Understanding how the woman is presented in Byron's 'She Walks in Beauty'
I can explain how Lord Byron presents the speaker's feelings towards the woman in his poem.
Understanding how the woman is presented in Byron's 'She Walks in Beauty'
I can explain how Lord Byron presents the speaker's feelings towards the woman in his poem.
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Lesson details
Key learning points
- The poem describes Byron's first sighting of a beautiful woman at a London party.
- The speaker initially describes her physical appearance, before speculating about her inner beauty.
- Byron was famed for his very public private life, including his many affairs with women.
- Byron remains one of the most famous Romantic poets of all time - the poem adheres to Romantic conventions.
- The poem barely mentions love, so this could be interpreted as a more surface level attraction.
Keywords
Enchanting - delightfully-charming or attractive
Awe - a feeling of great wonder and/or admiration
Enamoured - to be filled with love for someone or something
Romanticism - A literary movement in the late 18th and early 19th centuries in which poets began to turn their attention towards nature and the interior world of feeling
To speculate - to form opinions about something without having the necessary facts or information
Common misconception
Students might think that this poem was written from one lover to another.
This poem is about Lord Byron's first encounter with his cousin's wife - as far as we know, he doesn't interact with her or pursue her - he merely observes her beauty from afar.
To help you plan your year 10 english lesson on: Understanding how the woman is presented in Byron's 'She Walks in Beauty', download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...
To help you plan your year 10 english lesson on: Understanding how the woman is presented in Byron's 'She Walks in Beauty', download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs.
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Explore more key stage 4 english lessons from the Poetry anthology unit, dive into the full secondary english curriculum, or learn more about lesson planning.
Equipment
You will need access to a copy of the Eduqas poetry anthology for this lesson.
Licence
Lesson video
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Starter quiz
6 Questions
Exit quiz
6 Questions
delightfully-charming or attractive
a feeling of great wonder and/or admiration
a literary movement in the late 18th and early 19th centuries
to form opinions about something without having the necessary facts