One would expect that Lord Byron, having fame equivalent to that of the Beatles or Michael Jackson by today’s standards, would be no stranger to heartbreak and farewells. Given his history of romantic affairs and liaisons, one might expect that Byron was the one breaking hearts. His poems, however, give a different account of his relationships. “When We Two Parted” and “Fare Thee Well” both depict a Byron suffering from raw emotions one might expect from a teenaged neophyte to the realm of love and romance: irrational regret and hysterical melancholy.
Both poems tell of Byron’s unwillingness to separate from his lover de jour. As Byron cycles through the grief and sadness described above, he comes to blame his lover for the separation, even to resent them. His progression of emotion seems unhealthy, fostering sentiments of bitterness and hate. His reversal of the roles of pop star and fan becomes a commentary on the status of celebrity and the foolishness of admiring it: a lesson those afflicted by Bieber Fever would do well to learn.
Although I agree Byron exhibits an intensity of emotion almost unexpected for his reputation as a playboy in these works, I also believe he utilizes each of his romantic experiences as fodder for his poems. By harnessing the visceral heights and depth he feels in such moments of separation, Byron can produce works that capture these emotions, allowing his readers to empathize with his recounts. By tempering the public's perception of his roller coaster love life with intensely reflective works contemplating his own role in his relationships, Byron rounds out his persona for both the public and his readers.
ReplyDelete^Agreed. This is this worst kind of playboy--the kind that turns you into a poem. However, we are assuming here that Byron actually felt this strongly for these women. It's possible that he is also just an articulate poet writing on things everyone can undoubtedly relate to: heartbreak. It might be a mistake to say every Beatles song was personally inspired.
ReplyDelete