Manfred's new promethean agon

Young-ok An

pp. 102-117

in: Matthew A. Green, Piya Pal-Lapinski (eds), Byron and the politics of freedom and terror, Basingstoke, Palgrave Macmillan, 2011

Abstract

To say that Manfred is a Byronic hero in the Promethean mold is not new: not only the text of Manfred but also Byron himself, as well as literary critics from his time until now, suggest it. But what Manfred's Promethean struggles amount to is still open to discussion. One might highlight Byron's revision of Prometheus into Manfred, or one might pursue the philosophical dimension of the Promethean worldview suggested by Manfred's strife—that is, the new, humanistic perspective which breaks away from the theocentric one. Or, one could probe the political dimension of Prometheus' quest for freedom from Zeus' "tyrannical" regime. While these readings are not mutually exclusive, most critical analyses so far have focused on either mythical or philosophical aspects of Prometheanism, considering the play as more metaphysical or psychological than political.¹ Yet, the political implications of Manfred, especially those arising from Manfred's struggle for freedom, need to be further investigated. Taking the political imperative of Prometheanism as its starting point, this chapter analyzes the political dimensions of the "metaphysical" questions Manfred faces, situating his Promethean struggles within his historical context.²