Byron's Experimentation with Form in ‘Hebrew Melodies’ Hugo Cellier 12th Grade

In the ‘Hebrew melodies’ poems, Byron asserts himself as the founding figures of Romantic poetry. Through experimental form, structure and clever use of language, he creates undeniable masterpieces that flood with emotion, beauty and nature.

Firstly, Byron uses similar form in most of his poems, mostly to add musicality, making the poems fit Romantic description. In ‘She walks in beauty’, the 8/4 rhythm, highlighting the iambic tetrameter, as well as the alternate rhyme scheme gives away the form of the poem, being a ballad. Ballads are lyrical and musical, which puts an emphasis on emotion, therefore achieving the goal that is to embellish the woman he is mentioning in a Romantic manner. On the other side of the spectrum, comes the ‘destruction of Sennacherib’, which does not focus solely on beauty and emotion, but rather on the mesmerizing scale and impressive nature of this battle. Once again Byron uses rhythm and rhyme effectively to leave an oral impression on his poem. For example, the alexandrines, with the stress emphasized on every second words, mimics the hooves of the horses that gallop in urgency. The rhythm accelerates as the battle rages but quickly slows down as the enemies are killed. The reader therefore feels...