Unearthing Gothic Literature, Part 6, The Byronic Hero

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‘The Devil incarnate or a misunderstood man?’

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"Man's greatest tragedy is that he can conceive of a perfection which he cannot attain". (Byron 1788-1824)

To put it simply, a Byronic hero (Named after poet and rogue Lord Byron) is a character who generally behaves as a complete and utter b*****d and yet he is romanticised in the story.

Byron’s poem Childe Harold’s Pilgrimage was the first of Byron’s poems to contain the Byronic hero. It appeared between 1812 and 1818 and is self- referential. The character muses on life and seeks pleasure from foreign lands. He is melancholy, disillusioned and discontent.

Good examples of Byronic heroes in gothic fiction include Heathcliff and Dorian Gray. Both have flaws in their character, Dorian’s fear of losing his looks lead him to a life of sinful pleasure whilst Heathcliff’s desire for the love of Cathy lead to wicked deeds.

Typical traits of so –called Byronic heroes include moodiness, arrogance and depressiveness. They struggle to fulfil social norms and are often outcasts with troubled childhoods. They have difficulty with constancy. Selfish intentions may lead the ‘hero’ into trouble.

To their credit they are passionate, resourceful, adaptable and of high intellect and perception. Byronic heroes are also mysteriously magnetic, seductive and sexually powerful. They are often the subject of much obsession. Both Lord Henry and Basil Hallward in Wilde’s Picture of Dorian Gray become entranced and infatuated with Dorian, as Cathy falls for Byronic Heathcliff, the gypsy outsider in Wuthering Heights. It may be of some worth to note that Dorian Gray attracted male admirers at a time when homosexuality was forbidden.

Such characters may exist in Gothic to demonstrate desire for immorality in a Victorian society. Bronte’s Edgar Linton was a perfectly worthy male suitor and yet Catherine’s desires are torn between Linton and Heathcliff. One the well- mannered English gentleman, the other an immoral rogue. (See also the dichotomy of lust and virtue).