When we two parted

Question 1

What is the narrative of the poem?

Answer 1

The narrator recalls the day he and his lover parted - she didnt seem to have any affection for him anymore. He believes the sadness he felt then foreshadowed his sadness he feels now.

Question 2

How does the form, the regular rythem affect the poem?

Answer 2

Emphasises words like ‘shame’ and ‘kiss’ highlighting the speakers pain. The constant regualar rythem throughout the poem could also represent how the pain keeps going on and on and he cant see it going away. (back up by the repetition of “in silence and tears “ at the begining and end which could also suggest how he feels it will be the same when he next meets her.

Question 3

How does the switch between tenses affect the poem?

Answer 3

The switch between tenses without switching emotion shows that there is no change in his feelings.
-enforced by enjambents linking tenses

Question 4

How does the poet present greif?

Answer 4

The narrator mourns the end of the relationship like death
-“a knell to my ear” - marks the end of relationship not death, made him feel dead
-“cold, colder thy kiss” - death imagery -dead body
“in silence i grieve”

Could compare to neutral tones

Question 5

How is Anger presented in the poem?

Answer 5

angry that her “vows are all broken”

• imagines greeting her with silence and tears suggesting he wants her to see how much she has hurt him
• violent imagery “half broken hearted to sever for years”
• repittion of broken in those two quotes
• “thy heart could FORGET thy spirit DECIEVE” accusatory language

Question 6

How is regret presented in their relationship?

Answer 6

He regrets it Because of the way things turned out, he suffered alot.
“in silence i grieve”
“long, long shall i rue thee” - literally says rue (meaning regret)

Question 7

What can we infer from “half broken hearted to sever for years”

Answer 7

• Werent properly in love
• only half in love with him
• he is half so his former lover wasnt broken hearted

This could suggest that they wernt properly in love with each other. However it is clear that the poet was deeply affect by their prting so he could be accusing his lover of being only half in love with him (maybe using him). He could aslso be referring to himself as “half” of the couple, meaning that hes broken hearted and his former lover isnt.

Question 8

What key quotes could you analyse?

Answer 8

• “half broken hearted to sever for years”
• “in secret we met in silence a grieve”
• “when we two parted in silence and tears”

Question 9

What poems are best to compare when we two parted too?

Answer 9

• Neutral tones

- winter swans

Question 10

What is an accentual verse?

Answer 10

When each line must contain the same number of stressed syllables no matter the number of syllables in each line

Question 11

Why does Lord Byron break the accentual verse in the 5th line?

Answer 11

In this stanza, the poet is describing how his lover doesn’t love him, making him feel broken. This is shown by the broken accentual verse.
“pale grew they cheek and cold”(colder they cheek) - breaks it as it has three not two stressed syllables.

Question 12

What does the amount of sensory language suggest about their relationship?

Answer 12

Suggests their relationship was all about sensory pleasure - physicality not emotional.

Question 13

Why does “half broken hearted” more likely suggest only Byron was broken hearted than the other interpretations?

Answer 13

Because Lord Byron, as made evident in his other poems, like to paint himself as the victim of deceitful, unloving women.

Question 14

What does the sonnet form at the start of this poem suggest?

Answer 14

That the poem was about his love for her as sonnets were love poems

Question 15

What does the break of the sonnet form at “your vows all broken” suggest?

Answer 15

That he did believe that they had a loving relationship until she left him/had an affair with someone else instead of him.
(supported by the full stop at the end of “of what I feel now” and the switch to present tense)

Question 16

How does the change of tense from past to present to future?

Answer 16

Suggests that the pain he feels is so deep, he will feel it far into the future.

Question 17

How does the use of “thee” affect the meaning?

Answer 17

• Ancient language showing his love would has been timeless (thee is still old in this poem)
• Still used in marriage vows and religious texts showing his sacred love that he felt

Question 18

How does the repetition at the end of the poem/start “silence and tears” exaggerate his grief?

Answer 18

Show the cyclical nature of his feelings keep returning. He feels that he will feel the same in the future (tense at the end) as he did in the past (tense at the start)