preview

Heathcliff As A Byronic Hero Research Paper

Good Essays

If the Enlightenment was a movement which started among the elite and spread through society to pose its influence, Romanticism was widespread both in its origins and influence. Through the transformation of the basic arts such as poetry, the novel and drama, there has never been such an intellectual/artistic movement that has had such popularity ever since the end of the Middle Ages. At the time, people's fears, hopes and aspirations were the key elements that drove this literary movement to greatness. Knowingly, the Romantic Period was the voice of revolution in the late 1800's, early 1900's. Indeed, many famous writers such as John Keats, Mary Shelly, Lord Byron and Emily Brontë were recognized amongst the citizens for their exquisite work …show more content…

According to the era in the 19th century, many of the characters in Byron's writings reflected his own personality. According to The Oxford Companion to English Literature, the definition of a Byronic hero is: ''proud, moody, cynical, with defiance on his brow, and misery in his heart...implacable in revenge, yet capable of deep and strong affection.'' In the novel, Heathcliff is a man who has sinned as well as a man who lives to seek revenge. Yet, the reader is still capable of feeling sorry for him, at times. A Byronic hero is usually isolated from society as a wanderer or is in exile of some kind. In the beginning of the novel, when Heathcliff was brought as a new member of the family by Mr.Earnshaw, he is not welcomed properly. In fact, he is constantly rejected by Hindley, his half-brother, but constantly loved by Catherine, his half-sister. He refuses to be nice with him in any way because Mr.Earnshaw favored Heathcliff over Hindley on multiple occasions. As a result, Hindley bullies Heathcliff and tries to isolate him from the family. In fact, in chapter 5 they get into a heated argument in which Hindley screams: "Take my colt, gipsy, then! And I pray that he may break your neck; take him, and be damned you beggarly interloper! [...] ,imp of Satan-And take that, I hope he'll kick out your brains" (43). This quote displays Hindley's hostile and aggressive behavior towards Heathcliff, for no …show more content…

Its strongest characteristic was its evocation of strong-irrational emotions, particularly horror. According to Dr. Francesca M. Marinaro from the University of Florida, gothic elements are the results of the following traits: "gloomy/decaying setting, supernatural beings or monsters (ghosts, vampires), damsels in distress." In the case of Wuthering Heights, the most familiar trait shown throughout the whole novel are ghosts. In chapter 3, a minor character in the story, Lockwood, has a nightmare about a ghost tapping on his window. Little did he know, it was the ghost of Catherine Linton. He describes his nightmare to the landlord, Heathcliff

Get Access