The Byronic Hero In 'Childe Harold's Giaour'

In this paper the Byronic Hero and its origins and legacy are the main focus. Lord George Gordon Byron was a British poet and a dominant figure in the Romantic Movement and until this day despite everything he remains widely read and famous. As an heir to a title and an estate, the aristocratic Lord Byron went on a Grand Tour, a standard venture for youthful aristocrats to see and investigate the world. On that excursion the Byronic Hero is conceived, a fantasy of his creative ability and an anticipated breath of fresh air for readers searching for something more perplexing and fascinating than the great hero.

The character Byron bases on his personal adventure all through Europe and his numerous outrageous affairs, he discovers his motivation

This poem tells the story of a young aristocrat who despite being a wealthy being is tired of his homeland and looks for excitement elsewhere while on his grand tour (Lord Byron 179-252). The Giaour is a narrative poem that tells a story of a love triangle between Leila, Hassan and the giaour, which is Turkish for non-believer or infidel. Leila, a member of Hassan’s harem, is in love with the giaour and for that she is punished by Hassan and thrown into the sea 3 in a sack. The giaour avenges Leila by killing Hassan but then enters a monastery to repent for his sin (Byron 252-264). The Corsair is a tale of the pirate Conrad, whom in his youth was rejected by society and his later fight against humanity (Byron 277-303). Lara is narrative tragic poem describing Count Lara’s return to the British Isles after his Middle East travels. Count Lara returns to manage his estates and does so with great success. His success fuels the envy and greed of his peers and finally the tension between his enemies and his followers escalate into open warfare in which the Count is mortally wounded (Byron, 303-319). Manfred is a play written by Lord Byron in 1816- 17. Manfred is a Faustian noble tormented with guilt over an unnamed offense that has something to do with his only love, Astarte, whom is said to be “of his own blood” (Thorslev

The romantic hero types include Cain, Satan in Milton’s Paradise Lost and Prometheus, who are categorized by Peter L. Thorslev Jr. as the “Noble Outlaws” (66). These characters are solitaries and rebellious, first they rebel against society and then nature or God himself. Cain murders his brother out of anger and jealousy, and his punishment is eternal wandering on earth and penance (Thorslev 93). Cain could not confess to his crime and was transformed and romanticised in the Middle-Ages gaining compassion with his famous reply “Am I my brother’s keeper?” Prometheus stole fire from Zeus and gave it to mankind, as a Titan he is a hero and a saviour of man. Zeus’s wrath condemned him to eternal punishment. Prometheus is an individualist, a rebel and Greek, all three things Byron was fascinated by and undoubtedly influenced his character creation (Thorslev 109-113). Prometheus was the first to defy authority, Zeus himself and is therefore a prototype of the Byronic hero. He also shares Cain’s fate, being doomed to eternal