| 喬治·戈登·拜倫 | |||
| 拜倫勳爵 | |||
閱讀拜倫 George Gordon Byron在诗海的作品!!! | |||
拜伦劍橋大學畢業。曾任上議院議員。學生時代即深受啓蒙思想影響。1809-1811年遊歷西班牙、希臘、土耳其等國，受各國人民反侵略、反壓迫鬥爭鼓舞，創作《恰爾德·哈羅德遊記》。其代表作品有《恰爾德·哈羅德遊記》《唐璜》等。在他的詩歌裏塑造了一批“拜倫式英雄”。他們孤傲、狂熱、浪漫，卻充滿了反抗精神。他們內心充滿了孤獨與苦悶，卻又蔑視群小。恰爾德·哈羅德是拜倫詩歌中第一個“拜倫式英雄”。拜倫詩中最具有代表性、戰鬥性，也是最輝煌的作品是他的長詩《唐璜》，詩中描繪了西班牙貴族子弟唐璜的遊歷、戀愛及冒險等浪漫故事，揭露了社會中黑暗、醜惡、虛偽的一面，奏響了為自由、幸福和解放而鬥爭的戰歌。拜倫不僅是一位偉大的詩人，還是一個為理想戰鬥一生的勇士；他積極而勇敢地投身革命，參加了希臘民族解放運動，並成為領導人之一。
從1809－1811，拜倫出國作東方的旅行，是為了要“看看人類，而不是衹方書本上讀到他們”，還為了掃除“一個島民懷着狹隘的偏見守在傢門的有害後果”。在旅途中，他開始寫作《恰爾德。哈洛爾德遊記》和其他詩篇，並在心中醖釀未來的東方故事詩。《恰爾德。哈洛爾德遊記》的第一、二章在1812年2月問世，轟動了文壇，使拜倫一躍成為倫敦社交界的明星。然而這並沒有使他和英國的貴族資産階級妥協。他自早年就自到這個社會及其統治階級的頑固、虛偽、邪惡及偏見，他的詩一直是對這一切的抗議。
1811－1816年，拜倫一直在生活在不斷的感情旋渦中。在他到處受歡迎的社交生活中，逢場作戲的愛情俯拾即是，一個年青的貴族詩人的風流韻事自然更為人津津樂道。拜倫在1813年嚮一位安娜·密爾班剋小姐求婚，於1815年1月和她結了婚。這是拜倫一生中所鑄的最大的錯誤。拜倫夫人是一個見解褊狹的、深為其階級的偽善所宥的人，完全不能理解拜倫的事業和觀點。婚後一年，便帶着初生一個多月的女兒回到自己傢中，拒絶與拜倫同居，從而使流言紛起。以此為契機，英國統治階級對它的叛逆者拜倫進行了最瘋狂的報復，以圖毀滅這個膽敢在政治上與它為敵的詩人。這時期的痛苦感受，也使他寫出象《普羅米修斯》那樣的詩，表示嚮他的壓迫者反抗到底的决心。
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拜倫式英雄
開放分類： 文學、外國文學、術語
拜倫式英雄:在拜倫的《東方敘事詩》中，出現了一批俠骨柔腸的硬漢，他們有海盜、異教徒、被放逐者，這些大都是高傲、孤獨、倔強的叛逆者，他們與罪惡社會勢不兩立，孤軍奮戰與命運抗爭，追求自由，最後總是以失敗告終。拜倫通過他們的鬥爭表現出對社會不妥協的反抗精神，同時反映出自己的憂鬱、孤獨和彷徨的苦悶。由於這些形象具有作者本人的思想性格特徵，因此被稱作“拜倫式英雄”。
"拜倫式英雄"是指十九世紀英國浪漫主義詩人拜倫作品中的一類人物形象。他們高傲倔強，既不滿現實，要求奮起反抗，具有叛逆的性格；但同時又顯得憂鬱、孤獨、悲觀，脫離群衆，我行我素，始終找不到正確的出路。例如，抒情長詩《恰爾德·哈洛爾德遊記》中貴公子哈洛爾德，《東方敘事詩》之一《海盜》中的主人公康拉德，哲理劇《曼弗雷德》中的主人公曼弗雷德，等等。
這類人物的思想和性格具有矛盾性：一方面，他們熱愛生活，追求幸福，有火熱的激情，強烈的愛情，非凡的性格；敢於蔑視現在制度，與社會惡勢力誓不兩立，立志復仇，因此，他們是罪惡社會的反抗者和復仇者。另一方面，他們又傲世獨立，行蹤詭秘，好走極端，他們的思想基礎是個人主義和自由主義，在鬥爭中單槍匹馬，遠離群衆，而且也沒有明確的目標，因而最後以失敗而告終。
"拜倫式英雄"是個人與社會對立的産物，也是作者思想的特點和弱點的藝術反映。這類人物形象相繼出現於拜倫筆下，這對於當時英國的封建秩序和資産階級市儈社會進行的猛烈衝擊，是具有進步意義的。但是他們的個人主義，無政府主義和悲觀厭世情緒，又往往會給讀者帶來消極的作用。俄國的文藝批評傢另林斯基和詩人普希金都曾指出"拜倫式英雄"的思想弱點及其危害性。
拜倫在1816年4月永遠離開了英國，一個傳記作者說他“被趕出了國土，錢帶和心靈都破了産 ，他離去了，永不在回；但他離去後，卻在若恩河的激流之旁找到新的靈感，在意大利的天空下寫出了使他的名字永垂不朽的作品。”
1816年，拜倫居住在瑞士，在日內瓦結識了另一個流亡的詩人雪萊，對英國發動統治的憎恨和對詩歌的同好使他們結成了密友。
拜倫在旅居國外期間，陸續寫成《恰爾德 哈洛爾德遊記》（1816-1817）、故事詩《錫雍的囚徒》（1816）、悲劇《曼弗雷德》（1817）長詩《青銅世紀》（1923）等。巨著《唐璜》是拜倫最重要的一組詩，半莊半諧、夾敘夾議，有現實主義的內容，又有奇突、輕鬆而諷刺的筆凋。第一、二章匿名發表後，立即引起巨大的反響。英國維護資産階級體面的報刊群起而攻之，指責它對宗教和道德進攻，是“對體面、善良感情和維護社會所必須的行為準則的譏諷”，“令每個正常的頭腦厭惡”，等等。
但同時，它也受到高度的贊揚。作傢瓦爾特·司各特說《唐璜》“象莎士比亞一樣地包羅萬象，他囊括了人生的每個題目，撥動了神聖的琴上的每一根弦，彈出最細小以至最強烈最震動心靈的調子。”詩人歌德說，“《唐璜》是徹底的天才的作品--憤世到了不顧一切的辛辣程度，溫柔到了優美感情的最纖細動人的地步……”。《唐璜》寫完第十六章，拜倫已準備獻身於希臘的民族解放運動了。
這是詩人一生最後的、也是最光輝的一業。他既憎恨發動的“神聖同盟”對歐洲各民族的壓迫，也憎恨土爾其對希臘的統治。1824年，拜倫忙於戰備工作，不幸遇雨受寒，一病不起，4月19日逝世。他的死使希臘人民深感悲痛，全國志哀二十一天。
回顧他的一生，他的詩，他的精神，就足以使任何能感應的人相信：拜倫不但是一個偉大的詩人，而且是世界上總會需要的一種詩人，以嘲笑其較卑劣的，並鼓舞其較崇高的行動。
作品
拜倫一生為民主、自由、民族解放的理想而鬥爭，而且努力創作，他的作品具有重大的歷史進步意義和藝術價值，他未完成的長篇詩體小說《堂璜》，是一部氣勢宏偉，意境開闊，見解高超，藝術卓越的敘事長詩，在英國以至歐洲的文學史上都是罕見的。
拜倫從學生時代開始寫詩，第2部詩集《閑暇的時刻》（1807）出版後受到《愛丁堡評論》的攻擊，詩人乃答之以《英國詩人和蘇格蘭評論傢》（1809）一詩，初次顯露了他卓越的才華和諷刺的鋒芒。1812年發表的《恰爾德·哈羅爾德遊記》（第1、2章）是他的成名作。1816年，拜倫因私生活受到上流社會的排斥，憤而移居意大利。在意大利，他寫了《恰爾德·哈羅爾德遊記》的第3、4兩章（1816、1818年）。這部抒情敘事長詩和未完成的巨著《唐璜》是他最著名的代表作。
拜倫還寫了一係列長篇敘事詩，如《異教徒》（1813）、《海盜》（1814）和7部詩劇，如《曼弗雷德》（1817）、《該隱》（1821），以及許多抒情詩和諷刺詩，如《審判的幻景》（1822）。
1823年初，希臘抗土鬥爭高漲，拜倫放下正在寫作的《唐璜》，毅然前往希臘，參加希臘志士爭取自由、獨立的武裝鬥爭，1824年4月19日死於希臘軍中。他的詩歌在歐洲和中國都有很大的影響。
1.The publication in 1812 of the first two cantos of Childe Harold’s Pilgrimage, brought Byron fame.拜倫早期代表作是長篇敘事詩《恰爾德.哈羅德遊記》第一，第二章（1812）。
2. In Geneva, he wrote the third canto of Childe Harold and the narrative poem The Prisoner of Chillon.在日內瓦，拜倫寫下了《哈羅德遊記》第三章及敘事詩《齊倫的囚犯》。
3. he produced the verse drama Manfred, the first two cantos of Don Juan.他創作了詩劇《曼弗雷德》，《唐璜》的前兩章。
4. Don Juan is Byron’s masterpiece, a great comic epic of the early 19th century.他的代表作《唐璜》是19世紀初期的著名諷刺史詩。
5. Byron invests in Juan the moral positives like courage, generosity and frankness, are virtues neglected by the modern society.拜倫在唐璜身上開發出勇敢,慷慨,誠懇直白等優點。
