Mon, 2024 UERJ - FFP

Dec 09 Depto. de Letras

English Literature 1
Professor Tarso Amaral

lord byron
‘Mad, bad and dangerous to know’. -
Caroline Lamb

Felipe Coutinho
João Paulo Lopes
Nádia Araújo Coral
Thayssa Vasconcelos
ABOUT BYRON’S FAMILLY
GEORGE GORDON NOEL, SIXTH BARON BYRON

BYRON WAS BORN ON 22ND JANUARY 1788

IN 1798 HE RECEIVED THE TITLE OF BARON BYRON
FROM HIS GREAT UNCLE
HE ENDURED A CHAOTIC CHILDHOOD IN
ABERDEEN LOCATED IN SCOTLAND
HE WAS EDUCATED AT HARROW SCHOOL AND
TRINITY COLLEGE, CAMBRIDGE
IN 1803 HE FELL MADLY IN LOVE WITH HIS COUSIN,
MARY CHAWORTH, AND THIS PASSION WAS THE
BASIS FOR TWO OF HIS WORKS "HILLS OF
ANNESLEY" AND "THE ADIEU"
WHEN HE TURNED 21 HE TOOK UP HIS SEAT IN THE
HOUSE OF LORDS
BYRON LEFT ENGLAND FOR A EUROPEAN TOUR
WITH HIS GREAT FRIEND JOHN CAM HI HOUSE
WHILST ON TOUR HE HAD BEGUN WORK ON THE
POEM "CHILDE HAROLD'S PILGRIMAGE". WHEN IT
WAS PUBLISHED IT HAD GREAT ACCLAIM. BYRON
BECAME FAMOUS OVERNIGHT.
Lord Byron and his romantic soul

Caroline Lamb Clair Clemont Marianna Segati

Poetry: 2º Romantic Generation

“Society is now one polished horde,
formed of two mighty tries, the Bores
and Bored”.

Poetry: 2º Romantic Generation

Defining Lord Byron exclusively as a
romantic poet is an excessive simplification
that does not do justice to the complexity of
his work. Although he is undoubtedly an
important figure of Romanticism, his work
bears deep marks from the neoclassical
tradition.

Neoclassical elements in Byron's work:

Classical Training;
Poetic Diction;
Influence of Neoclassical Poets
(Alexander Pope)
Formal Structure

Poetry: 2º Romantic Generation

Byron's Romanticism:

Despite these classical roots, Byron is undoubtedly

a romantic poet. His works are characterized by:

Individualism and Passions;

Orientation to the Sublime;
Interest in the exotic;
Social Criticism;

Poetry: 2º Romantic Generation

Byronic Hero
Byron has a lot of aspects in common with the
Romantic movement, such as rebellion, against the
rules, non-traditional, independence, and so on.
He had a scandalous life because of his numerous
affairs with both sexes and married people.
Thus, he became a romantic symbol. After publishing
the poem "Childe Harold's Pilgrimage", he became a
celebrity, and this poem originated the "Byronic hero" -
charming, attractive, mysterious past, melancholy,
rebellion, intense emotions etc.
This hero became greater than Byron's works.

Poetry: 2º Romantic Generation

BYRON DIED AT THE AGE OF 36, FROM A FEVER, AFTER JOINING THE GREEK WAR FOR
INDEPENDENCE FROM THE TURKS. HIS LIFE WAS A SERIES OD EXTREMES AND
PARADOXES. HIS SATIRE WAS THE BEST PRODUCED IN ENGLAND SINCE POPE.
‘POEM 1 - Lines Inscribed Upon a Cup Formed From a Skull

A Structured Exploration of Mortality

Six quatrains
Form and ABAB rhyme scheme throughout.
The self-contained stanzas (relatively
independent units of meaning).
The progression of the poem's narrative
The use of iambic tetrameter (an unstressed
syllable followed by a stressed syllable)and
metrical variations
‘POEM 1 - Lines Inscribed Upon a Cup Formed From a Skull
First Stanza
The skull as a central figure in the poem. (“In me behold the only skull”)
Start not—nor deem my spirit fled:
In me behold the only skull The skull works as symbolism and contrasts with the living
From which, unlike a living head, (“From which, unlike a living head,/Whatever flows is never
Whatever flows is never dull. dull”).
Second Stanza The lyrical voice finds the dead skull more interesting than a
human head. (death over life)
I lived, I loved, I quaff’d, like thee:
I died: let earth my bones resign; “like thee: I died let earth my bones resign”. The concept of
Fill up—thou canst not injure me;
“Memento Mori” can be seen in these words, as they are a
The worm hath fouler lips than thine.
reminder of death and they use the image of the bones to
Third Stanza portray death.

