The Characteristics of the Byronic Hero Are the Following

MILIOKAS THE BYRONIC HERO

The Byronic hero in literature is an idealized (admired, representing excellence, fascinating) but flawed (has a defect or weakness, perhaps inborn) character, and is thought to have first appeared in Lord Byron’s semi-autobiographical epic narrative poem Childe Harold’s Pilgrimage (1812-1818.)

Lord George Gordon Byron (1788-1824), or Lord Byron, as he is usually called, is considered to be one of the greatest of the English poets, influencing many authors and artists of the Romantic movement and by writers of Gothic fiction during the 19th century. Byron himself is thought to be the model of this type of character because, according to other writers and critics along with his friends, he had many of the characteristics mentioned below.

The characteristics of the Byronic hero are the following:

 a strong sense of arrogance, including a disrespect for rank and privilege, and a distaste for social institutions and norms; plays by his own rules, or subverts society’s rules to suit him

 a high level of intelligence and perception, coupled with an innate cleverness and adaptability to the circumstances in which he finds himself, which helps him succeed and even thrive

 suffers from an unnamed crime and/or troubled past; is mysterious, magnetic, and charismatic

 sophisticated and educated; has seen the world, yet is often jaded and world-weary

 although self-critical and introspective, he often struggles with integrity; sociopathic tendencies

 is seductive and sexually appealing, but often uses his attractiveness and charm to obtain power over others, especially women

 suffers from emotional conflicts and ‘dark’ attributes and impulses which are not normally associated with a hero; has bipolar tendencies or moodiness; displays self-destructive behaviour

 in spite of his difficult nature, he is likable somehow; seems to have a good heart in the end; often redeems himself, at some point , through an altruistic or generous act which might have seemed out of character for him.

Byronic heroes can be seen in many works, including the following works and characters:

Persuasion (1818) by Jane Austen-- Captain Wentworth The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1831) by Victor Hugo-- Claude Frollo Wuthering Heights (1847) by Emily Bronte--Heathcliff Jane Eyre (1847) by Charlotte Bronte-- Edward Fairfax Rochester David Copperfield (1849-1850) by Charles Dickens-- James Steerforth The Phantom of the Opera(1909-1910) by Gaston Leroux--Erik the ‘Phantom’ A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man (1914-1916) by James Joyce-- Stephen Dedalus For consideration: What characters from novels, movies, television shows, etc. that you know might be seen as Byronic hero/heroines? Explain, using the list of characteristics above to prove your choices.