6. the poet’s true intention is, by making use of Juan’s adventures, to present a panoramic view of different types of society.詩人的創作意旨在於通過唐璜的遊歷來體現不同的社會情形。
7. Byron’s satire on the English society in the later part of the poem can be compared with Pope’s; and his satire is much less personal than that of Pope’s, for Byron is here attacking not a personal enemy but the whole hypocritical society.拜倫在詩的末尾對英國社會的諷刺與蒲柏相媲美，有過之而無不及，因為拜倫諷刺的不是個人恩怨，而是整個社會的虛偽。
8. As a leading Romanticist, Byron’s chief contribution is his creation of the “Byronic hero,” a proud, mysterious rebel figure of noble origin. Such a hero appears first in Childe Harold’s Pilgrimage, and then further developed in later works such as the Oriented Tales, Manfred, and Dan Juan in different guises.作為浪漫主義的代表詩人，拜倫的主要貢獻在於他創造了“拜倫式英雄”，高傲，神秘，反叛卻帶有貴族血統。這種拜倫式英雄出現在《哈羅德遊記》，《東方故事集》，《曼弗雷德》及《唐璜》等多部作品中。
9. Actually Byron has enriched European poetry with an abundance of ideas, images, artistic forms and innovations.拜倫以豐富的思想，想象力，藝術形式和創新歐洲的詩歌得到了發展
拜倫年譜*
1788年
1月22日，喬治·戈登·諾艾爾·拜倫（George Gordon Noel Byron)出生於倫敦霍爾斯街。
父親傢族為英國貴族世傢，但父親約翰·拜倫卻是敗傢浪子。他因蘇格蘭少女凱瑟林·戈登（拜倫的母親）有一筆豐厚的遺産而和她結婚，把她的遺産耗盡後，又棄她而浪跡歐陸。拜倫的母親受此刺激，神經很不正常。生拜倫後，常常遷怒於他，對他苛責凌辱。而拜倫又自幼跛足。這些，就是漸漸形成了拜倫性格中的敏感、自尊、好強、孤傲、暴烈、反抗、悲觀、陰鬱等特點。
1789年 一歲
隨母親遷往蘇格蘭東海岸阿伯丁城居住。
是年法國大革命爆發，延續到1794年。這場革命打破了歐洲的封建統治秩序，推動了歐洲各國的革命運動，也使歐洲的思想文化藉受到巨大的震動和深遠的影響。拜倫終生都是法國大革命偉大理想的繼承者和捍衛者。
1791年 三歲
夏天，父親約翰·拜倫死於法國比利時邊境。
1792年 四歲
11月，在阿伯丁入小學。
1796年 八歲
以上幾年，都在阿伯丁繼續讀小學。
是年曾患猩紅熱，瀕危，愈後，由母親帶往蘇格蘭高地勒欽伊蓋峰附近鄉間療養。喜愛當地自然景色。
1798年 十歲
5月，由於伯祖父威廉·拜倫（第五代拜倫男爵）去世，承襲爵位，成為第六代拜倫男爵，並得到紐斯臺德寺院（在諾丁漢郡）和羅岱爾（在蘭開夏郡）兩處産業。
秋後，移居諾丁漢。
作者： 小fly猴 封 2007-2-23 03:42
1799年 十一歲
在杜爾維奇，進入格倫尼博士的學校讀書。愛讀歷史和詩歌。
是年拿破侖發動政變，自任法國第一執政。
1800年 十二歲
開始作詩。第一首詩是獻給表姐瑪格麗特·帕剋的，已失傳。
1801年 十三歲
到倫敦郊外的貴族子弟學校哈羅學校讀書。
1802年 十四歲
現存拜倫詩歌中最早的一首《悼瑪格麗特表姐》作於是年。
1803年 十五歲
夏天，回紐斯臺德。對瑪麗·按·查沃思産生愛情。
第一次會見異母姐奧古斯塔。
1804年 十六歲
和母親同住在騷思維爾。
是年拿破侖稱帝。
1805年 十七歲
夏天，畢業於哈羅學校。
10月，入劍橋大學讀書。在大學期間，深受法國啓蒙思想傢盧梭、伏爾泰等人的思想影響，閱讀了大量歷史、哲學著作和啓蒙運動時期的文學作品。同時，努力學習騎馬、射擊、拳術、遊泳等。
從這時起，每年可領取五百鎊生活費用。沾染了貴族子弟豪華放蕩、縱情聲色的習氣。但是，官能的享樂衹是暫時麻痹卻不能從根本上消除他內心的苦悶、憂鬱、懷疑、失望和孤獨感。與一般執跨子弟不同的是他對這種放蕩生活一方面濡染較深，另一方面又能持比較清醒的批判態度。（參看《我願做無憂無慮的小孩》和《恰爾德·哈羅德遊記》）
1806年 十八歲
夏天，到騷思維爾，一直住到1807年夏。
在女友伊麗莎白·皮戈特的鼓勵下努力作詩。
1807年 十九歲
6月，第一本詩集《閑散的時光》出版。
1808年 二十歲
1月，英國文壇權威雜志《愛丁堡評論》載文抨擊《閑散的時光》，拜倫於2月底談到此文。
7月，得到文學士學位，畢業於劍橋大學。
9月，回紐斯臺德。
是年英國同拿破侖法國之間的戰爭開始。
1809年 二十一歲
年初，移居倫敦。
3月13日，因已成年，在上議院（貴族院）獲得世襲的議員席位，出席議院會議。
3月16日，著名諷刺詩《英格蘭詩人和蘇格蘭評論傢》出版。在這首詩裏，拜倫不僅猛烈反擊了《愛丁堡評論》對他的譏嘲，還尖銳批判了當時稱霸英國詩壇的湖畔派浪漫詩人，並大膽揭露了支持各種反動勢力的英國統治當局。拜倫以這首諷刺詩而在英國詩壇初露鋒芒，獲得聲譽。
6月26日，離開英國，去東方（南歐和西亞）遊歷。在此後的半年內，先乘船到葡萄牙裏斯本；再騎馬到西班牙南部的塞維利亞和加的斯，經撒丁島、西西裏島、馬耳他島到阿爾巴尼亞，會晤了那裏的統治者阿裏·帕夏；12月25日抵達希臘名城雅典。
拜倫此次出國遠遊，飽覽了各地的自然景色，觀察了各國的社會生活和政治制度，接觸了各階層的人們。他親眼看見了給法國侵略者以沉重力擊的西班牙遊擊隊，看見了在土耳其鐵騎蹂躪下正在聚集力量準備發動解放鬥爭的希臘人民，這次旅行也激發了他對南歐各民族文化的強烈興趣。這些，都對他的思想和創作産生了重大影響，在阿爾巴尼亞開始寫《恰爾德·哈羅德遊記》第1章。
1810年 二十二歲
1月和2月，在雅典。
3月，離雅典，到小亞細亞。
5月3日，用一個小時泅渡了達達尼爾海峽，從歐洲遊到了亞洲，為生平得意事。
5月14日，到君士坦丁堡。
7月，離君士坦丁堡，再到雅典。
此後，曾到伯羅奔尼撒半島的帕特雷居住，患熱病，幾瀕於危。
是年作《恰爾德·哈羅德遊記》第2章。作諷刺詩《賀拉斯的啓示》。
1811年 二十三歲
1月，住在雅典卡普申寺院。
6月13日，從馬耳他島起程回國。7月17日，返抵英國。
8月1日，母親病逝。
從10月起，陸續作《賽沙組詩》。
1812年 二十四歲
1811-1812年，英國爆發了工人破壞機器的“盧德運動”。1812年春，英國國會製定“編製機法案”，規定凡破化機器者一律處死。2月27日，拜倫第一次以議員身份在上議院發表演說，為破壞機器的盧德派工人辯護，尖銳抨擊政府當局的血腥鎮壓政策。隨後又在報紙上發表《“編製機法案”編製者頌》一詩。
2月29日，《恰爾德·哈羅德遊記》第1~2章出版。這兩章實際上是作者1809-1811年漫遊葡萄牙、西班牙、阿爾巴尼亞·希臘等地的詩體遊記。其中歌頌了南歐人民反抗侵略壓迫、爭取自由解放的鬥爭。出版後，立即震動了英國文壇，並贏得全歐洲的聲譽。1812年內重版五次。
3月10日，他說：“早晨我一覺醒來，發現自己已經成名，成了詩壇上的拿破侖。”
4月21日，第二次在國會上發表演說，猛烈抨擊了英國政府對愛爾蘭的壓迫和奴役政策。
拜倫在國會的兩次演說，以及他的那些矛頭指嚮反動當局的詩篇，使他和英國統治集團之間開始結下不解的仇恨。
是年出版諷刺詩《密涅瓦的詛咒》。
1813年 二十五歲
4月，《華爾茲》出版。
5月，《異教徒》出版。兩年內重版十四次。
12月，《阿比多斯的新娘》出版。兩年內重版十次。作《海盜》。
1814年 二十六歲
1月2日，《海盜》出版。據說當天賣出一萬四千册。一年之內重版七次。
由於拜倫的堅持，在《海盜》中附印了《緻一位哭泣的淑女》一詩。這首詩是直接抨擊當時的攝政王喬治的。拜倫因此遭到倫敦貴族社會和御用文人的圍攻。
4月9日，聞拿破侖退位，作《拿破侖頌》。
4月19日，聞波旁天朝復闢，在日記中寫到：“我真不願再寫日記了。波旁復闢了！什麽哲學，去它的吧……”
5月，作《萊拉》。
9月，與安·伊莎貝拉·米爾班剋訂婚。
