Compare 'when we two parted' and 'remember' by Byron and C. Rossetti

Compare ‘when we two parted’ and ‘remember’

In this essay I will be looking at the poems ‘when we two parted’ and remember which both use the theme of love and loss. During the time in which these poems are written the relationships between men and women were different rather than equality men owned women and could do as they pleased with them this was because women were seen as inferior

Lord Byron starts off his poem 'When we two parted” by recollecting the incident when he and his lover went their separate ways. The title is a recollection of the past. The memories of the past and this relationship bring out the bitter sweet moments he had with his lover. This title emphasizes more the loss than the love. He stresses the pain they both felt at losing each other. In the line 'In silence and tears' we see the suffering both these lovers went through. In silence indicates that both were aware but not comfortable talking about the reason for their parting, but some how both underwent the pain and suffering hence the tears.

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In the poem 'Remember' there is obvious talk of pain and love. It is written by Christina Rossetti, she is an early Victorian poet. In 'Remember' Rossetti focuses on a negative concept. The title is very significant as it signifies the message that the poet is trying to get across. The tone is more of a sad one since the poem is about death and how no matter what happens it is irreversible and is a part of life. Everyone has to experience a death of a loved one; the people had a strong faith although there was a lot of pain and suffering. Here the poet is showing her faith by talking to her lover. In the first half of the sonnet she is very stubborn; she keeps on insisting 'remember me'. The first line is a typical description of death; remember me when I am gone away'. She explains that when she would die, what she wishes for him to do, or what he can and should do, when he would not be able to tell her anymore of their future together, 'Only remember me, you understand', she is emphasizing the fear and insecurity that death brings. She is insisting, telling him not to forget her. In the lines 'yet if you should forget me for a while', here she uses for the first time the word forget, this shows that she is except that life goes on . So she is putting herself in the shoes of her lover, 'and afterwards remember do not grieve' this shows that she does not want him to feel guilty about him forgetting her for a while, 'for if. 'better by far you should forget and smile, than you should remember and be sad' if forgetfulness bring you joy than it is okay to forget about me, so she shows that she wishes for him to be happy as she can no longer be there with him. There are contrasted words and images used throughout the poem, the word forget is contrasted with remember, and smile is contrasted with sad, this is to show the confusion in the poets mind. The first tone shows pain, sorrow, despair and confusion, and in the second there is mellowness and the acceptance of the reality of death.

Both poems talk about a different type of love In "When We Two Parted", Byron seems to stress more the loss since he makes emphasizes the pain he went through when separating from his past lover. The very title itself makes it evident that he still thinks of her and that he has not been able to get over their relationship. There is a lot of bitterness and pain throughout the poem; this is seen in the line "thy vows are all broken". The hurt and suffering caused by the separation is made very evident and there is frustration and anger .Through this poem the negative aspect of love is well brought out since he shows his state of self-pity and regret for falling in love in the first place "I hear thy name spoken, and share in its shame", this line brings out his anger he becomes aware that she didn't have a good reputation and feels embarrassed and cheated for even getting into a relationship with her

In the poem "Remember", Rossetti brings out the depth of love. Though the poem is about death she manages to focus on the positive aspects of love. She manages to bring out power of love and goes on to stress on the fact that love if strong enough between two people can last even after death, this can be seen in the line," Remember me when I am gone away, gone far into the silent land". The very word "remember" shows that she wants the love they shared to live on even if she may die. In the line "better by far you should forget and smile, than that you should remember and be sad", she brings out the fact that their love is mature and she only wants the best for him since she cares so deeply about his happiness, even if that means forgetting her and the love they shared. The negative aspect here is the pain are made to go through as death is irreversible and that they are unable to live out their dreams they had planned for their future together, "you tell me of our future that you had planned, only remember me; you understand".

Though both these poems, each poet has managed to convey the aspects of love and loss and even though one may feel that love has so many drawbacks, I agree with the saying "it is better to have loved and lost, than to have never loved at all", since love is truly a magical feeling and everyone should be able to experience it at least once in a lifetime.

By Arran O’Reilly