When We Two Parted

Contextual Knowledge

• Byron was famous for having a number of illicit affairs with high class women.
• Through these various sexual exploits, he fathered a number of children whom he often neglected.
• This poem is believed to be about a past lover.
• Byron lived a famous life; he was popular with women and known to carry out both hetero and homosexual affairs.
• He went to college, and rarely attended.
• When he ran out of money, he abandoned his scandalous lifestyle to marry a rich woman for money; she shortly left him.
• The scandal became so huge that he left Britain, to countries that encouraged promiscuity.
• Died of fever at age 36. 

Context: Byron originally lied about the publishing date, to hide the fact that the poem was written about Lady Frances- a woman he broke off an affair with to save her reputation, and then learned thart she had another affair with the Duke of Wellington. He wrote the poem out of revenge. This evidence is proven through a letter that he wrote, which encloses a last verse that names her "Fanny". 

.

Second generation of Romantic Poetry; does not focus entirely on the typical conventions, as it focuses on human nature more than the natural world. It is in Byron's series of lyrical poems, that do not tell story, but just show the poet's feelings.

In all of his poems, he juxtaposes love with betrayal in a lyrical fashion. He seems to paint himself as the victim of these treacherous women. He portrayed himself in a very particular way.  OR he could be mocking his earlier investments in relationships.

He shifted away from this style when his…