是年鼕至次年春，作《希伯來歌麯》。
是年歐洲各國反法聯軍攻陷巴黎，拿破侖被流放於厄爾巴島。
1815年 二十七歲
1月2日，與安·伊莎貝拉·米爾班剋結婚。
3月，在倫敦居住。
4月，與司各特結交，甚為相得。
7月，作《圍攻科林斯》。
9月，作《巴裏西娜》。
上述在1813-1815年間所寫的《異教徒》、《阿比多斯的新娘》、《海盜》、《萊拉》、《圍攻科林斯》、《巴裏西娜》等六首敘事詩，總稱為《東方故事詩》。
這幾首詩的主人公都是所謂“拜倫式的英雄”——熱情的、意志堅強的、高傲的、英勇不屈的、然後又是孤獨的、陰鬱的、個人主義的、與社會對立的反抗者和叛逆者。《東方故事詩》即反映了拜倫的决不調和妥協的反抗精神，也反映了拜倫在歐洲革命低潮時期的彷徨、苦悶、懷疑和失望。
12月10日，女兒奧古斯塔·艾達出世。
是年拿破侖重返巴黎，建立“百日王朝”，復於滑鐵盧戰役中大敗，被流放於聖赫勒拉島（以前稱“聖海倫娜”）。
俄、普、奧等國政府結成所謂的“神聖同盟”，力圖在歐洲維護封建統治秩序，撲滅各國的革命和民族獨立運動。在此後的數年中，拜倫致力於反對“神聖同盟”的鬥爭，成為歐洲各國進步勢力反動“神聖同盟”的思想領袖。
1816年 二十八歲
1月15日，米爾班剋離倫敦返回母親傢。2月，提出與拜倫分居。
3月11日，拜倫同意分居。
英國貴族社會、教會、反動派人以拜倫妻子出走為口實，再次對拜倫大肆圍剿，規模之大、聲勢之猛，遠超過1814年那一次。
3月至7月，以這次昏變為題材，陸續作《傢室篇》諸詩。《傢室篇》於1816年在倫敦出版，到1817年竟出到第二十三版。
4月25日，拜倫永遠離開英國。
先到比利時，憑吊了滑鐵盧戰場。溯萊茵河至瑞士，5月25日抵日內瓦，在萊蒙湖畔住了四個多月。在這裏結識了雪萊夫婦，時相過從。雪萊的無神論和樂觀主義對拜倫的思想和創作産生了有益的影響。
6月，完成了《恰爾德·哈羅德遊記》第3章。這一章實際上是作者1816年旅居比利時和瑞士的見聞和感受。他在這一章中抨論了歐洲發生過的一些重大歷史事件，反映了1815年拿破侖覆敗以後歐洲歷史新階段的面貌。
6-9月，作《錫壅的囚徒》、《夢》、《黑暗》、《普羅米修斯》諸詩。
8月，雪萊夫婦離日內瓦。
9月，遊阿爾卑斯山。開始創作詩劇《曼弗瑞德》。
10月，離瑞士到意大利，先到米蘭。
11月，到威尼斯。在此後的三年中，基本上住在這裏，直到1819年末遷往拉文納。
當時意大利北部是在奧地利帝國統治下。意大利人民受着本國封建階級和奧地利獨裁政權的雙重壓迫，對壓迫者懷着極大的仇恨。正如拜倫所說：“全國就像上了子彈的搶，許多手指頭都在動，想扳動搶機。”拜倫到威尼斯後不久，就和謀求意大利獨立的秘密革命組織“燒碳黨”發生接觸。後來，這種聯繫日益增強，拜倫積極參加了在倫巴第區開展的意大利民族解放運動，並因此受到警察的跟蹤。
1817年 二十九歲
1月12日，與珍妮·剋萊爾蒙特所生的女兒阿列格拉出世。
2月，《曼弗瑞德》脫稿。
4月-5月，經過費拉、佛羅倫薩，遊羅馬。作《塔剋的哀歌》。重寫《曼弗瑞德》第3幕。
6月，由羅馬返威尼斯。
7月，完成《恰爾德·哈羅德遊記》第4章。在這一章中，表現了對意大利民族解放鬥爭和人民命運的關懷。
10月，作敘事詩《別波》。
11月，賣掉紐斯臺德寺院。
1818年 三十歲
7月，作《威尼斯頌》
8月，雪萊來威尼斯想見。
9月，完成《堂·璜》第1章。
秋鼕之間，雪萊作《朱利安與馬達洛》一詩，實際上是對拜倫的悲觀主義，蔑視群衆、與群衆相對立的情緒提出善意的批評和規勸。從拜倫爾後的作品和實際行動來看，他似乎在某種程度上接受了雪萊的批評。
11月，完成長詩《馬澤巴》。
1819年 三十一歲
1月，完成《堂·璜》第2章。
4月，結識了特瑞薩·歸齊奧利伯爵夫人，並和她相愛。後來特瑞薩與丈夫離居，與拜倫同居。
特瑞薩和她的父親都是燒碳黨人，她的哥哥彼得羅·甘巴是該黨重要領導人之一。通過甘巴，拜倫進一步捲入了燒碳黨的革命活動。
5月下旬，到拉文納。
8月，到博洛尼亞。和當地秘密革命組織接觸，並捐款資助他們購買武器。
9月，返威尼斯。
10月，托馬斯·穆爾來威尼斯想見。
11月，完成《堂·璜》第3章（其中包括著名的政治抒情詩《哀希臘》）。
12月，作《堂·璜》第4章。
12月下旬，由威尼斯移居拉文納，與特瑞薩和甘巴同住。
1820年 三十二歲
是年在拉文納，積極參與燒碳黨人反抗奧地利統治的革命活動，為黨人草擬革命傳單、宣言等文件。奧地利當局視他為眼中釘，檢查他的信件，禁止他的作品出版發行，派警察對他盯梢，甚至雇了刺客準備暗殺他。拜倫並不畏懼，每天照常騎馬外出。
3月，作《但丁的預言》。
4月-7月，作歷史劇《馬裏諾·法利埃羅》，描寫十四世紀威尼斯總督法利埃羅企圖推翻貴族寡頭暴政而終歸失敗的事跡。劇中通過主人公如下一段獨自闡述了暴力革命的正義性：“用什麽方法呢？目的崇高，任何方法都是合理的。人流出幾滴血又算什麽？這算不得人血，暴君流的血不是人血。暴君就像吃人的摩洛（要兒童作獻的神。屢見於《舊約》），喝我們的血，他們把多少人送進了墳墓，到頭來自己也被送進墳墓。”劇中還描寫了四個忠心耿耿為爭取人民權利而鬥爭的平民領袖。這個劇本中出現的人物形象，已遠非《東方故事詩》那些個人主義、孤獨絶望的反抗者所能比擬的。
7月，燒碳黨人在那不勒斯發動起義。接着，西西裏也爆發起義。但是，卻遭到反動統治者的鎮壓。許多意大利愛國志士都被投入監獄，或流放，或處死。
10月-11月，完成《堂·璜》第5章。
1821年 三十三歲
春天，意大利西北部有幾個城市爆發了革命起義。
拜倫同甘巴和燒碳黨其他領導一起，為在艾米利亞-羅馬地區舉行革命起義籌劃和各項準備。起義者把拜倫視為他們中的領導者之一。
拜倫1月11日日記：“當整個民族的命運處在危險之中，即使我個人的事情進展順利。我也感覺不到多少歡樂。如果有可能大大改善人民的處境（尤其是這些被壓迫的意大利人），我决不計較個人的得失。”
但是，拜倫對燒碳黨人脫離群衆的鬥爭方式深感憂慮。1月24日日記：“如果他們當真發動起義，我很懷疑：他們動員起來的總人數能不能達到一千。根本問題在於：民衆沒有捲入鬥爭。是限於中上層。……要是有農民支持他們多好！”（農民二字，拜倫當時加了着重號）
2月18日日記：“今天我沒有得到我黨同志的消息。但這幾天裏，我住宅下面兩層已經堆滿了他們的槍支、子彈、火藥和其他東西。我猜想，他們大概要把我這裏當作他們儲藏軍火的密窯。到不得已的時候，衹好把我犧牲了。但這一點並不十分重要，衹要意大利人真的能得到解放。這實在是一個偉大的目標——差不多就是政治上的一種詩。衹要想想——一個自由的意大利！”
2月24日日記：“我所能付出的一切——金錢、其他財産、甚至生命——我卻可以付出，為了他們的解放。”
5月，作歷史劇《薩達納巴勒斯》
7月，作歷史劇《福斯卡利父子》
8月6日，雪萊來拉文納相見。
7-9月，作詩劇《該隱》。此劇同基督教《聖經》大唱反調。大膽指出上帝（耶和華）是一個兇殘邪惡的暴君，是世間一切罪惡和不幸的總根子。劇中贊美反抗上帝的該隱，贊美同上帝分庭抗禮的“惡魔”盧息弗，譴責在上帝面前恭順服從的奴性，表現了反抗到底，决不妥協的叛逆精神。此劇受到歌德、雪萊、司各特和托馬斯·穆爾等人的熱烈稱贊。雪萊說，此劇表明拜倫是“彌爾頓以後無敵的大詩人”。但英國貴族社會和教會則為之嘩然，群起撻伐之，謚拜倫為“惡魔”，大法官艾爾登也親自出馬，詆毀此劇。
9月，作諷刺詩《愛爾蘭的萬傢生佛》，猛烈抨擊當時的英王喬治四世。
10月，作詩劇《天與地》，非難基督教教義，職責教會和教士。
作諷刺長詩《審判的幻景》。揭露英國的反動統治者，特別是指斥死去不久的英王喬治三世的種種罪惡，說他是自由的頭號敵人，並狠狠鞭撻給這個無道昏君溜須拍馬的御用文人騷塞。這首詩被認為是諷刺詩中的典範。
由於燒碳黨所組織的革命起義以失敗告終，甘巴一傢被當地公安局勒令出境。10月末，拜倫離拉文納，移居比薩。到比薩後，他們自然受到警察、暗探的盯梢。
在比薩與雪萊來往。
11月，作詩劇《變形的畸形兒》。
是年拿破侖死於聖海倫娜島（今稱聖赫勒拉島）。
1822年 三十四歲
1月，作悲劇《沃納》。
2月，作《堂·璜》第6-8章。
4月20日，女兒阿列格拉死。
5月，偕同甘巴一傢移居裏窩娜。
夏天，與雪萊一起，邀請在英國受到迫害的李·亨特前來意大利，共同籌辦文學期刊《自由人》。
7月8日，雪萊溺死於斯塔西亞灣。
8月16日，火葬雪萊。
8月，作《堂·璜》第9-11章。
9月，因甘巴一傢又遭當地政府驅逐，拜倫偕同他們移居熱那亞。
10月，《自由人》創刊號在倫敦出版。由於刊登了拜倫的《審判的幻景》，該刊出版人受到法庭審訊，被判罰金。
