Byron seems to have located a very interesting historical figure to comment on contemporary history. The historical Sardanapal was a 7th Century King of Assyria , according to, I believe, Justinius. Sardanapal as a historical figure obviously predicts the literary one; both are effeminate, lazy, relatively ineffective leaders. But the ultimate message of the story of Sardanapal, I think, is not one of masculinity or femininity (that is not, however, to minimize this theme, especially in Byron's play), but of complacency. Historically, Sardanapal's complacency causes the utter downfall of a prosperous kingdom, and I think this message is what so attracted Byron to the material.
Edit: Not Justinius, but Diodorus, according to Encyclopedia Britannica. Probably should've looked that up prior to posting, sorry.
ReplyDeleteWhile my post focuses on masculinity and femininity as a theme, I think that your point about complacency is well-founded. Having taken a Greek Civilization class last semester, I learned about multiple instances where lack of action inevitably contributed to militaristic losses or even, as evidenced in this case, to the demise of entire kingdoms. Many times, that complacency stemmed from egoistic, hubristic aspects of the leader, which I believe can arguably be declared a mind-set entrenched in beliefs of masculine and feminine roles. Therefore, I believe that complacency and gender dynamics/ expectations exist on a spectrum and that they each contribute to the presence of the other.
ReplyDelete"But the ultimate message of the story of Sardanapal, I think, is… of complacency." I agree with C.'s statement, and so does Lord Byron. Through the voice of Salemenes, Byron refrains "He must be roused," referring to Sardanapalus. He wants him to get off his laurels and be an active leader!
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