The Byronic Hero

690 Words2 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Evaluation for Napoleon

A hero proves his heroism when faced with opposition. He is shrewd, tough, clear-sighted, experienced, and able to handle adversity in a well equipped manner. However, unlike most heroes, the Byronic hero does not receive satisfaction simply from possessing these traits. The Byronic hero sees himself as an individual who practices non conformity. He is a hero of consciousness more than a hero of action. These qualities of the Byronic hero are demonstrated in Lord Byron’s description of Napoleon.

Byron begins his description in Stanza 36. He points out that Napoleon is “Extreme in all things!” I believe that this trait means that the
Byronic hero is neither to the left nor the right, but eternally caught in the middle of both worlds.

Stanza 38 goes on to say, “Oh, more or less than man-in high or low,
Battling with nations, flying from the field; Now making monarchs’ necks thy footstool, now More than they meanest soldier taught to yield; An empire thou couldest crush, command, rebuild, But govern not thy pettiest passion, nor,
However deeply in men’s spirits skill’d, Look through thine own, nor curb the lust of war, Nor learn that tempted Fate will leave the loftiest star.”
I believe that Lord Byron is saying that Napoleon can crush any nation, only to rebuild it again, and he can win any war, and have control over thousands of men. It is the war within himself that he has no control over, that he is not able to crush. Lines 339-342 are referring to the ...

Show More
Related

  • Comparing the Hero in Homer’s The Odyssey with the Modern Hero Described in Whitman’s I hear America Singing

    648 Words  | 2 Pages

    One of the main similarities in ancient Greek epics is that there are always great heroes who overcome many difficult and daunting challenges and goes on long adventures. The issue of heroic stature and the character of the hero have a great importance on the epics itself. Classical Greek heroes are usually born to do great things, go on epic journeys and in the end they would receive a reward for their troubles.

    Read More

  • Mussolini's Rise to Power as a Direct Consequence of World War One

    665 Words  | 2 Pages

    to stop the threat of Civil war but also as he told a confident at the

    Read More

  • Sir Gawain and Green Knight Essays: Triumph or Failure?

    510 Words  | 2 Pages

    The story is concerned with the conflict between his conception of himself and the reality.

    Read More

  • Osmosis Jones: A Journey of Heroism and Teamwork

    1205 Words  | 3 Pages

    The Hero's Journey is a theory created by Joseph Campbell and expresses the idea that most heroes are essentially the same person embodied in different ways. Lawrence C. Rubin describes the monomyth as, “The hero, or mythic protagonist, from birth to death is on a journey, replete with demons, both inner and outer, challenges both great and small, and a cast of characters, some enemies, others allies and companions” (265). The 2001 animation Osmosis Jones is no exception to this assumption. In the film, a white blood cell named Osmosis Jones goes on an epic adventure to save the life of Frank and prove himself to the people of his community. In the beginning of the movie, Osmosis starts off as an egotistical jerk who believes he can do everything on his own; however, as the film progresses, Osmosis realizes that sometimes two brains are better than one. Jones finds out the hard way that without a helping hand, there is little he can achieve alone. Osmosis’s journey through the monomyth develops the theme of teamwork because help from others proves to be essential to Osmosis’s triumph.

    Read More

  • Ralph Lord Of The Flies Essay

    1545 Words  | 4 Pages

    to find a way to get home and to keep the people's spirits high. He is

    Read More

  • The True Hero of Homer's The Iliad

    880 Words  | 2 Pages

    The Iliad is a story in which many men should be recognized as great war heroes.

    Read More

  • The Aeneid: Virgil's Heroic Underworld

    3216 Words  | 7 Pages

    It is clear when reading the Aeneid that Virgil was familiar with the earlier works of Homer, The Iliad and The Odyssey. Virgil, more than just being aware of these earlier works, uses themes and ideas from these poems in his own. Far more than just copying scenes and ideas, Virgil expands and alters these themes to better tell his story, unique from the Greek originals he is drawing from. Virgil reveals what qualities he regards as heroic through the juxtaposition of Aeneas’ character and the negative aspects of the underworld. By looking at which qualities are esteemed and derided respectively, we can identify the qualities that Virgil would like to emphasize positively to his readers. Also, we can argue that Virgil is indeed trying to convey a particular set or morals to those readers. Beyond the underworld, it is possible to clearly identify these traits in the other sections of the poem where Virgil is borrowing and making his own alterations. Using these distinctions we can very clearly derive Virgil's morality from the poem, and see where Virgil's ideal characters veer away from the Greek ideal that came before.