11月，歐洲各國反動統治者在意大利維羅納召開“科裏同盟”會議，商討鎮壓西班牙等國的革命活動的對策。12月，拜倫開始寫長詩《青銅時代》，以維羅那會議為題材，用諷刺筆法描繪了俄皇亞歷山大一世、法王路易十六、英國統帥威靈頓等人的肖像，猛烈抨擊“神聖同盟”的反動政策，贊美反抗奴役、掙拖鎖鏈的西班牙等國人民。
1823年 三十五歲
2月，作長詩《島》。
坐《堂·璜》最後幾章。
意大利燒碳黨失敗後，拜倫的註意力轉嚮希臘的民族解放鬥爭。他要求加入倫敦成立的“英國支援希臘獨立委員會”。並嚮該委員會表示：他願意直接參與希臘的獨立戰爭。是年5月，該委員會同意了拜倫的意見。於是，他决定親赴希臘戰場，並决定把他變賣羅岱爾莊園所得款項和稿費積蓄都拿出來支援希臘的獨立事業。
7月中旬，偕同甘巴等人，雇英國大船“赫拉剋勒斯號”，帶炮四門，其他軍械若幹，馬五匹，藥品若幹，西班牙幣五萬元，從意大利海岸出發，前往希臘。起程前，收到歌德來信，嚮他表示祝賀和欽佩。
8月3日，抵達希臘凱法利尼亞島。拜倫的到來使希臘軍民群情振奮、聲勢愈盛。
上書希臘獨立政府，陳述意見。
為軍隊的整頓、訓練和作戰進行各項準備工作。
12月28日，離凱法利尼亞島，前往邁索隆吉翁。途中與土耳其軍隊遭遇，幾乎被俘。又因遇到風暴，在德拉戈梅斯特裏停留了三天。
《堂·璜》第9-11章，第12-14章先後於是年出版。
1824年 三十六歲
1月5日，抵邁索隆吉翁，受到萬人空巷的盛大歡迎。
1月22日，作最後一首詩《這天我滿三十六歲》。
後來，他被希臘獨立政府任命為希臘獨立軍一個方面軍的總司令。
在邁索隆吉翁的三個多月時間裏，調節他們之間的分歧，並進行了反土耳其間諜的鬥爭。在軍事上，致力於獨立軍的組織建設，統一軍隊指揮，整頓部隊紀律，雇請外國軍官訓練士兵，招募來自各蘇裏士兵，自費支付其軍餉，主持軍械的修配和存儲工作，建立海軍，在經濟上，致力於籌措戰費，購置軍火和各種軍需品，並捐獻自己的財産，作為獨立軍的醫藥和軍需費用。每天和士兵同吃一樣的伙食，和士兵一道參加軍事訓練。
準備帶領一支部隊攻打勒龐托港。因軍中一部分士兵發生騷亂而未果。
由於希臘獨立運動的領導之間發生了糾紛，决定召開一次全希臘會議來協商解决。
在此期間，拜倫因操勞過度而患病。病愈未久，於4月9日出行遇雨。同行的甘巴勸他回去。當天即因受寒而病倒。第二天病情轉重，一再昏迷。遷延至4月18日，他自知不起，說：“不幸的人們！不幸的希臘！為了她，我付出了我的時間，我的財産，我的健康，現在，又加上我的性命。此外，我還能做什麽呢？”夜間，他在昏迷中囈語：“前進——前進——要勇敢！”4月19日，拜倫去世。
希臘的獨立政府宣佈拜倫之死為國葬，全國哀悼三天。
舉行殯禮時，希臘士兵列隊肅立街頭，一隊牧師跟着靈柩高唱贊歌。靈柩上置寶劍一柄，盔甲一套，桂冠一頂。詩人生前的坐騎也跟在其後。
6月29日，靈柩運抵倫敦。
英國政府和教會拒絶把拜倫的遺骨安葬於威斯敏斯特教堂（英國知名人士國葬地點）。
7月12日，舉行葬禮，16日，安葬於紐斯臺德附近的赫剋諾爾。墓碑上的銘文是按照拜倫異母姊奧古斯塔的意見起草的，銘文說：“他在1824年4月19日死於希臘西部的邁索隆吉翁，當時他正在英勇奮鬥，企圖為希臘奪回她往日的自由和光榮。”
《堂·璜》第15章-16章和詩劇《天與地》均於是年出版。
拜倫名言
無論如何，總不能敲已過去了的時鐘
逆境是通往真理的唯一通道
His daughter Ada Lovelace, notable in her own right, collaborated with Charles Babbage on the analytical engine, a predecessor to modern computers.
Byron's names changed throughout his life. He was christened George Gordon Byron in London. "Gordon" was a baptismal name, not a surname, honouring his maternal grandfather. In order to claim his wife's estate in Scotland, Byron's father took the additional surname Gordon, becoming John Byron Gordon, and was occasionally styled John Byron Gordon of Gight. Byron himself used this surname for a time, and was registered at school in Aberdeen as George Byron Gordon. At the age of 10, he inherited the English Barony of Byron, becoming Lord Byron, and eventually dropped the double surname (though after this point his surname was hidden by his peerage in any event). When his mother-in-law died, her will required that he change his surname to Noel in order to inherit half her estate, and so he obtained a Royal Warrant allowing him to "take and use the surname of Noel only". Very unusually, the Royal Warrant also allowed him to "subscribe the said surname of Noel before all titles of honour", and from that point he signed himself "Noel Byron" (the usual signature of a peer being merely the peerage, in this case simply "Byron"). He was also sometimes referred to as Lord Noel Byron, as if "Noel" were part of his title, and likewise his wife was sometimes called Lady Noel Byron. Lady Byron eventually succeeded to the Barony of Wentworth, becoming Lady Wentworth; her surname before marriage had been "Milbanke".
Children
Lord Byron had one legitimate child with Anne Isabella Noel Byron, Lady Byron; later Lady Wentworth:
The Hon. Ada Augusta Byron (10 December 1815-29 November 1852); later Countess of Lovelace
He also had one illegitimate child with Claire Clairmont, stepsister of Mary Shelley and stepdaughter of Political Justice and Caleb Williams writer, William Godwin:
Clara Allegra Noel-Byron (12 January 1817-20 April 1822).
Allegra is not entitled to the style "The Hon." as is usually given to the daughter of barons since she is illegitimate.
Early life
Catherine Gordon, Byron's mother