Better to hold the sparkling grape, The lyrical voice talks about the use he/she gives to the skull.
Than nurse the earth-worm’s slimy brood; For him/her, it is better to hold “sparkling grape” (an image to
And circle in the goblet’s shape portray the action of holding alcoholic beverages) than to be
The drink of Gods, than reptiles’ food. buried dead (“Than nurse the earth-worm’s slimy brood”).
‘POEM 1 - Lines Inscribed Upon a Cup Formed From a Skull
Fourth Stanza
The lyrical voice longs to aid others after his/her death
Where once my wit, perchance, hath (“Where once my wit, perchance, hath shone, In aid of
shone, others’ let me shine”). He/she is looking for a purpose
In aid of others’ let me shine; after his/her possible and inevitable death.
And when, alas! our brains are gone,
What nobler substitute than wine? The lyrical voice urges to live intensely (“Quaff while
thou canst—another race”) because when someone does
Fifth Stanza that they might be rescued from “earth’s embrace”
(death) to “rhyme and revel with the dead”.
Quaff while thou canst—another race,
When thou and thine like me are sped, The lyrical voice continues with his/her idea of living in
May rescue thee from earth’s embrace, the moment (“Why not? since through life’s little day/
And rhyme and revel with the dead. Our heads such sad effects produce”) and urges to
change a dull life into a life of pleasure (“Redeem’d from
Sixth Stanza
worms and wasting clay”). Once again, the idea of
Why not? since through life’s little day usefulness is mentioned, but this time it is explicit: “This
Our heads such sad effects produce; chance is theirs, to be of use”.
Redeem’d from worms and wasting clay,
This chance is theirs, to be of use
‘POEM 1 - The Skull as Drinking Vessel: A Poetic Exploration

The Macabre Speaker

The skull as a central image - the speaker

The juxtaposition of life and death
The ironic tone and perspective
The transformation of the skull into a drinking
vessel
The contrast between the skull's past and present
The philosophical implication of the
transformation
The use of dark humor to explore serious themes
The subversion of traditional notions of the
macabre
The cyclical nature of life and death
"She Walks in Beauty" - the poem's
structure:
Frequent use of Alliteration
Simple and regular form
Three six-line stanzas
Iambic tetrahedron as a regular metrical
scheme
Rhyme Scheme: ABABAB
POEM 2 - She Walks in Beauty
First Stanza Byron went to a party where he saw his cousin for the
She walks in beauty, like the night
first time. She was wearing a mourning dress. Thus,
Of cloudless climes and starry skies;
And all that’s best of dark and bright Byron felt inspired by her youthful, bright beauty and
Meet in her aspect and her eyes; her dark, somber attire.
Thus mellowed to that tender light
Which heaven to gaudy day denies. In the first stanza, her physical beauty is highlighted.
Additionally, he mentions the harmony within her
Second Stanza beauty through the “meeting” of darkness and light,
One shade the more, one ray the less, which makes her beauty achieve a form of perfection.
Had half impaired the nameless grace
Which waves in every raven tress, In the second stanza, until the tenth verse, Byron still
Or softly lightens o’er her face; talks about her beauty and basically mentions that any
Where thoughts serenely sweet express,
small change in her appearence would take away the
How pure, how dear their dwelling-place.
charm of her beauty.
Third Stanza
And on that cheek, and o’er that brow, The eleventh verse starts considering her inner beauty
So soft, so calm, yet eloquent, beyond her outer beauty. Then, from this verse to the
The smiles that win, the tints that glow, third stanza, he highlights her goodness, purity,
But tell of days in goodness spent, innocence, love, and so on. The speaker conveys that
A mind at peace with all below, her physical attractiviness originates from her inner
A heart whose love is innocent! beauty.
POEM 2 - She Walks in Beauty

First Stanza
She walks in beauty, like the night
By reading this poem, it is possible to notice:
Of cloudless climes and starry skies; The idealization of women, since, in this poem, he
And all that’s best of dark and bright
Meet in her aspect and her eyes; talks about this woman in a way that only perfection is
Thus mellowed to that tender light seen.
Which heaven to gaudy day denies.

Second Stanza Association of beauty with nature, for example “She

One shade the more, one ray the less,
Had half impaired the nameless grace walks in beauty, like the night of cloudless climes and
Which waves in every raven tress, starry skies”.
Or softly lightens o’er her face;
Where thoughts serenely sweet express,
How pure, how dear their dwelling-place. Personal Emotions such as admiration, feeling
Third Stanza impressed by her beauty and personality, reverence.
And on that cheek, and o’er that brow,
So soft, so calm, yet eloquent,
The smiles that win, the tints that glow, Sublimity, since he describes this particular woman’s
But tell of days in goodness spent,
A mind at peace with all below,
beauty in a way that transcends the physical and goes
A heart whose love is innocent! into the spiritual
References
ABELLA, Julieta “Lines Inscribed Upon a Cup Formed From a Skull By Lord Byron”
Poem Analysys Available in: https://poemanalysis.com/lord-byron/biography/
Access: Dec. 7th, 2024.
CASTELOW, Ellen “Byron” Historic UK - Published: 6th May 2015 Available in:
https://www.historic-uk.com/CultureUK/Lord-Byron/ Access: Dec. 7th. 2024.
Thank You