Byron's Legacy
Honors British Literature
Byron’s Legacy
Lord Byron was a moody, proud, cynical and fierce man who frowned upon society and constantly defied it. We see in much of his literature a reflection of himself. The characteristics of Byron are illustrated in works of writing other than his own. His fictitious embodiment appears in the book Frankenstein, the poem “The Rime of the Ancient Mariner”, and the modern book The Hunger Games. The characters with Byron-like qualities are considered Byronic(or Romantic) Heroes. They are defined as: “A passionate, moody, restless character who has exhausted most of the world’s excitements, and who lives under the weight of some mysterious sin committed in the past … He is an “outsider” whose daring life both isolates him and makes him attractive (Adventures in English Literature 527).” Victor Frankenstein, The Ancient Mariner, and Katniss Everdeen are the epitome of the Byronic hero. They also compare to the classic Byronic heroes Satan from “Paradise Lost”, and Prometheus of classical Greek Mythology.
In Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, Victor Frankenstein is the Romantic Hero. Victor has many characteristics that make him a Byronic Hero, and the first trait is his guilt from a sin that he caused. The monster that Frankenstein created killed his young brother, William, and his family friend, Justine Moritz was blamed for the murder and executed. When Frankenstein refuses to create a mate for the monster, it kills Frankenstein’s best friend, Henry Clerval, and his new wife, Elizabeth Lavenza. All of these murders are indirectly Victor’s fault, and he has trouble living with himself knowing this. For example, Victor has very depressing thoughts after the death of Clerval: “Why did I not Die? More miserable than man ever was before, why did I not sink into forgetfulness and rest? (Shelley 167)!” Victor is so miserable he wishes for death, and he is having thoughts like this constantly throughout the book. This leads to
Byron’s Legacy
Lord Byron was a moody, proud, cynical and fierce man who frowned upon society and constantly defied it. We see in much of his literature a reflection of himself. The characteristics of Byron are illustrated in works of writing other than his own. His fictitious embodiment appears in the book Frankenstein, the poem “The Rime of the Ancient Mariner”, and the modern book The Hunger Games. The characters with Byron-like qualities are considered Byronic(or Romantic) Heroes. They are defined as: “A passionate, moody, restless character who has exhausted most of the world’s excitements, and who lives under the weight of some mysterious sin committed in the past … He is an “outsider” whose daring life both isolates him and makes him attractive (Adventures in English Literature 527).” Victor Frankenstein, The Ancient Mariner, and Katniss Everdeen are the epitome of the Byronic hero. They also compare to the classic Byronic heroes Satan from “Paradise Lost”, and Prometheus of classical Greek Mythology.
In Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, Victor Frankenstein is the Romantic Hero. Victor has many characteristics that make him a Byronic Hero, and the first trait is his guilt from a sin that he caused. The monster that Frankenstein created killed his young brother, William, and his family friend, Justine Moritz was blamed for the murder and executed. When Frankenstein refuses to create a mate for the monster, it kills Frankenstein’s best friend, Henry Clerval, and his new wife, Elizabeth Lavenza. All of these murders are indirectly Victor’s fault, and he has trouble living with himself knowing this. For example, Victor has very depressing thoughts after the death of Clerval: “Why did I not Die? More miserable than man ever was before, why did I not sink into forgetfulness and rest? (Shelley 167)!” Victor is so miserable he wishes for death, and he is having thoughts like this constantly throughout the book. This leads to