She Walks in Beauty by Lord Byron (WJEC Eduqas GCSE English Literature)
Revision Note
Written by: Kate Lee
Reviewed by: Jenna Quinn
What is the poem about?
‘She Walks in Beauty’ was written by the Romantic poet Lord Byron in 1814. The poem is a lyrical celebration of a woman’s physical and spiritual beauty. The poem explores the idea that true beauty comes from an inner radiance and goodness that manifests outwardly. Unlike some of Byron’s other works, the poem presents a more restrained and reverential admiration of female beauty. The poem’s structure reinforces its theme of perfect harmony and grace.
Language, structure and form revision | What happens in the poem? |
Language: Form:
Structure: | Stanza One:
Stanza Two:
Stanza Three:
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Poems for comparison:
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Key words
Context: | Romantic poet | Scandalous | Flamboyant |
Themes: | Love | Idealised beauty | Admiration and awe |
Poem analysis
‘She Walks in Beauty’ by Lord Byron
She walks in beauty, like the night
Of cloudless climes and starry skies;
And all that’s best of dark and bright
Meet in her aspect and her eyes;
Thus mellowed to that tender light
Which heaven to gaudy day denies.
One shade the more, one ray the less,
Had half impaired the nameless grace
Which waves in every raven tress,
Or softly lightens o’er her face;
Where thoughts serenely sweet express,
How pure, how dear their dwelling-place.
And on that cheek, and o’er that brow,
So soft, so calm, yet eloquent,
The smiles that win, the tints that glow,
But tell of days in goodness spent,
A mind at peace with all below,
A heart whose love is innocent!
Language
The poem is lyrical in tone and focuses on abstract ideas of beauty and innocence. The use of third person “she” alludes to the woman’s mysteriousness
The poem ends with an exclamation mark to convey the speaker’s fervent expression of admiration
Byron’s use of natural imagery is enhanced by alliteration and sibilance, creating a serene description of “cloudless climes” and “starry skies”
Images of dark and light are juxtaposed throughout: the woman is the “best” of “dark” and “bright”. The speaker describes a “shade” and a “ray”, and the “glow” of her smile against her “raven tress, alluding perhaps to the woman’s mysterious nature (like the night)
Byron elevates the idea of romance and the woman is described with hyperbolic language: “So soft, so calm” and “How pure, how dear”
Structure
The poem’s regular and sophisticated structure makes the poem an example of traditional romantic poetry,
The poem’s regular rhythm through iambic tetrameter contributes to the idea of harmony
The rhyme scheme is a regular ababab throughout. The perfection and constancy of the rhyming structure reflects the poem’s themes about a perfect woman who is peaceful and serene
Enjambment mirrors the grace of the woman’s movement
Form
The poem is a lyric three-stanza poem to a woman: each stanza describes different aspects of the woman from her beauty to her thoughts and behaviour
Iambic tetrameter is used for its gentle, rhythmic quality which echoes the depiction of the woman
Overview of themes
Themes | Key quotations | Language, form and structure |
Love | “She walks in beauty, like the night/Of cloudless chimes and starry skies;” “A mind at peace with all below,/A heart whose love is innocent!” | The simile suggests a serene and perfect beauty. The imagery of a clear night evokes a feeling of tranquillity which enhances the romantic and idealised portrayal of the woman. The juxtaposition of “night” and “starry skies” combines darkness and light, symbolising a harmonious beauty. The enjambment further echoes the grace of the woman’s movement The end-stopped line suggests a finality and completeness. The final line shifts the focus from physical beauty to inner beauty |
Idealised beauty | “One shade the more, one ray the less,/Had half impaired the nameless grace”
“The smiles that win, the tints that glow,” | The contrast between “shade” and “ray” alludes to the perfection of the woman’s beauty. The use of hyperbole, “one shade the more, one ray the less”, also suggests that the woman’s appearance is so perfect that even the slightest alteration might diminish it Vivid imagery conveys the woman’s radiant beauty through “smiles” and “tints that glow” suggesting her beauty is a reflection of her virtuous life, with the word “glow” alluding to her radiance |
Admiration and awe | “Where thoughts serenely sweet express,/How pure,” “She walks in beauty” | The sibilance created through the words “serenely sweet” creates a soothing and gentle effect and alludes to the purity and serenity of the woman’s thoughts. The use of alliteration demonstrates the speaker’s reverence and deep sense of awe for her inner beauty Byron uses an admiring tone and elevated language to convey the speaker’s adoration. The poem is written in the third person, “she”, and creates a distance between the speaker and the woman. While this perspective enables the speaker to depict a seemingly objective image of her beauty, the speaker’s idealisation of her beauty could also be interpreted as unrealistic |
Historical and literary context
Byron is considered a Romantic poet and 'She Walks in Beauty' was written in 1815 at the height of this movement:
It focuses, typically, on the senses and personal emotion:
The poem ends with an exclamation of admiration
The woman is described with “A mind at peace with all below”
Romantic poetry emphasises the power of the natural world:
In this poem, the woman’s beauty in particular is compared with the night, “starry skies” and “heaven”
