Final answer:
In Lord Byron's "She Walks in Beauty," imagery emphasizes the beauty and grace of the subject by weaving contrasts of light and dark and linking physical appearance with moral goodness, in line with Romantic ideals.
Step-by-step explanation:
The function of the imagery in Lord Byron’s “She Walks in Beauty” plays a crucial role in painting a vivid picture of the poem’s subject, enhancing the romantic and ethereal qualities that characterize the poem. Byron uses contrasting images of light and dark to symbolize purity and beauty, suggesting a harmonious and gentle inner beauty in the subject of the poem. The beauty described is as much about moral and intellectual harmony as it is about physical appearance, with the imagery serving to unite the external and the internal qualities that make the woman beautiful.
Furthermore, the visual image and the idea of motion in the phrase “she walks” couples with the beauty of the night and starry skies, reinforcing the sense of grace and ease which permeates the poem. This imagery not only creates a detailed and tangible sense of beauty but also reflects the era’s Romantic ideals of finding profound, transcendent beauty in the natural world and human experience.