The mountain Lochnagar is the subject of one of Byron's poems, in which he reminsces about his childhoodByron was born in London, the son of Captain John "Mad Jack" Byron and his second wife, the former Catherine Gordon, heiress of Gight in Aberdeenshire, Scotland. His paternal grandparents were Vice-Admiral John "Foulweather Jack" Byron and Sophia Trevanion. At the age of 10, George inherited the title and estates of his great-uncle, the "wicked" Lord Byron. His mother proudly took him to England. (John Byron had circumnavigated the globe and was the younger brother of the 5th Baron Byron, known as "the Wicked Lord".) From birth, Byron suffered from talipes of the right foot, causing a limp, which resulted in lifelong misery for him, aggravated by the suspicion that with proper care it might have been cured. He was christened George Gordon at St Marylebone Parish Church, after his maternal grandfather, George Gordon of Gight, a descendant of King James I. This grandfather committed suicide in 1779. Byron's mother Catherine had to sell her land and title to pay her father's debts. John Byron may have married Catherine for her money and, after squandering it, deserted her. Catherine moved back to Scotland shortly afterwards, where she raised her son in Aberdeen. On 21 May 1798, the death of his great-uncle made him the 6th Baron Byron, inheriting Newstead Abbey in Nottinghamshire, England. Byron only lived there infrequently as the Abbey was rented to Lord Grey de Ruthyn among others during Byron's adolescence. In August 1799 Byron entered the school of a Dr Glennie, an Aberdonian, in Dulwich.
He received his early formal education at Aberdeen Grammar School. In 1801 he was sent to Harrow, where he remained until 1805. He represented Harrow during the very first Eton v Harrow cricket match at Lord's in 1805; a match that has been played every year since. After school he went on to Trinity College, Cambridge. While not at school or college, he lived, in some antagonism, with his mother at Burgage Manor in Southwell, Nottinghamshire. While there, he cultivated friendships with Elizabeth Pigot and her brother, John, with whom he staged two plays for the delight of the community. During this time, with the help of Elizabeth Pigot, who copied many of his rough drafts, he was encouraged to write his first volumes of poetry. "Fugitive Pieces" was the first, printed by Ridge of Newark, which contained poems written when Byron was only fourteen. However, it was promptly recalled and burned on the advice of his friend, the Reverend Thomas Becher, on account of its more amorous verses, particularly the poem "To Mary". "Pieces on Various Occasions", a "miraculously chaste" revision according to Byron, was published after this. "Hours of Idleness", which collected many of the previous poems, along with more recent compositions, was the culminating book. The savage criticism this received—anonymously, but now known to be the work of Henry Peter Brougham—in the Edinburgh Review prompted his first major satire, "English Bards and Scotch Reviewers". While at Trinity, he met and shortly fell deeply in love with a fifteen year old choirboy by the name of John Edleston. About his "protégé" he wrote, "He has been my almost constant associate since October, 1805, when I entered Trinity College. His voice first attracted my attention, his countenance fixed it, and his manners attached me to him for ever." Later, upon learning of his friend's death, he wrote, "I have heard of a death the other day that shocked me more than any, of one whom I loved more than any, of one whom I loved more than I ever loved a living thing, and one who, I believe, loved me to the last." In his memory Byron composed Thyrza, a series of elegies, in which he changed the pronouns from masculine to feminine so as not to offend sensibilities.
