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And perhaps, in the end, the real challenge is to live a life that would satisfy both — the
state’s records and the mirror’s gaze — without losing the messy, individual humanity that
makes us more than just a name, or a reflection.
4. She Walks in Beauty is the male vision of ideal female self. Discuss.
Ans: Let’s not begin in a lecture hall or with a dictionary definition — instead, imagine
stepping into a grand evening party in early 19th-century London. Crystal chandeliers glow
overhead, orchestras play in the distance, and finely dressed guests mingle in velvet-draped
rooms.
By the doorway, Lord Byron — poet, aristocrat, and legendary observer of beauty — catches
sight of a woman entering the room. She’s dressed in a simple yet elegant black gown,
embroidered with sparkling sequins that mirror the starlight from the chandeliers. Her
beauty strikes him so profoundly that he later turns the moment into one of his most
famous poems: "She Walks in Beauty."
But here’s the twist — Byron’s gaze, and the way he frames her beauty, tells us as much
about his ideals of femininity as it does about the woman herself. The poem becomes a
window into the male vision of the “ideal female self” in the Romantic era.
1. Context — A Moment Turned into Poetry
Before we unpack the “male vision” part, it’s important to know the spark behind the poem.
Byron supposedly wrote She Walks in Beauty after seeing his cousin by marriage, Lady
Wilmot Horton, at a party. She was in mourning, wearing a black dress set with spangles,
and Byron was struck by the contrast — the dark gown, the sparkle of jewels, and her
serene demeanor.
Romantic poets like Byron were fascinated by moments where emotion, beauty, and
imagination collided. This one image of a woman walking through a ballroom became, for
Byron, a symbol of perfect harmony between outer beauty and inner purity.
2. How the Poem Frames the “Ideal Woman”
In the poem’s opening lines, Byron says:
"She walks in beauty, like the night Of cloudless climes and starry skies…"
Right away, he makes an important choice — comparing her to the night rather than the
more obvious “day.” In the male Romantic imagination, the ideal woman often carries
mystery — her beauty isn’t blinding or harsh, but gentle, soft, and balanced.
A. Balance of Opposites
Byron’s language repeatedly blends contrasts: