Q. Compare the poetry of Lord Byron with the poetry of another famous poet (e.g. Shakespeare's sonnets). How does Byron's poetry rate in comparison? Whose poetry do you prefer and why?
Personally, I like Lord Byron's style of writing much more than Shakespeare's, but his poetry differs greatly from that of Shakespeare, so perhaps it is unfair to compare them, nevertheless, I will attempt. Lord Byron is famous for writing long epics ,that form more of a novel than a poem, that easy to read. I feel that Lord Byron is not as inhibited in his writing, although his structure is consistent, because it is an epic and his message does not have to be portrayed in 14 lines ( like sonnets) he can be more flexible and even digress into autobiographical allusions. I thoroughly enjoyed reading canto the 1st of Childe Harolds Pilgrimage, and canto the 1st and 2nd of Don Juan ( what is considered to be his best work). I didn't feel stressed to find the hidden meaning behind each stanza (unlike Shakespeare who is known for his clever puns), the storyline was very clear, but that is not to say it is completely devoid of the elements of literature that make poetry special. Lord Byron's tone is usually light-hearted even though the subjects he deals with are not shallow or superficial. He tackles themes similar to those of Shakespeare, primarily, love. Lord Byron goes a step further and expands his themes to include a commentary on human nature, where important life lessons are learned, such as in Don Juan. He has a very different approach to Romantic Poetry and in his epics, he makes good natured fun his peers, the typical romantic poets of his time who got caught up in the sentimental aspect of love.
Lord Byron points out the flaws of love and man, as opposed to glorifying them. For me, it's simply a more enjoyable read with Byron, because of his delightful twisted humor. If I give Lord Byron a 5 out of 5, I think Shakespeare would have to receive a 3 1/2 out of 5.
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3 comments:
I agree with the views expressed in your post and I think you explained you reasoning in good structure. I liked how you not only compared the substance found in each of the poets' poems but also the structure of their works which is an important factor in determining which type of poetry appeals more to you. However, I think you underrated the amount of literary elements found in Byron's work and you made no mention of the autobiographical aspects found in his works which i thought made them more interesting. I agree that on the whole Byron's work is definetly easier to understand and a more enjoyable read.
I agree completely. Your answer really shed some insight on the differences. I find the most striking difference between Shakespeare and Lord Biron their outlook on life. Shakespeare tends to dramatize things that happen in real life where as Biron has a more critical tone in his writing. For example, Shakespeare would speak most highly of love and glorify any theme he chose. Biron, however, would be more careful before truly speaking highly of something.
I definitely agree Tanya. You mention that Lord Byron is less inhibited in his writing compared to Shakespeare, I think that is perhaps due to the different times the poets lived in. It was probably more acceptable at Byron's time as many other poets had also written satirical mock-epic poems. I also liked how you mentioned the different ways the two poets tackle the theme of love, Byron tying it in with human nature whereas Shakespeare had a more Utopian view of love. It should be mentioned though that Shakespeare did also use humor in his plays, but I suppose that is not poetry. I personally enjoy and appreciate Shakespeare's work I think; yes the autobiographical and historical allusions of Byron are effective, but Shakespeare's use of literary elements, such as irony, diction and symbolism is far more moving, despite it being less humorous.
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