Travels to the East
From 1809 to 1811, Byron went on the Grand Tour then customary for a young nobleman. The Napoleonic Wars forced him to avoid most of Europe, and he instead turned to the Mediterranean. Correspondence among his circle of Cambridge friends also makes clear that a key motive was the hope of homosexual experience. He travelled from England over Spain to Albania and spent time there and in Athens. While in Athens he had a torrid love affair with Nicolò Giraud, a boy of fifteen or sixteen who taught him Italian. In gratitude for the boy's love Byron sent him to school at a monastery in Malta and bequeathed him seven thousand pounds sterling—almost double what he was later to spend refitting the Greek fleet. For most of the trip, he had a travelling companion in his friend John Cam Hobhouse. On this tour, the first two cantos of his epic poem Childe Harold's Pilgrimage were written, though some of the more risqué passages, such as those touching on pederasty, were suppressed before publication.
Beginning of poetic career
As previously mentioned, some early verses which he had published in 1806 were suppressed. He followed those in 1807 with Hours of Idleness, which the Edinburgh Review, a Whig periodical, savagely attacked. In reply, Byron sent forth English Bards and Scotch Reviewers (1809), which created considerable stir and shortly went through five editions. While some authors resented being satirized in its first edition, over time in subsequent editions it became a mark of prestige to be the target of Byron's pen.
After his return from his travels, the first two cantos of Childe Harold's Pilgrimage were published in 1812, and were received with acclaim. In his own words, "I awoke one morning and found myself famous." He followed up his success with the poem's last two cantos, as well as four equally celebrated Oriental Tales, The Giaour, The Bride of Abydos, The Corsair, and Lara, which established the Byronic hero. About the same time began his intimacy with his future biographer, Thomas Moore.
Political career
Byron eventually took his seat in the House of Lords in 1811, shortly after his return from the Levant, and made his first speech there on 27 February 1812. A strong advocate of social reform, he received particular praise as one of the few Parliamentary defenders of the Luddites. He was opposed to the established religion. These experiences inspired Byron to write political poems such as "Song for the Luddites" (1816) and "The Landlords' Interest" (1823). Examples of poems where he attacked his political opponents include "Wellington: The Best of the Cut-Throats" (1819) and "The Intellectual Eunuch Castlereagh" (1818). Note: "The Landlords' Interest" will not be found in any Byron anthology; it is Canto XIV of "The Age Of Bronze" (1823).
Affairs and scandals
Byron's house in Southwell, NottinghamshireUltimately he was to live abroad to escape the censure of British society, where men could be forgiven for sexual misbehaviour only up to a point, one which Byron far surpassed.
In an early scandal, Byron embarked in 1812 on a well-publicised affair with Lady Caroline Lamb. Byron eventually broke off the relationship, and Lady Caroline never entirely recovered, pursuing him even after he tired of her. She was emotionally disturbed and lost so much weight that Byron cruelly commented to her mother-in-law, his friend Lady Melbourne, that he was "haunted by a skeleton." She began to call on him at home, sometimes dressed in disguise, at a time when such an act could ruin both of them socially. One day, during such a visit, she wrote on a book at his desk, "Remember me!" As a retort, Byron wrote a poem beginning: "Remember thee!" and ending "Thou false to him, thou fiend to me."
As a child, Byron had seen little of his half-sister Augusta Leigh; in adulthood, he formed a close relationship with her that has widely been interpreted as incestuous. Augusta had been separated from her husband since 1811 when she gave birth on 15 April 1814 to a daughter, Elizabeth Medora Leigh. The extent of Byron's joy over the birth has been construed as evidence that he was Medora's father, a theory reinforced by the many passionate poems he wrote to Augusta.
Eventually Byron began to court Lady Caroline's cousin Anne Isabella Milbanke ("Annabella"), who refused his first proposal of marriage but later accepted. They married at Seaham Hall, County Durham, on 2 January 1815. The marriage proved unhappy. He treated her poorly and showed disappointment at the birth of a daughter (Augusta Ada), rather than a son. On 16 January 1816, Lady Byron left him, taking Ada with her. On 21 April, Byron signed the Deed of Separation. Rumours of marital violence, adultery with actresses, incest with Augusta, and sodomy were circulated, assisted by a jealous Lady Caroline. In a letter, Augusta quoted him as saying: "Even to have such a thing said is utter destruction & ruin to a man from which he can never recover."
After this break-up of his domestic life, Byron again left England, as it turned out, for ever. He passed through Belgium and up the Rhine; with his personal physician, John William Polidori he settled at the Villa Diodati by Lake Geneva, Switzerland, in the summer of 1816. There he became friends with the poet Percy Bysshe Shelley, and Shelley's wife-to-be Mary Godwin. He was also joined by Mary's stepsister, Claire Clairmont, with whom he had had an affair in London. Byron initially refused to have anything to do with Claire, and would only agree to remain in her presence with the Shelleys, who eventually persuaded Byron to accept and provide for Allegra, the child she bore him in January 1817.
At the Villa Diodati, kept indoors by the "incessant rain" of "that wet, ungenial summer", over three days in June the five turned to reading fantastical stories, including "Fantasmagoriana" (in the French edition), and then devising their own tales. Mary Shelley produced what would become Frankenstein, or The Modern Prometheus and Polidori was inspired by a fragmentary story of Byron's to produce The Vampyre, the progenitor of the romantic vampire genre. Byron's story fragment was published as a postscript to Mazeppa; he also wrote the third canto of Childe Harold. Byron wintered in Venice, but in 1817 he journeyed to Rome; returning to Venice he wrote the fourth canto of Childe Harold. About the same time he sold Newstead and published Manfred, Cain, and The Deformed Transformed. The first five cantos of Don Juan were written between 1818 and 1820, during which period he made the acquaintance of the Countess Guiccioli, who soon separated from her husband. It was about this time that he received a visit from Moore, to whom he confided his autobiography, which Moore, in the exercise of the discretion left to him, burned in 1824.
Byron and the Armenians
In 1816 Byron visited Saint Lazarus Island in Venice where he acquainted himself with Armenian culture through the Mekhitarist Order. He learned the Armenian language from Fr. H. Avgerian and attended many seminars about language and history. He wrote "English grammar and the Armenian" in 1817, and "Armenian grammar and the English" (1819) in which he quoted samples from classical and modern Armenian. He participated in the compilation of "English Armenian dictionary" (1821) and wrote the preface where he explained the relationship of the Armenians with and the oppression of the Turkish "pashas" and the Persian satraps, and their struggle of liberation. His two main translations are the "Epistle of Paul to the Corinthians", several chapters of Khorenatsi's "Armenian History" and sections of Lambronatsi's "Orations". When in Polis he discovered discrepancies in the Armenian vs the English version of the Bible and translated some passages that were either missing or deficient in the English version. His fascination was so great that he even considered a replacement of Cain story of the Bible with that of the legend of Armenian patriarch Haik. He may be credited with the birth of Armenology and its propagation. His profound lyricism and ideological courage has inspired many Armenian poets, the likes of Fr. Ghevond Alishan, Smbat Shahaziz, Hovhannes Tumanyan, Ruben Vorberian and others.
