The Byronic Hero
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 rhyme scheme is AABBCCDD and so on until the last stanza, in which Byron repeats the rhyme from the preceding stanza. " They seem to be a well-organized army with weapons and courage to spare. True to the Romantic Movement, the poem impresses the image of seasons changing as an analogy for life and death. " From this aspect, Sennacherib was not the Byronic hero. It is clear that he is a cunning military strategist as Byron describes him as a "wolf on the fold. Sennacherib was an interesting choice of subject for Lord Byron. " Sennacherib and his "cohorts" are regal "in purple and gold. According to Columbia Encyclopedia, Sennacherib "constructed canals and aqueducts and built a magnificent palace at Nineveh. The image of Sennacherib's last breath overlaps with one of waves crashing against a shore in lines seventeen and eighteen. The third line stands out for its alliteration, "and the sheen of the spears was like stars on the sea. " From the beginning of the poem and throughout there are allusions to the ocean and beaches. Quickly, much like death in real life, the Angel of Death appears and breathes in the face of Sennacherib and his men. The first stanza describes the entrance of Sennacherib onto a battle scene. In the last stanza the people of Assyria mourn the demise of their leader, and in effect, the demise of their civilization.
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Acceptance Essays
