)

2Love’s Philosophy - Percy Bysshe Shelley

3Porphyria’s Lover - Robert Browning (1812-1889)

4Sonnet 29 - Elizabeth Barrett Browning (1806-1861)

4.1Sonnet 29 – ‘I think of thee!’ Analysis

5Neutral Tones - Thomas Hardy (1840-1928)

6Letters from Yorkshire - Maura Dooley (Born 1957)

7The Farmer’s Bride - Charlotte Mew (1869-1928)

8Walking Away - Cecil Day Lewis (1904-1972)

9Eden Rock - Charles Causley (1917-2003)

10Follower - Seamus Heaney (1939-2013)

11‘Mother, Any Distance’ - Simon Armitage (Born1963

12Before You Were Mine - Carol Ann Duffy (Born 1955)

13Winter Swans - Owen Sheers (Born 1974)

14Singh Song! - Daljit Nagra (Born 1966)

15Climbing My Grandfather - Andrew Waterhouse

16Grade 9 - Comparisons

16.1Grade 9 - Comparisons

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