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Analysis Of The Paradox In The Gothic Poem 'Manfred' By Lord Bryon

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The paradox in the gothic poem, Manfred, by Lord Bryon states a message about the meaning of knowledge. He is saying that knowledge is not the most important thing in life, and those who have the most of it regret it the most because they know too much. “Sorrow is knowledge. They who know the most must mourn the deepest o’er the fatal truth, [that] The Tree of Knowledge is not that of [the tree] Life” (Manfred). The paradox is similar to the expression “ignorance is bliss” because they both are verbalizing that it is better not to have so much knowledge. Bryon is saying that too much knowledge can lead to disappointment because the information becomes too overwhelming. Overall the paradox shows that too much wisdom has a negative outcome because

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