The Life and Times of Lord Byron.

The Life and Times of Lord Byron Lord George Gordon Byron was infamous for his odd personality as for his poetry. Lord Byron is accredited for the concept of the "Byronic hero,' a defiant, melancholy young man, brooding on some mysterious, unforgivable event from his past. Byron's influence on European poetry, music, novel, opera, and painting has been immense, although he was widely condemned morally by his contemporaries. George Gordon, Lord Byron, was born in London on January 22, 1788 to parents Captain John Byron and Catherine Gordon (George Gordan, Lord Byron 1). Beginning at age two, Lord Byron's father was absent from his life, returning only to beg for the money he squandered from his wife Catherine (George Gordan, Lord Byron 1). Born with a clubbed foot, Lord Byron spent the first ten years of his life with his mother in Aberdeen (George Gordan, Lord Byron 1). At the age of ten, George Byron inherited the title and estates of his deceased uncle(George Gordan, Lord Byron 1). Byron and his mother traveled to England, where they moved into their new estate at the grounds of Newstead, Abbey. To further his education, Byron began to study at Dulwich, Harrow, and finally at Cambridge. By 1802, Byron was consumed with debt and accused of bisexual love affairs (Lord Byron 3). Bryon moved home to Newstead, where he first met his half-sister, Augusta Leigh, with whom he

  • Word count: 957
  • Level: GCSE
  • Subject: English
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Compare and contrast the declaration of admiration by Lord Byron ‘She Walks in Beauty’ and the declaration of love by John Clare ‘First Love’

Compare and contrast the declaration of admiration by Lord Byron 'She Walks in Beauty' and the declaration of love by John Clare 'First Love' Both poets lived in the romantic period. Byron was born in 1788 and died in 1824 and Clare was born in 1793 and died in 1864. Byron was an aristocrat and had a good education. That's why he uses such sophisticated words in his poem. Instead Clare who received only basic schooling uses simple words. Byron was recognized for influencing second-class poets. Byron was married for a year and had a daughter. Clare was married and had several children. Clare spent his last 23 years in an asylum. His poetry is mostly about natural scenery and country life. He is the only poet who shows through his poetry how sensitive the English countryside is and the intimate experience of the English countryside. Byron's 'She Walks in Beauty' was written about his cousin's wife when he saw her in a black dress. He was fascinated by her so he wrote this poem for her. Byron's poem aims to show how he was amazed by the woman he describes. Clare wrote his poem about a woman who he fell in love at first sight. Byron focuses on the woman he saw while Clare tells more about his feelings and how he felt when he saw her and how he felt when she rejected him. Byron only says about the woman. He doesn't say anything about his feelings. Byron compares everything

  • Word count: 579
  • Level: GCSE
  • Subject: English
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Commentary on: Stanzas 178-180 of George Gordon, Lord Byron's Childe Harold's Pilgrimage

Commentary on: Stanzas 178-180 of George Gordon, Lord Byron's Childe Harold's Pilgrimage George Gordon, Lord Byron's poem, Childe Harold's Pilgrimage, describes the essence and beauty of nature contrasted with mans "marks" of "ruin." As the title suggests, various elements of nature, in particular the oceanic landscapes are evoked through the observations of Childe Harold during his journey. The first line of the three stanzas of the poem opens with "There is..," this is repeated at the beginning of the following two lines. The repetition draws attention to what is stated subsequent to the "there is" in each of the lines. This use of repetition effectively highlights the contents of these lines; ultimately increasing the significance and importance that Byron gives it, which suggests that he is trying to convey the contents to an un-open sense-numbed audience. Due to the vast amount of attention brought to these lines Byron, conveniently, chooses to introduce the central aspects of the poem here; the narrator finds "pleasure" and "rapture" in the woods and shore, leading up to the fifth line where the narrator expresses his love for nature, which exceeds that for man, "I love not Man less, but Nature more" (l 5). It is also in the fifth line that "I" is introduced, followed by "Man", and "Nature"; the three central 'characters' of the poem. Man and nature begin with capital

  • Word count: 1042
  • Level: GCSE
  • Subject: English
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How does Byron present the lovers in this passage?

Byron: Don Juan Canto I Stanzas 104-117 How does Byron present the lovers in this passage? Byron feels very strongly about love, believing it to be a very good thing, especially when found in the young. Thus he presents the two lovers as sweet and beautiful. A third adjective, innocent could be added to the list and in Juan's case certainly should be-however, throughout the passage we find hints that it does not apply to Julia. In stanza 106 Byron says that "her creed in her own innocence" was "immense." So she believes forcefully that what she is doing is innocent and not wrong, and yet she knows it is: '....she inly swore.......she never would disgrace this ring she wore.' However, Byron does not damn her for thinking of 'Don Alfonso's fifty years,' instead he justifies this behaviour in the hole of stanza 108. This is most probably because of Byron's own feelings on the matter of love - he would not have backed away from extra-marital or adulterous love, believing infidelity to be a social normality. He believed that no shackles should be placed on love; it should be natural, and indeed this is how, to some extent, he does portray the love which blossoms here, though not as much as Juan's later relationship with Haideé, 'unconsciously she leaned upon [Juan]...' So, Byron shows us that Julia is aware of the wrongness of her impending deed, but he does not condemn her.

