The Unfaithful Husband

After reading the biographical blurb on Charlotte Smith, I found myself getting confused as to about whom I was reading during Mrs. Robinson’s memoirs. They seemed to share so many of the same experiences, namely being forced into marriage only to be deceived by their husbands. The repetition of this particular circumstance between the lives of the two women is intriguing enough on its own; however; my attention was soon drawn to Byron’s “When We Two Parted.” I interpreted this piece to be written to the other party of a secret affair, as is suggested by the lines, “They know not I knew thee” and “In secret we met—/In silence I grieve.” I am surprised by the openness with which Robinson and Byron address the matter of extramarital relations in their works. In a sense I suppose it adds a progressive element to the romantic pieces—confessions that the institution of marriage is not as strong as the societal construct it had been built up to be. Robinson’s relationship with the prince is especially telling, as it proves that women, too, were choosing to seek happiness instead of strict form in their lives.