Tyler Gargas
Mr.Kinkaid
English II - 4
28 January 2015 Byron’s Sonnet: Solitude in Poetry Lord Byron was a famous poet during the era of Romantic poetry. His European sonnet “Solitude” is one of his best works. His poem “Solitude” clearly demonstrates the themes of Romantic literature. In “Solitude”, Lord Byron embodies the belief that man is good when living with nature and away from corrupted society. In the midst of the poem, Byron states, “This is not solitude, ‘tis but to hold / converse with nature’s charms, and view her stores unrolled” (8-9). The poet expresses the belief that mankind is attached to society and nature is a place of happiness. The author also demonstrates the idea that man is good when living in nature by stating, “Where things that own not man’s dominion dwell, and mortal foot hath ne’er or rarely been” (3-4). The Romantics not only believed that man is good when living with nature, but they also accepted that fact that life is filled with infinite sadness in their fascinating works. In “Solitude”, Lord Byron states, “With none who bless us, none whom we can bless/ minions of splendor shrinking from distress” (13-14). The ideal that Romantics accepted the fact that people lived with infinite sadness is clearly present in this quote. Lord Byron also demonstrates the fact that Romantics had a life of sadness by writing, “ If we were not, would seem to smile the less/ of all the flattered, followed, sought and sued” (16-17). Lord Byron and the Romantics often deified nature in their works of poetry. Lord Byron clearly states this by writing, “To slowly trace