John Wilson wrote, "It is in the contrast between his august conceptions of man, and his contemptuous opinions of men, that much of the almost incomprehensible charm, and power, and enchantment, of his poetry consists." The abstruse "he" that Wilson refers to is Lord Byron. This famed poet developed an unmistakable style that both praises and admonishes man. Byron was not a misanthrope, but he never forgot man's faults. Through his poetry, Byron developed his views and expanded them. In fact, Byron developed a hero; a hero that would not back down to a challenge, rather, a hero that would stand up courageously and fight for what was good and true. In "The Destruction of Sennacherib," Byron represents a hero who faces defeat. This poem serves as an example of Byron's unique style, philosophy, and ideals.
             The title of the poem, "The Destruction of Sennacherib," serves as a synopsis for the subject; the poem entails the death of Sennacherib. The first stanza describes the entrance of Sennacherib onto a battle scene. It is clear that he is a cunning military strategist as Byron describes him as a "wolf on the fold." Sennacherib and his "cohorts" are regal "in purple and gold." They seem to be a well-organized army with weapons and courage to spare. In the second stanza there is a foreshadowing of the end of Sennacherib with the reference to leaves being green in summer, but blown away in the autumn. Quickly, much like death in real life, the Angel of Death appears and breathes in the face of Sennacherib and his men. Their lifeless bodies appear waxen in their cold state, as their hearts "for ever grew still." As the poem continues, Byron points out that Sennacherib's pride is lost in death. The image of Sennacherib's last breath overlaps with one of waves crashing against a shore in lines seventeen and eighteen. The fifth stanza ends great Sennacherib's life. In the last stanza the people of Assyria mourn the demise of their leader, an...