Popescu Irina Adriana

British Literature 2
nd
year
January 15, 2011
Childe Harold, The First Example of Byronic Hero
From the early Gothic novels to modern computer ames, the Byronic hero is an outsider,
!antin to "e virtuous, "ut draed into dar#er realms "y his irrepressi"le passions$ %o his lover he is
devoted, "ut e&ually un'aith'ul$ (e can sho! #indness, and in turn, cruelty$ (e must constantly move
on, 'orever see#in ne! sensations$ )omen 'ind his lac# o' 'idelity repellent "ut are irresisti"ly dra!n
to his 'iery passion and intense ood loo#s$
*Apart he stal#+d in ,oyless reverie$ And 'rom his native land resolv+d to o, and visit scorchin
climes "eyond the sea- )ith pleasure dru+d he almost lon+d 'or !oe$+ .hilde (arold+s pilrimae,
canto 1$ Lord Geore Gordon /oel Byron, 1012 this !as the 'irst appearance o' the "yronic hero in
Byron+s !or#, even thouh the character can "e identi'ied !anderin throuh earlier 1nlish romantic
literature$
In Byron2s poem, 3.hilde (arold2s Pilrimae3 the main character is portrayed as a dar#
"roodin man, !ho doesn2t li#e society and !ants to escape 'rom the !orld "ecause o' his discontent
!ith it$ %hrouh the poem !e see the stron resem"lance the Byronic hero has to many o' todays
popular characters$
In the third stan4a o' the poem it is suested that .hilde (arold is the product o' a lon line o'
no"ility$ 3.hilde (arold, !as he hiht5"ut !hence his name and lineae lon$3 (e is "othered "y his
'amily ties$ 3But one sad lose ruins the name 'or ay$3 %his line sho!s that .hilde (arold is upset !ith
the reputation that he has inherited 'rom his 'amily$ %he hero strives to "rea# this mold and "ecome
someone !ho isn2t associated !ith the li#es o' his ancestors$ (e "rea#s this mold "y runnin a!ay
'rom his 'ather2s castle and e6plorin nature$
In the 'ourth stan4a (arold tells us that .hilde (arold is unhappy and upset !ith the society
!hich he is 'orced to live$ 3%hen loathed he in his native land to d!ell, !hich seemed to him more
lone than 1remite2s sad cell$3 (e 'eels so isolated that he compares his li'e to that o' a hermit2s$ 7tan4a
ten reads 3I' he had 'riends, he "ade adieu to none$3 %his proves that .hilde (arold did not have many
'riends, and i' he did their 'riendship !as not hihly valued$
%here is a !oman in .hilde (arold2s li'e$ 3(ad sihed to many "ut thouh he loved "ut one,
and that loved one, alas could ne2er "e his$3 %his !oman as e6plained in the passae is the only !oman
that .hilde (arold !ill thin# a"out$ Althouh he has had the chance 'or many others one !oman !ill
al!ays !in his a''ection$ %he one pro"lem !ith this love is that the !oman 'or !hom he strives can
never "e his$
8ut o' his disust and discontent !ith society .hilde (arold leaves to 'ind another !ay o'
li'e$ 3And e2en 'or chane o' scene !ould see# the shades "elo!$ %he .hilde departed 'rom his
'ather2s hall$3 (e 'lees the society and place in !hich he lives to see# somethin "etter in nature$
Althouh this is a ood reason 'or leavin he has a secret past that he care not to share !ith others$
%his past may "e the reason 'or his discontent and unrest$
)e are told o' .hilde (arold2s secretive past in stan4a eiht$ 38'ten times in his maddest
mirth'ul mood strane pans !ould 'lash alon .hilde (arold2s "ro!, as i' the memory o' some deadly
'eud or disappointed passion lur#ed "elo!$3 .hilde (arold does indeed have a dar# past$ Althouh the
nature o' his past is never directly stated, it seems to have somethin to do !ith his 'amily$
In contrast to .hilde (arold2s passion 'or the un#no!n, !e see in this character someone !ho
en,oys "eauty$ Byron descri"es .hilde (arold2s moment in !hich he !itnesses a sunset in stan4a
thirteen$ 3But !hen the sun !as sin#in into the sea he sei4ed his harp, !hich he at times could strin,
and stri#e, al"eit !ith untauht melody$3 )e see .hilde (arold2s 'eelins to!ards "eauty$ )hen he
!itnesses this sunset he "eins to strum his harp$
.hilde (arold has a "ad ancestry, a disli#e 'or society, a !oman that he lusts 'or "ut can not
have, a dar# and secretive past, the love 'or art and "eauty, and the decision to ta#e on a di''erent
li'estyle in order to escape the society he disli#es to much$ %hese 'actors ma#e the 'oundation proves
that there can "e no dou"t that the character, Byron created in 3.hilde (arold2s Pilrimae3 !as
directly lin#ed to the 'ormin o' the character$
Bibliography
9onahan, :avid, ed$ Jane Austen in a social context, 9acmillan, 1;01
<lad, 1duard, Romantic Myths, Alternative Stories, .onstanta= 16 Ponto, 200>$