    Read More

  • Character Analysis: The Great Hero

    868 Words  | 2 Pages

    What is a Hero? In the Novel Mythology by Edith Hamilton it speaks of many Greek Gods and Goddesses, you get a clear outlook on many of the characters in the novel. Many of these gods fit some criteria on what a hero is. An Epic Hero is a character who is brave and takes risks to accomplish tasks not only for themselves but for the goodness of others. A Hero is someone who doesn't only do things to benefit themselves but benefits the people around them and goes on quests to establish their greatness. Who is also glorified by their community. In the Novel two characters by the name Theseus and Perseus meet many of these characteristics. Perseus is very brave and goes on a quest to capture an item that is very dangerous

    Read More

  • Archetypal Hero As A Hero's Journey

    1073 Words  | 3 Pages

    Campbell once said “A hero is someone who has given his or her life to something bigger than oneself”. Joseph Campbell was an American mythologist who discovered that all cultures’ myths and stories were essentially the same, and that all people follow the journey of an archetypal hero no matter where they are from, or what they believe in. Odyssey, Speak and Wonder Women reflect the modern day need for the hero’s journey as the characters face a call to adventure, trials, and the return and betterment of the hero’s home.

    Read More

  • Hercules: A Greek Tale

    1024 Words  | 3 Pages

    Hercules, or known in Latin as Heracles, was the greatest of the Greek heroes, a paragon of masculinity. In art Hercules was portrayed as a powerful, muscular man wearing lion's skin and armed with a huge club. He was also described as being a macho man buffoon, who was very impulsive. Hercules’ home and birthing place is in Thebes, Greece. Thebes is a city in central Greece. It plays as an important setting in many Greek myths, such as the stories of Cadmus, Oedipus, Dionysus and many other important roles in Greek Mythology. The demigod, Hercules has an interesting origin, he is most famous for his 12 labors, and leaves a legacy in words and expressions.

    Read More

  • A Tragic Hero

    916 Words  | 2 Pages

    A tragic hero is defined as a person of high social rank, who has a tragic flaw or flaws that lead to their downfall. These heroes’ downfalls are usually either complete ruin or death. Tragic heroes face their downfall with courage and dignity. While many characters in Julius Caesar could fit these conditions, the person who fits the role of a tragic hero the best is Marcus Brutus. Brutus develops into a tragic hero throughout the play, and this is shown though his qualifications of a tragic hero, his high status, his tragic flaws, and his courage in the face of his death.

    Read More

  • The Classical Mythology

    1184 Words  | 3 Pages

    The Classical mythology contains tales and epics of the ancient Greek and roman literatures and myths. On the other hand, Homer’s two epic poems, the Iliad relates to the events of the Trojan War while the Odyssey details Odysseus expedition after the war. Homer’s epic poems, the Odyssey and the Iliad present a major part of ancient history as modern fictional heroic stories. In ancient Greek, heroes were humans who were depicted to possess superhuman abilities. A key example in the classical mythology is Akhilles who is later known in Homer’s Iliad as Achilles. Achilles is he greatest hero of the Iliad whereas Odysseus is the greatest hero of the Odyssey. The greatest heroes from classic mythology and the modern fictional hero’s stories are mortal, and subject to death. The Odyssey and the Iliad marks the beginning of modern fictional literature.

    Read More

  • Hobbes And Morality

    1018 Words  | 3 Pages

    peace, if not he may use advantages of war and 2. Men should be willing to lay down their

    Read More

  • Percy Bysshe Shelley Research Paper

    754 Words  | 2 Pages

    Percy Bysshe Shelley had a strong, disapproving voice. The prominent English Romantic poet’s works were based on his beliefs. Born on August 4, 1792 to Timothy and Elizabeth Shelley, Percy Bysshe Shelley was the eldest among five. Many see Shelley as an exceptional English poet. It is believed that “one of the branches of his family is a representative of the house of the illustrious Sir Philip Sidney of Penshurst” (London Metropolitan Conservative Journal 6). Percy Shelley delightfully accepted the fact that he had this connection with one of his relatives. Ever since his days of youth, Shelley showed a sign of interest in writing. Shelley wrote many well-known conspicuous works, such as The Necessity of Atheism. He created works that contradicted a majority of people.

    Read More

  • Achilles: a Tragic Hero

    1170 Words  | 3 Pages

    In his classic work "Poetics" Aristotle provided a model of the tragic hero. According to Aristotle, the tragic hero is more admirable than the average person. This results in the tragic hero being admired by the audience. For the audience to accept a tragic ending as just, it is crucial that the tragic hero be responsible for their undoing. At the same time though, they must remain admired and respected. This is achieved by the tragic hero having a fatal flaw that leads to their undoing. One of literature's examples of the tragic hero is Achilles from Homer's The Iliad. However, Achilles is different from the classic tragic hero in one major way - his story does not end tragically. Unlike the usual tragic hero, Achilles is able to change, reverse his downfall, and actually prove himself as a true hero.

    Read More

More about The Byronic Hero

Open Document