Canto II

Although Lord Byron is obviously most well-known because of his poetry, his personal life was often talked about. His relationships were often thrust out into the public, mostly due to his well-documented love affairs that he was constantly involved in.

Because of this personal life that Lord Byron lived, he often transferred his lifestyle over to his poetry. In Canto II, we see this through his “affair” that Don Juan has with Haidee, despite the fact that he still has Julia at home.

The growing relationship between Don Juan and Haidee is beautifully described. Byron shows in this section why he is often credited for his romantic style of writing. His descriptions are so deep and touching, yet at the same time, easy to understand. He picks out metaphors that many people are able to relate to. The language throughout Don Juan is very simple, yet very well-thought out and detailed at the same time.

One of the best examples of this style of writing is seen in stanzas 148-152, when Don Juan awakes for the first time after being stranded to see Haidee. The instant connection that the two of them have is very obvious, as the reader is overcome with the description of the love they have at first sight. This same sort of language is seen in stanzas 176-178. Byron’s language is so simple, yet so easy to connect with and understand. For example, in stanza 176 he says, “…like a young flower snapped from the stalk, drooping and dewy on the beach he lay, and thus they walked out in the afternoon, and saw the sun set opposite the moon.”