Byron was known for his flamboyant lifestyle and numerous love affairs:
As a result of his failed marriage, scandalous affairs and huge debts, he left England in 1816 and never returned
The inspiration for Byron’s poem is said to be a beautiful woman at a fashionable London party:
That the lady was in mourning, dressed in sparkling black, perhaps indicates why she is “like the night” and seems mysterious and serene
This also signifies an unrequited love:
The distanced third-person “she” contributes to the idea of unresolved love
The poem was part of a collection called Hebrew Melodies that was to be set to sombre, religious music:
This can be seen in the regular rhyme scheme and the reverential nature of the poem
Comparing poems
Look at this exam-style question about ‘She Walks in Beauty’:
‘She Walks in Beauty’ is a poem about love. Choose one other poem from the anthology in which the poet also writes about love. Compare the way the poet presents love in your chosen poem with the way Lord Byron presents it in ‘She Walks in Beauty’. In your answer you should:
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How you could approach this question:
Thesis / Essay introduction: Both Elizabeth Barrett Browning and Lord Byron elevate and idealise love in their poems. However, while Barrett Browning’s poem, ‘Sonnet 43’ is a direct and passionate address to a listener, expressing a deep love, Byron’s poem, ‘She Walks in Beauty’, is about a mysterious woman, suggests a silent or unrequited love and the speaker’s adoration from a distance. | |
Similarities | Differences |
Both speakers describe idealised romantic relationships through exaggerated language. Barrett Browning’s poem elevates the idea of love with hyperbolic language: “I love thee to the depth and breadth and height/My soul can reach”. Byron similarly elevates the idea of romance and the woman is also described with hyperbolic language: “So soft, so calm” and “How pure, how dear” | ‘Sonnet 43’ is a direct and passionate address to a specific listener, and the poem uses “thee” throughout to create an intimate and personal tone. In contrast, ‘She Walks in Beauty’ is about a mysterious woman and the speaker observes and admires her from a distance, creating a more detached and contemplative tone |
Both poems convey a deep emotional intensity. Barrett Browning’s sonnet is a passionate declaration of love, with fervent expressions of devotion and Byron’s poem conveys a deep admiration and awe for the woman’s beauty | While Barrett Browning’s poem expresses a deep, reciprocated love, Byron’s poem hints at a silent or unrequited love |
Both poems describe romance by referring to constancy and enlightenment. Barrett Browning uses natural imagery related to the light to highlight the constant nature of their love: “by sun and candle-light”. Similarly, Byron’s natural imagery describes both dark and light and Byron alludes to the woman’s “tender light” in contrast to the “gaudy day” | ‘Sonnet 43’ focuses on the nature and depth of love itself, whereas ‘She Walks in Beauty’ focuses on the women’s appearance and the effect it has on the speaker |
Thesis / Essay introduction: Both poems examine romance as mystifying, but Byron’s poem is reverential in tone, presenting an idealised and almost ethereal vision of beauty and love. In contrast, Duffy’s poem is a direct address to a lover and presents a more pragmatic exploration of romantic relationships. | |
Similarities | Differences |
Both poems explore the mysteries of love. Byron’s description of a mysterious woman who is “like the night” presents, perhaps, the confusing or hidden aspects of romance. Similarly, Duffy’s poem suggests romantic relationships can be complex and mysterious and she uses the metaphor of an onion to present love as complex and multi-layered | Byron’s poem offers an examination of idealised desire, while Duffy’s poem is a pragmatic conversation about love. Byron’s poem romanticises the lady and her tenderness is emphasised as: “So soft, so calm, yet eloquent”. On the other hand, Duffy’s speaker is “trying to be truthful” about love and the speaker acknowledges the tension: “It will make your reflection/a wobbling photo of grief” |
Both poems use contrasting imagery. Byron presents hidden elements: the woman is both “dark and bright” and has dark hair (“raven tress”) that “softly lightens o’er her face”. Duffy’s imagery also offers contradictory, oxymoronic descriptions of love. Instead of a “red rose or a satin heart”, she offers her lover an onion and the gift is a “moon wrapped in brown paper” that “promises light” | Byron’s poem uses a traditional rhyme scheme and structure to present a controlled, sophisticated presentation of romance, whereas Duffy’s poem is unconventional, with irregular stanzas and line lengths, offering a disruptive and unstable monologue |
Both poems explore the duality or complexity within their subjects. Byron explores opposing qualities, suggesting the woman’s beauty is not merely one-dimensional. Similarly, Duffy presents love as a complex concept, presenting it as something both beautiful and challenging | Byron uses elevated language and imagery, using phrases such as “tender light” to create an ethereal portrayal of the woman’s beauty. In contrast, Duffy subverts these conventions by using everyday language and unexpected comparisons |
Predicted exam questions to prepare for
Compare the ways poets explore the theme of relationships in ‘She Walks in Beauty’ and in one other poem from the anthology.
Compare the way devotion is presented in ‘She Walks in Beauty’ and in one other poem from the anthology.
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