She Walks In Beauty - Lord Byron (Summary Sheet) Notes, explanations and interpretations on 'She Walks In Beauty' by poet Lord Byron. This summary sheet contains everything you need to know about this poem. Categorised into individual boxes make finding information easy and it also helps when it comes to writing essays, and structuring answers. Thank You. To all of you out there who may find my presentation helpful in any way, shape or form. Hopefully, you find these presentations useful and helpful for exams or just general revision. More presentation coming soon on this profile, JaskiratKanwal. - Jaskirat Created By: JaskiratKanwal Uploaded By: JaskiratKanwal Slideshare: http://www.slideshare.net/JaskiratKanwal

1. She Walks In
Beauty
Lord Byron
THEME & ABOUT:
AO1
1 Point Min.
STRUCTURE: AO2
The Way The Poem’s Organised – Enjambment,
Repetition, Stanzas, Rhythm, Rhyme etc.
2 Points Min.
MAIN QUOTES:
6 Point Min.
LINKS TO OTHER POEMS:
1 Link Min.
IMAGERY: AO2
Similes, Metaphors, Personification...
2 Points Min.
LANGUAGE: AO2
Specific Words & Phrases Used To
Create Effect; Tone etc.
4 Points Min.
CONTEXT: AO3
3 Point Min.
Lord George Gordon Byron was born on 22nd January
1788, in Dover.
Byron was a leading poet of the Romantics.
Byron believed to be inspired to write the poem after
seeing a women with v. good looks at a fashionable
London party. (Personal poem = Responds to personal
experience.)
Byron himself had many stormy personal relationships
and was famously describes as “MAD,BAD AND
DANGEROUS TO KNOW”.
Byron was so scandalous that he was forced to leave
Britain and move to Europe, where he died in 1824.
LYRIC POEM:
The poem is a lyric. Originally published as part of a collection called ‘Hebrew
Melodies’ in April 1815.  Meant to be sung. To be set to music of religious nature.
This would’ve highlighted the reverence in which the poet holds the subject as he
gazes at her in wonder.
>Ironic as it’s not about a religious subject but instead a girl.<
A poem celebrating female beauty.
The beauty of the woman the speaker
describes is in both her external
appearance and her inner goodness.
May be classified as a love poem, but
the poet never actually declares that
love. He concentrates on the
subject’s captivating attractiveness
and purity
TITLE: “She” = Woman who’s active, to
some degree. “Walks” = Active verb.
“In Beauty” = Surrounded by nature.
THREE CHANGING/DIFFERENT
STANZAS:
Stanza 1 = Her appearance.
(aesthetics)
Stanza 2 = What she’s like as a person
Stanza 3 = Her feelings and how pure
they are.
IAMBIC TETRAMETER:
~ Reflects the woman’s footsteps. (“SHE
WALKS” in beauty) Walking pace.
FIXED, HIGHLY REGULAR RHYME
SCHEME: *
To focus the reader on and emphasise her
beauty. Perfect rhyme scheme is
representative of how perfect the woman is.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
* Byron works against the regularity of the rhythm with
the use of enjambment.
= Almost as though the speaker cannot pause for breath
in trying to tell the reader how beautiful the woman is.
“SO SOFT, SO CALM,” = (Anaphora) “So” is used to
emphasise the emotion. “Soft” & “Calm” (Adjectives) link with
beauty. The 2 commas in this sentence are placed to slow the
reader down thus focusing them on the words “soft/calm”.
NATURE IMAGERY IN STANZA ONE
(BEGINNING):
“Cloudless Climbs” = Alliteration. Perfectly
(Woman is perfect) clear sky (vast). 
Woman is uncontainable perfect.
“Starry Skies” = Sibilance. Creates a calm
atmosphere, from slowing the reader down.
“And all that’s BEST of DARK and BRIGHT” = The superlative
“best”, shows how good it is and how it can’t get any better.
The juxtaposition of “dark and bright” create balance within the
poem. (Antithesis = Complete opposites)
This balance between light and dark is repeated in the 2nd
stanza with the “raven (adj.) tress (noun),” and “lightens” (verb).
Throughout the poem CAESURAS are used to balance things.
LAST LINE: “A HEART whose LOVE is INNOCENT!” =
(Personification) Byron reframes from saying he’s in love with
her, instead the “heart” belongs to the woman and it’s her
“love” contained in the heart, not Byron’s. The noun
“innocence” is what Byron values so highly in this woman, yet
he disregards innocence himself. > EMOTION <
Additionally, the use of the exclamation mark is used to
emphasise the innocence mentioned, as well as to express
Byron’s strong feelings.
“I” = (Assonance) In stave one, the assonance of “I” adds
lightness to the end of every line. Meanwhile, the repetition of
this vowel is significant of the poet putting himself in the poem
ENDING STANZA:
The poem ends with the theme of perfection. Yet, everything is
still spoken about in balance with one another.
The 1st half of the stanza is about the appearance of the
woman, whilst the 2nd half of the stanza is about the woman’s
personality. These two halves created a mirrored effect the 1st
and 2nd stanzas which where about the exact same topics.
EMOTION - LOVE
By: Jaskirat Kanwal
GCSE English Literature – Poetry Anthology