In Lord Byron’s second canto, the character of Don Juan is more deeply explored. What makes this poem stand out compared to those read thus far is the humorous tone upheld by Byron. Rather than being completely abstract and difficult to comprehend, Byron gives us a story that is straightforward and rather entertaining.
When telling the story to readers, Byron strays away from the 8 syllable words, and the whole “lets discover the secret of life” that was visible in Wordsworth’s poetry. Not only does Byron use simple language, he also introduces the story to the reader as a playwright would to an audience. “first, there was his lady—mother, mathematical, A – nevermind; his tutor, an old ass; a pretty woman (that’s quite natural, or else the thing had hardly come to pass); A husband rather old, not much in unity with his young wife—a time, and opportunity.” What I like about this also is that he talks to the reader as a friend who is dishing gossip to a neighbor. Hand him a martini and he would fit right in on the Sex and the City set.
Byron gives another sense of being one with the reader, when he talks about the necessities of being human, including paying taxes, making love, etc. Also, we see him stray from the story and talk about other things, and then tell the audience that he must find his way back to the actual story. Byron tells his story with much familiarity and a greater sense of entertainment than other poems we have read.
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