  • Word count: 854
  • Level: GCSE
  • Subject: English
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How far are current interpretations of Newstead accurate reflections of what it may have been like in 1871?

Question 2:- How far are current interpretations of Newstead accurate reflections of what it may have been like in 1871? The portrayal of Newstead Abbey today tells us very little about way people lived in 1871. The main focus of the house, its contents and all advertisements are on the poet Byron. All of the rooms in the house focus in on Byron, there are several rooms that the Webbs used and Byron didn't, but these are still solely focused on what Byron did there. Byron's' study was not in fact his study, he never even lived in that part of the house, but it has been recreated in his style. The famous skull cup has been reproduced. Mrs Webb can be blamed for a lot of the original hype around Byron because she was a fanatic. She insisted on burying the skull cup in the grounds of the Abbey, she collected his memorabilia and sold her house on the fact that Byron lived there. The Library is full of Byron artefacts, including paintings of him, his books and even a lock of his hair, these have been put there by the Nottingham City Council, attempting to attract even more custom by making out that Byron was the soul founder of Newstead and that it was this wonderful and opulent when he was there. In truth, he did not look after the Abbey at all and was famed for using the great hall as a shooting range! Byron is highlighted so much not just because he was a famous and

  • Word count: 628
  • Level: GCSE
  • Subject: English
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Compare the ways in which Lord Byron's 'So No More We'll Go A-Roving' and John Clare's 'I Am' convey their feelings about getting older/mental illness. Comment on language, rhythm, form and structure, as well as the content of the poem.

Compare the ways in which Lord Byron's 'So No More We'll Go A-Roving' and John Clare's 'I Am' convey their feelings about getting older/mental illness. Comment on language, rhythm, form and structure, as well as the content of the poem. Both 'So We'll Go No More A-Roving' by Lord Byron, and 'I Am' by John Clare are poems displaying feelings on the subject of feeling older and isolation. In 'So We'll Go No More A-Roving', Byron describes his realisation that he is getting too old for his extravagant lifestyle. Clare, on the other hand, conveys his isolation and sadness as he grows old in a mental asylum. Both poets use various techniques to convey the subject matter in alternate lights. In 'So We'll Go No More A-Roving', Byron displays a positive attitude towards his decision to isolate himself from society. This is reflected by the language in the poem which is fairly light, airy and simple. For example, the use of words such as 'loving', 'bright', and 'breathe' suggest that Byron is not resentful about slowing his life down. Clare, on the other hand, uses negative words to convey a bitterness towards his situation. Words such as 'forsake', 'woes', and 'scorn' suggest that unlike Byron, Clare is unhappy about his isolation. Clare has chosen to use dramatic words in his poem to maximise the impact of his message and convey his strong emotions. He describes his life's

  • Word count: 1253
  • Level: GCSE
  • Subject: English
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How far are current interpretations of Newstead accurate reflections of what it may have been like in 1871?

How far are current interpretations of Newstead accurate reflections of what it may have been like in 1871? Newstead Abbey has an extensive and diverse history, dating back to the 12th Century when it was built as a priory for Augustinian monks. Over the last nine hundred years, Newstead has been the possession of several different families, home to the famous poet Lord Byron, and most recently a tourist attraction. The house is presented, as it would have looked like in 1871, when the Webb family was residing there. The Webb family lived in the house for seventy years, after which it was donated to Nottinghamshire County Council and was opened to the public. Consequently the house has retained its Victorian heritage and gives tourists today an interesting insight into the lives of a wealthy, upper class Victorian family. To a certain extent current interpretations of Newstead Abbey accurately portrays what it may have been like in 1871 for the Webb family. Although the house has a strong Byronic influence, we know from Augusta's book, Livingstone and Newstead, that Emilia Webb and her husband William had an interest in the poet, Augusta writes, "one of his [William Webb's] chief aims was to increase both the Byronic and historic interest of the place." Emilia Webb encouraged visitors to view the assortment of artefacts and curios associated with Byron, that she had

  • Word count: 1540
  • Level: GCSE
  • Subject: English
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So We'll Go No More A-roving (Lord Byron)- Response Paper

We'll Go No More A-roving Lord Byron In We'll Go No More A-roving, Lord Byron proves the essentiality of one's youth in their life. Through this the poet brings in the universal concept of wear and tear to as he tries to make the reader realize that the end of youth can halt benefits for a person and one should enjoy it to the fullest. Byron provides illustrations of physical wear and tear in order to make the reader understand the bodily change that one goes through during old age. He writes 'For the sword outlives its sheath/ And the soul wears out the breast', and by this he suggests that the body is outworn by age and is no longer able to keep up. As one grows older, it is difficult for their body to hold on by time and such physical changes are inevitable. The poet has dramatized his approach here with these examples of wear and tear in order to lure the attention of the readers to understand these descriptions in depth. Byron tries to put forward to the reader that no one can dodge these corporal transformations and they are bound to happen eventually. Although bodily changes take place, Byron tries to make the reader be aware that the changes do not affect intangible things. Even though one's body may grow older and shrivelled, their thoughts and emotions do not deteriorate. However when he writes 'And the heart must pause to breathe,/ And love itself have rest', it

  • Word count: 543
  • Level: GCSE
  • Subject: English
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