In his poem "Darkness,"" George Gordon, Lord Byron addresses the mortality of human beings and animals through a vivid description of the destruction of life on earth. Byron uses this poem to examine the character of both humans and animals, and describes the innate similarities of all beings that become apparent in death. Whether one lives in the "palaces of crowned kings- (11) or "huts- (11), "all hearts/Were chill'd into a selfish prayer for light."" (8-9) Each person that Byron describes deals with his or her imminent death in different ways; while some "lay down/And hid their eyes and wept,"" (24-25) others "rest[ed]/Their chins upon their clenched hands, and smiled."" (25-26) This bcontrast in reactions demonstrates how death does not affect everyone in the same way. Byron understands this, and therefore gives the reader insight into each of the characters he describes by a simple reaction. The men who "hurried to and fro- (27) might have unfinished business, and therefore are unable to deal with ending their life now. Those who resign to their imminent death and "smiled- (26) are realists who recognize what is going to happen to them and have chosen to peacefully wait, rather than find futile ways to avoid what is inevitably going to happen. .
Byron's brief description of each type of man that he sees is quite simple, yet at the same time is an extremely deep observation. Not only can the individual's personality be shown by his reaction to certain death, but also his satisfaction with his life. A person who feels as if he has lived a complete life will not be so bothered by death as one who has many things left that he wishes to do. .
The humans are not the only ones distraught by the end of the world. "The wildest brutes/Came tame and tremulous- (34-35), while "the wild birds shriek'd."" (32) While Byron uses the world "wild- to describe both animals, he implies that their wildness is either disappearing, as in the case of the brutes, or due to fear.