Byron in Italy and Greece
Further information: Greek War of Independence
George Gordon Byron, 6th Baron Byron, painted by Thomas Phillips in 1813In 1821–22 he finished cantos 6–12 of Don Juan at Pisa, and in the same year he joined with Leigh Hunt and Percy Bysshe Shelley in starting a short-lived newspaper, The Liberal, in the first number of which appeared The Vision of Judgment. His last Italian home was Genoa, where he was still accompanied by the Countess Guiccioli, and where he met Charles John Gardiner, 1st Earl of Blessington and Marguerite, Countess of Blessington and provided the material for her work "Conversations with Lord Byron", an important text in the reception of Byron in the period immediately after his death.
Byron lived in Genoa until 1823 when—growing bored with his life there and with the Countess—he accepted overtures for his support from representatives of the movement for Greek independence from the Ottoman Empire. On July 16, Byron left Genoa on the Hercules, arriving at Kefalonia in the Ionian Islands on August 4. He spent £4000 of his own money to refit the Greek fleet, then sailed for Messolonghi in western Greece, arriving on December 29 to join Alexandros Mavrokordatos, a Greek politician with military power.
Mavrokordatos and Byron planned to attack the Turkish-held fortress of Lepanto, at the mouth of the Gulf of Corinth. Byron employed a fire-master to prepare artillery and took part of the rebel army under his own command and pay, despite his lack of military experience, but before the expedition could sail, on 15 February 1824, he fell ill, and the usual remedy of bleeding weakened him further. He made a partial recovery, but in early April he caught a violent cold which the bleeding — insisted on by his doctors — aggravated. The cold became a violent fever, and he died on April 19.
Post mortem
Lord Byron on his deathbed as depicted by Joseph-Denis Odevaere c.1826 Oil on canvas, 166 × 234.5 cm Groeninge Museum, Bruges. Note the sheet covering his misshapen right foot.The Greeks mourned Lord Byron deeply, and he became a hero. The national poet of Greece, Dionysios Solomos wrote a poem about his unexpected loss, named To the Death of Lord Byron (Εις το Θάνατο του Λόρδου Μπάιρον). Βύρων (Vyron), the Greek form of "Byron", continues in popularity as a masculine name in Greece, and a suburb of Athens is called Vyronas in his honour. His body was embalmed and his heart buried under a tree in Messolonghi. His remains were sent to England for burial in Westminster Abbey, but the Abbey refused. He is buried at the Church of St. Mary Magdalene in Hucknall, Nottingham. At her request, Ada, the child he never knew, was buried next to him. In later years, the Abbey allowed a duplicate of a marble slab given by the King of Greece, which is laid directly above Byron's grave. In 1969, 145 years after Byron's death, a memorial to him was finally placed in Westminster Abbey.
Upon his death, the barony passed to a cousin, George Anson Byron (1789–1868), a career military officer and Byron's polar opposite in temperament and lifestyle.
Poetic works
Byron wrote prolifically. In 1833 his publisher, John Murray, released the complete works in 17 duodecimo volumes, including a life by Thomas Moore. His magnum opus, Don Juan, a poem spanning 17 cantos, ranks as one of the most important long poems published in England since Milton's Paradise Lost. Don Juan, Byron's masterpiece, often called the epic of its time, has roots deep in literary tradition and, although regarded by early Victorians as somewhat shocking, equally involves itself with its own contemporary world at all levels—social, political, literary and ideological.
Lord Byron (1803), as painted by Marie Louise Élisabeth Vigée-Lebrun.The Byronic hero pervades much of Byron's work. Scholars have traced the literary history of the Byronic hero from Milton, and many authors and artists of the Romantic movement show Byron's influence -- during the 19th century and beyond. The Byronic hero presents an idealised but flawed character whose attributes include :
having great talent
exhibiting great passion
having a distaste for society and social institutions
expressing a lack of respect for rank and privilege
thwarted in love by social constraint or death
rebelling
suffering exile
hiding an unsavoury past
arrogance, overconfidence or lack of foresight
ultimately, acting in a self-destructive manner
Although Byron falls chronologically into the period most commonly associated with Romantic poetry, much of his work looks back to the satiric tradition of Pope and Dryden. In Canto III of Don Juan, he expresses his detestation for poets such as Wordsworth and Coleridge. The most striking thing about Byron’s poetry is its strength and masculinity. Trenchantly witty, he used unflowery and colloquial language in many poems, such as Written after Swimming from Sestos to Abydos. His talent for drama was expressed in the vibrantly galloping rhythms of The Destruction of Sennacherib. However, poems such as When We Two Parted and So We’ll Go No More A-Roving express strong feelings in simple and touching language. He made little use of imagery and did not aspire to write of things beyond this world; the Victorian critic John Ruskin wrote of him that he spoke only of what he had seen and known; and spoke without exaggeration, without mystery, without enmity, and without mercy.
His attitude towards writing poetry is summed up well in a letter to Thomas Moore on July 5th 1821:
I can never get people to understand that poetry is the expression of excited passion, and that there is no such thing as a life of passion any more than a continuous earthquake, or an eternal fever. Besides, who would ever shave themselves in such a state?
Lord Byron and the Parthenon marbles
Further information: Elgin Marbles
Byron was a bitter opponent of Lord Elgin's removal of the Parthenon marbles from Greece, and "reacted with fury" when Elgin's agent gave him a tour of the Parthenon in which he saw the missing friezes and metopes. He penned a poem, "The curse of Minerva", to denounce Elgin's actions:
[...]
I saw successive tyrannies expire.
'Scaped from the ravage of the Turk and Goth,
Thy country sends a spoiler worse than both.
Survey this vacant, violated fane;
Recount the relics torn that yet remain
[...]
The insulted wall sustains his hated name.
For Elgin's fame thus grateful Pallas pleads,
Below, his name—above, behold his deeds!
Character
Lord Byron, by all accounts, had a very particularly magnetic personality—one may say astonishingly so. He obtained a reputation as being unconventional, eccentric, flamboyant and controversial. He was given to extremes of temper. Byron had a great fondness for animals, most famously for a Newfoundland dog named Boatswain; when Boatswain contracted rabies, Byron reportedly nursed him without any fear of becoming bitten and infected. Boatswain lies buried at Newstead Abbey and has a monument larger than his master's. The inscription, Byron's "Epitaph to a Dog", has become one of his best-known works, reading in part:
Near this Spot
are deposited the Remains of one
who possessed Beauty without Vanity,
Strength without Insolence,
Courage without Ferosity,
and all the Virtues of Man without his Vices.
This praise, which would be unmeaning Flattery
if inscribed over human Ashes,
is but a just tribute to the Memory of
BOATSWAIN, a DOG,
who was born in Newfoundland May 1803,
and died at Newstead Nov.r 18th, 1808.
Byron also kept a bear while he was a student at Trinity College, Cambridge (reputedly out of resentment of Trinity rules forbidding pet dogs—he later suggested that the bear apply for a college fellowship). At other times in his life, Byron kept a fox, monkeys, a parrot, cats, an eagle, a crow, a crocodile, a falcon, peacocks, guinea hens, an Egyptian crane, a badger, geese, and a heron.
Lasting influence
Lord Byron as portrayed by Jonny Lee Miller in a 2003 BBC dramaThe re-founding of the Byron Society in 1971 reflects the fascination that many people have for Byron and his work. This society has become very active, publishing a learned annual journal. Today some 36 International Byron Societies function throughout the world, and an International Conference takes place annually. Hardly a year passes without a new book about the poet appearing. In the last 20 years two new feature films about him have screened, and a television play has been broadcast.
Byron exercised a marked influence on Continental literature and art, and his reputation as poet is higher in many European countries than in Britain or America, although not as high as in his time.
A complete picture of Byron's character has only been possible in recent years with the freeing up of the archive of Murray, Byron's original publishers, who had formerly withheld compromising letters and instructed at least one major biographer (Leslie A. Marchand) to censor details of his bisexuality.
