Lord Byron - Classic Literature Lord Byron
Lord Byron, one of England’s most famous romantic poets, was born George Gordon to Captain John Byron and Catherine Byron. He was born on January 22, 1788. Byron was afflicted with a club-foot since birth and his lameness was a sensitive issue to him throughout his life. Byron moved with his mother to Aberdeen in Scotland, when he was very young and till 1798, he had to lead a life of poverty. In 1798, he received a baronetcy upon the death of his uncle William Byron.
Byron received his education at Harrow and Cambridge. Inspite of his handicap, Byron was a good swimmer and even represented Harrow in Cricket. His swimming feats include swimming the Hellespont and the mouth of the river Tagus.
Byron had a magnetic personality and often attracted controversy with his unconventional and flamboyant lifestyle. He had a soft spot for the underdog and this trait of his personality surfaced when he sided with the Italian freedom fighters against the Austrians and more prominently when he threw his lot behind the Greeks in their war of independence against the Turks.
As Lord Byron, he made his first speech at the House of Lords on 27 February 1812. Byron had a profligate lifestyle and had many affairs. One of his early affairs was with Caroline Lamb, the wife of William Lamb who went on to become the Prime Minister of England. He was described by Caroline Lamb as "mad, bad, and dangerous to know."
"Hours of Idleness", which was Byron’s first collection of poetry and was published in 1807 did not receive good reviews. Byron tasted success as a poet with the publishing of the first two cantos of "Child Harold’s Pilgrimage" in 1812. In 1814, his poem "The Corsair" sold 10,000 copies on the first day of its publication.
One of his most infamous liaisons was with his half-sister Augusta Leigh. Byron was briefly married to Anne Milbanke, the couple got married in 1815, they had a daughter whom they named Ada. However, it was a short-lived relationship and the couple was legally separated the next year.
Byron left England in 1816. He never returned. He spent time in Geneva with Percy Bysshe Shelley and Mary Shelly. It was here that on a rainy summer day, while trying to create a fantasy story, Mary Shelly came up with the idea of "Frankenstein". In Geneva, Byron had taken Claire Clairmont, whom he knew in England, as his mistress. She bore him a child in 1817. In Geneva, Byron wrote "The Prisoner of Chillon," a poem written in the style of William Wordsworth and completed the third canto of "Child Harold’s pilgrimage."
From Geneva, Byron went to Italy. In Italy, Byron wrote "The Lament of Tasso," which was based on the unrequited love of Italian poet Toquato Tasso for Leonora D’este. He also wrote "Mazeppa" a set of narrative poems. Byron stayed in Venice from 1816 to 1819. While in Venice, he published the verse drama "Manfred" in 1817.
It was during this period in Venice that Byron commenced working on "Don Juan," which is regarded as his most famous work. He wrote two cantos of this epic which satires the English Society of that period. "Don Juan" was finally completed in 1823 and comprised sixteen cantos. In 1818, he wrote the final canto of "Child Harold’s Pilgrimage."
In Venice, Byron had Countess Guiccicoli as his companion. She later left her husband for Byron. From Venice Byron moved to Ravenna and then to Pisa. During this period, his interest in drama grew and he wrote two more verse dramas "The Two Foscari" as well as "Sardanapalus." While in Pisa, in 1822, Byron also published a journal, named The Liberal, along with Shelley and Leigh Hunt. However, with Shelley’s death, the journal was no longer published.
Byron was prone to putting on weight quickly and was known to go on radical diets to lose weight. These efforts would leave him weak and exhausted. By 1823, he was experiencing a bout of such exhaustion when he was requested for his support by the Greeks in their fight for freedom against the Ottoman Turks.
Byron, who always had sided with those he felt were the oppressed, accepted. Byron sailed from Italy on July 16, 1823 on the Brig "Hercules" and reached Kefalonia on 2 August. Byron contributed four thousand pounds from his own pocket to upgrade the Greek fleet.
Byron then teamed up with Prince Alexandros Mavrokordatos, who headed the Greek revolutionary forces. Although, Byron had no military experience, he commanded a section of the freedom fighters and planned with Prince Mavrokordatos to attack the fortress at Lepanto, which was under Turkish occupation. However, before the expedition could commence, Byron fell sick on February 14, 1824. As was the medical practice in those days, Byron was made to bleed; this leeching of blood weakened him further. Although, he managed to recover initially, he had a relapse and he died of a violent fever on April 19, 1824.
The Greeks mourned Byron’s death. His heart was buried under a tree in Messolonghi. Even today, "Viron," which is the Greek version of Byron is a popular name in Greece. Byron’s body was embalmed and sent to England. He was not allowed burial in Westminster Abbey and so he was buried at Hucknall in Nottingham. A memorial was placed to Lord Byron in Westminster Abbey in 1969.
Byron had a larger than life existence, and he influenced future artists not only by his work but also by his persona. Byron also created the Byronic Hero, who was a rebellious, talented, passionate individual, one who was misunderstood by society, was troubled by his past and acted in a manner detrimental to himself. Byron embodied all these characteristics. Inspite of his notoriety in England, Byron was the most read poet of his day.
