Byron's Sardanapalus certainly calls to question what the "Byronic hero" really looks like. Certainly, this play's protagonist Sardanapalus does not fall into the contoured definition used, say, in Classical Greek times to typify a hero--in those cases, a hero would often be described as introverted, misanthropic, and aggressively dominant. Rather, Sardanapalus' character adheres to a more effeminate form: he is quite extroverted, sociable, and tolerant of the whims of society. This seemingly androgynous characterization brings up the issue of gender and whether Byron is implicitly making a statement about gender relations and the psychological interplay between those two mindsets in society at his historical moment. Especially coming out of our recent historical context of feminist pieces such as "Vindication on the Rights of Woman," this supposition is not too estranged from analysis in the case of this particular play.
This theme of gender and presumed androgyny of Sardanapalus is quite evident in the mirror scene in Act III. The very request for a mirror is symbolically representative of a provocative effeminacy. Additionally, it reveals a self-consciousness to ensure that he is following codified social signals such as proper dress. This scene is particularly ironic because at a time when Sardanapalus should be putting forth the most masculine of heroic qualities to become a strong military leader, he instead flaunts his effeminacy. This further supports my argument that Byron is making a statement against the gender binaries that are constructed in society and suggesting that there is not a necessitated code of conduct or a particular role deemed "masculine" or "feminine."
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