Fictional depictions
Byron is the main character of the film Byron by the Greek film maker Nikos Koundouros.
Byron's spirit is one of the title characters of the "Ghosts of Albion" books by Amber Benson and Christopher Golden, published by Del Rey in 2005 and 2006.
Byron is an immortal still alive in modern times in the hit television show Highlander: The Series in the 5th season episode "The Modern Prometheus", living as a decadent rock star.
John Crowley's novel Lord Byron's Novel: The Evening Land At Night (2005) involves the rediscovery of a lost manuscript by Lord Byron, as does Frederic Prokosch's The Missolonghi Manuscript (1968).
Tom Holland, in his 1995 novel The Vampyre, romantically describes how Lord Byron became a vampire during his first visit to Greece—a fictional transformation that explains much of his subsequent behaviour towards family and friends, and finds support in quotes from Byron poems and the diaries of John Cam Hobhouse. It is written as though Byron is retelling part of his life to his great great great great granddaughter. He describes traveling in Greece, Italy, Switzerland, meeting Percy Bysshe Shelley, Shelley's death and many other events in life around that time. The Byron as vampire character returns in the 1996 sequel Supping with Panthers.
Byron appears as a character in Tim Powers' The Stress of Her Regard (1989) and Walter Jon Williams' novella Wall, Stone Craft (1994), and also in Susanna Clarke's Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell (2004).
Byron and Percy & Mary Shelley are portrayed in the Roger Corman's final film Frankenstein Unbound where the time traveler Dr. Buchanan (played by John Hurt) meets them as well as Victor von Frankenstein (played by Raul Julia).
The Black Drama by Manly Wade Wellman (Weird Tales, 1938; Fearful Rock and Other Precarious Locales, 2001) involves the rediscovery and production of a lost play by Byron (from which Polidori's The Vampyre was plagiarised) by a man who purports to be a descendant of the poet.
Tom Stoppard's play Arcadia revolves around a modern researcher's attempts to find out what made Byron leave the country.
Television portrayals include a major 2003 BBC drama on Byron's life, and minor appearances in Highlander: The Series (as well as the Shelleys), Blackadder the Third, The Grim Adventures of Billy and Mandy, and episode 60 ("The Darkling") of Star Trek: Voyager.
He makes an appearance in the alternative history novel The Difference Engine, by William Gibson and Bruce Sterling. In a Britain powered by the massive, steam-driven, mechanical computers invented by Charles Babbage, he is leader of the "Industrial Radical Party", eventually becoming Prime Minister.
The events featuring the Shelley's and Lord Byron's relationship at the house beside Lake Geneva in 1816 have been fictionalized in film, at least three times.
A 1986 British production, Gothic, directed by Ken Russell, and starring Gabriel Byrne as Byron.
A 1988 Spanish production, Rowing with the Wind (Remando al viento), starring Hugh Grant as Byron.
A 1988 U.S.A. production Haunted Summer. Adapted by Lewis John Carlino from the speculative novel by Anne Edwards, staring Philip Anglim as Lord Byron.
The writer and novelist, Benjamin Markovits, is in the process of producing a fictional trilogy about the life of Byron. Imposture (2007) looked at the poet via his friend and doctor, John Polidori. A Quiet Adjustment, which came out in January 2008, is an account of Byron's marriage more sympathetic to his wife, Annabella, than many of its predecessors. He is currently writing the third instalment.
Musical settings of, or music inspired by, poems by Byron
Hector Berlioz—Harold en Italie (1834) Symphony in four movements for viola and orchestra
Giuseppe Verdi—Il corsaro (1848) Opera in three acts
Giuseppe Verdi—I due Foscari (1844) Opera in three acts
Robert Schumann—Overture and incidental music to Manfred (1849)
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky—Manfred Symphony in B minor, Op.58 (1885)
Hugo Wolf—"Vier Gedichte nach Heine, Shakespeare und Lord Byron" (1896) for voice and piano: 3. Sonne der Schlummerlosen 4. Keine gleicht von allen Schönen
Pietro Mascagni, "Parisina" (1916) Opera in four acts
Germaine Tailleferre—"Two Poems of Lord Byron"(1934) 1. Sometimes in moments... 2. 'Tis Done I heard it in my dreams... for Voice and Piano (Tailleferre's only setting of English language texts)
Arnold Schoenberg—"Ode to Napoleon" (1942) for reciter, string quartet and piano
Arion Quinn—"She Walks in Beauty" (mid-70s)
Solefald—"When the Moon is on the Wave" (1997)
Kris Delmhorst—"We'll Go No More A-Roving" (2006)
Ariella Uliano—"So We'll Go No More A'Roving" (2004)
Cockfighter (band)—"Destruction" (2005)
Leonard Cohen—"No More A-Roving" (2004)
Cradle Of Filth—"The Byronic Man" with HIMs Ville Valo as Lord Byron (2006)
Warren Zevon—"Lord Byron's Luggage" (2002)
Bibliography
Wikisource has original works written by or about:
George Gordon, Lord Byron
Major works
Hours of Idleness (1806)
English Bards and Scotch Reviewers (1809)
Childe Harold's Pilgrimage (1818)
The Giaour (1813)
The Bride of Abydos (1813)
The Corsair (1814)
Lara (1814)
Hebrew Melodies (1815)
The Siege of Corinth (poem) (1816)
Parisina (1816)
The Prisoner of Chillon (1816) (text on Wikisource)
The Dream (1816)
Prometheus (1816)
Darkness (1816)
Manfred (1817) (text on Wikisource)
The Lament of Tasso (1817)
Beppo (1818)
Mazeppa (1819)
The Prophecy of Dante (1819)
Marino Faliero (1820)
Sardanapalus (1821)
The Two Foscari (1821)
Cain (1821)
The Vision of Judgement (1821)
Heaven and Earth (1821)
Werner (1822)
The Deformed Transformed (1822)
The Age of Bronze (1823)
The Island (1823)
Don Juan (1819–1824; incomplete on Byron's death in 1824)
Minor works
So, we'll go no more a roving (text on Wikisource)
The First Kiss of Love (1806) (text on Wikisource)
Thoughts Suggested by a College Examination (1806) (text on Wikisource)
To a Beautiful Quaker (1807) (text on Wikisource)
The Cornelian (1807) (text on Wikisource}
Lines Addressed to a Young Lady (1807) (text on Wikisource)
Lachin y Garr (1807) (text on Wikisource)
Epitaph to a Dog (1808) (text on Wikisource)
She Walks in Beauty (1814) (text on Wikisource)
When We Two Parted (text on Wikisource)
Love's Last Adieu
See also
Lord Byron (chronology)
Bridge of Sighs
Asteroid 3306 Byron
Henry Edward Yelverton, 19th Baron Grey de Ruthyn
References
This article incorporates public domain text from: Cousin, John William (1910). A Short Biographical Dictionary of English Literature. London, J.M. Dent & sons; New York, E.P. Dutton.
^ "Bibliotheca Cornubiensis: A Catalogue..."
^ Jerome McGann, ‘Byron, George Gordon Noel, sixth Baron Byron (1788–1824)’, Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, Sept 2004; online edn, Oct 2007
^ Crompton, Louis: Byron And Greek Love (1985), pp123–128
^ Childe Harold’s Pilgrimage Cantos I and II, uncensored. The International Byron Society. Retrieved on?.
^ Lord Byron's Lovers: Lady Caroline Lamb
^ Lord Byron's Lovers: Lady Caroline Lamb
^ Neurotic Poets - Lord Byron
^ List of Byron's works. Retrieved on?.
^ Don Juan, Canto III, XCIII-XCIV.
^ Atwood, Roger (2006). Stealing History: Tomb Raiders, Smugglers, And the Looting of the Ancient World, p. 136. ISBN 0312324073.
^ A Collection Of Poems By George Gordon Byron
^ The Byron Society. Retrieved on?.
^ The Guardian, November 9, 2002.