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Year 10
AQA

Understanding the poem 'When We Two Parted' by Lord Byron

I can explain how Byron presents a painful reflection upon a past relationship.

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New
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Year 10
AQA

Understanding the poem 'When We Two Parted' by Lord Byron

I can explain how Byron presents a painful reflection upon a past relationship.

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Lesson details

Key learning points

  1. Byron reminisces on a past, illicit love affair.
  2. Byron was a celebrated Georgian poet who found fame almost overnight.
  3. Despite the relationship breaking down years ago, Byron still feels mournful and bitter.
  4. The fact that the affair and therefore the breakup were secretive adds to Byron's anguish.
  5. The poem is autobiographical, regarding Byron's affair with the married Lady Frances Webster.

Keywords

  • Illicit - illegal or morally unacceptable

  • Extramarital - activities or relationships outside the bounds of marriage or a committed partnership

  • Mournful - feeling sadness or grief after losing someone or something

  • Bitter - feeling intense resentment or hostility towards someone or something

  • Autobiographical - writing about your own life and memories

Common misconception

This is an account of Byron's affair with Lady Frances Webster.

It is believed that is poem is inspired by Byron's affair with Lady Webster. It is not a factual account, only perhaps a creative interpretation of his feelings about this and other affairs he was known to have had.


To help you plan your year 10 english lesson on: Understanding the poem 'When We Two Parted' by Lord Byron, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...

Consider printing off copies of the model answer for Task C and encourage students to annotate/colour-code where the answer has included an inference, evidence, identification of methods, a justification and a link to context.
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Teacher tip
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Equipment

You will need access to the poem 'When We Two Parted' by Lord Byron. This can be found in the AQA Love and Relationships Poetry Anthology.

content-guidance

Content guidance

  • Depiction or discussion of sensitive content
supervision-level

Supervision

Adult supervision recommended

copyright

Licence

This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2025), licensed on Open Government Licence version 3.0 except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions (Collection 2).

Lesson video

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Starter quiz

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6 Questions

Q1.
What does 'extramarital' mean?
Correct answer: something that occurred outside a marriage
something that occurred inside a marriage
something that occurred before a marriage
something that occurred after a marriage has ended
something that occurred instead of a marriage
Q2.
What is a 'cyclical structure'?
when a text has a driving structure that pushes the action forward quickly
when a text has a structure that tracks events in real-time
when a text has an incomplete structure that only tells part of the story
when a text has a erratic structure that shifts backwards and forwards in time
Correct answer: when a text has a repeating structure that ends by returning to where it began
Q3.
Why is it important to use tentative language when analysing a poem?
because we are certain about why a writer made particular language choices
because we are quoting from the poem
Correct answer: because we can't be certain about why a writer make particular language choices
because it makes our writing seem more formal and intelligent sounding
because it shows we have a good knowledge of what happens in the poem
Q4.
Match each of these parts of a poem to the correct definition.
Correct Answer:line,a single idea or phrase
tick

a single idea or phrase

Correct Answer:stanza,a collection of ideas or phrases; a poetic paragraph
tick

a collection of ideas or phrases; a poetic paragraph

Correct Answer:refrain,a repeated part of a poem, like a chorus
tick

a repeated part of a poem, like a chorus

Correct Answer:volta,the point in a poem where the mood or emotive tone changes
tick

the point in a poem where the mood or emotive tone changes

Q5.
The period of history that occurred between 1714 and 1830 was known as the __________ era.
Edwardian
Correct answer: Georgian
Elizabethan
Victorian
Jacobean
Q6.
Complete this sentence: 'Discussing the information associated with a poem is known as . This could include the poet's possible influences or the time period in which it was written/set.'
Correct Answer: context, Context, context., Context.

Exit quiz

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6 Questions

Q1.
What does illicit mean?
done in secret
has dangerous consequences
Correct answer: illegal or morally unacceptable
get information from someone
understanding something fully
Q2.
Complete the sentence: In 'When We Two Parted', the speaker feels __________ and __________ about their illicit relationship.
Correct answer: bitter
angry
jealous
comforted
Correct answer: mournful
Q3.
In 'When We Two Parted', Byron repeats the phrase "silence and tears" in both the first and last stanzas. This is an example of...
anaphora
Correct answer: a cyclical structure
allegory
a fragmented structure
a chronological structure
Q4.
It is thought Byron actually wrote 'When We Two Parted' in 1816 however he claimed to have written it in 1808. People believe he made this claim because...
he was lying to generate publicity for the poem's release.
he waited for his ex-partner to die before spilling the secrets.
Correct answer: he wanted to protect the identity of the person he had the affair with.
he couldn't find anyone to publish the poem.
he was conscripted into the army and sent off to war.
Q5.
Which of these quotations in 'When We Two Parted' suggest that Byron feels a bitter regret about this illicit affair?
Correct answer: "They name thee before me [...] a shudder comes o'er me"
"half broken-hearted"
"in silence I grieve"
Correct answer: "They know not I knew thee, / Who knew thee too well"
"light is thy fame"
Q6.
Which of these do you not need to include in every analytical paragraph?
an inference
relevant supporting evidence
identification of the writer's methods
justification/development of ideas
Correct answer: a link to context

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