Romantics Lord Byron & PB Shelley: Depraved Characters in Pursuit of Art

Since poetry is no longer widely read, even towering luminaries like Byron and Shelley are dismissed out-of-hand. Yet lessons gleaned from such famous persons often tower over any other source of wisdom. The greatest 19^th century literary hero was George Gordon, Lord Byron. His supposed exploits in Childe Harold's Pilgrimage fascinated the public, making him Elvis-like. Part of his fame lay in his apparent autobiographical verse, whereas his scandalous reputation as a womanizer also won fans, as well as enemies. He left the UK under extraordinary criticism, yet died a revolutionary hero in Greece.

Radical poet Percy Bysshe Shelley has long been extolled an extraordinary figure of progress. Instead, Shelley was a monstrously self-absorbed character showing no regard for even his own family, yet always seeking new sex partners. When comparing the two famous poets, Shelley is routinely celebrated, but Byron dismissed as a troglodyte. In fact, it is the latter who emerges as the more humane and thoughtful while the extraordinarily leftist Shelley seems a perverted, ideologically driven beast.

I. George Gordon, Lord Byron

Famous, mercurial, handsome, tormented, and talented Lord Byron (1788 - 1824) is one of the most fascinating characters in the literary annals. The typical view of Byron is he was simply a dissolute, promiscuous writer before an untimely death. His description comes down as "Lord Byron -- Mad, Bad and Dangerous to Know." Writes one biographer:

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George Gordon Byron was son of profligate gambler Captain John Byron and heiress Catherine Gordon. His father fled to France soon after the birth, dying 3 years later. The first ten years of Byron's life were surrounded by relative poverty as his father had squandered his wife's money as well as his own. Byron was born with a clubfoot and this slight deformity was to have a profound effect on his future temperament. In 1798, Byron's great-uncle William died, granting him the baronial title and estate at Newstead Abbey in Nottinghamshire. Abandoning ordinary life, Byron studied at Harrow and Cambridge. Then began Byron's writing life, as well as his reputation for high-spirited, even wild, behaviour. In 1807 Byron took his seat in the House of Lords, then left for Europe for two years. On return home, aged 24, Byron's days of fame and notoriety began. Childe Harold's Pilgrimage elevated Byron to the ranks of literary genius beside Shakespeare, and ensured he became the most influential British poet known throughout Europe. Byron himself remarked, "I awoke one morning and found myself famous."

A series of unfortunate events caused Byron to leave England forever, his reputation shattered in polite society, similar to his own father's indiscretions, according to Enita Eisler's Byron: Child of Passion, Fool of Fame. The scandal became too much and Byron left England permanently for the Continent. Yet, Byron was not a simple-minded scoundrel, according to several leading authors. Jacques Barzun wrote "Byron and the Byronic" in The Atlantic Monthly, regarding the essential unfairness of assuming Byron was the same as his literary characters. Another author, Phyllis Grosskurth, makes a similar point in Byron: The Flawed Angel.

II. Percy Bysshe Shelley

Percy Bysshe Shelley is amongst the greatest English lyric poets. His works cover a multitude of topics, but are preoccupied with philosophy and politics and demand a progressive response. His atheism, libertine actions and socialism were a scandal. Here is Shelley's life:

Percy Bysshe Shelley (1792-1822) was born to a wealthy family in Sussex, England, son of a member of parliament. Educated at Eton and Oxford University, there he encountered radical writers such as William Godwin. He was expelled for publishing a pamphlet called "The Necessity of Atheism." Shelley eloped with 16-year-old Harriet Westbrook, had two children, then separated. In 1814, Shelley seduced another 16-year-old -- Mary, daughter of radical writers William Godwin and Mary Wollstonecraft. They traveled in 1816 to Lake Geneva with Lord Byron. Shelley wrote poetry and Mary conceived her novel 'Frankenstein'. In 1816, Shelley and Mary married, a few weeks after Harriet drowned herself. In 1818, itinerant Shelley moved to Italy where two of his children died while Mary suffered a nervous breakdown. On July 8^th, 1822 Shelley drowned.

According to Paul Johnson in Intellectuals, Shelley was both extremely talented and very single-minded pursuing change in society. His priorities were to give societal leadership over to intellectuals -- especially poets. His extraordinary A Defense of Poetry laid open his plans for intellectuals to take over society, much like we see today. He claimed: "Poets are the unacknowledged legislators of the world".

III. Byron Versus Shelley: Conservative Instincts Against Reckless Progress

Is it really fair to compare two of the three (the third being John Keats) best Romantic poets against one another as persons? Why not?!! Such juxtaposition may be the only way to fairly compare these two literary titans and measure their worth today.

A. Byron v. Shelley as Writers

Shelley is generally rated the better poet than Byron, although we must remember Byron's writing was almost certainly composed more like a literary travelogue. We know his talent superseded his early poetry -- based on contemporaneous letters. Byron's mature powers are best seen in his masterpiece Don Juan. Yet, in examining Shellley's work we must also note his desires to change the world for progressive ideas. In these radical plans he was badly mistaken, and ought not be let off lightly. Writes Johnson:

In his poetry, Shelley certainly practiced what he preached. He was a great poet -- and his poetry can be understood on may levels. But at the deepest level, at the level Shelley himself intended , it is essentially moral and political. He is the most thoroughly politicized of English poets; all of his major and many of his minor poems have a call for social action of some kind, a public message.

Given the inherent immorality of socialism of the kind Shelley preached, we cannot give him a pass on his work merely on aesthetic grounds. The intent of a writer does matter, after all.

B. Shelley v. Byron as Thinkers

Despite the fact that Shelley was superior to Byron as a writer, we cannot therefore assume he had the better mind, despite his affinity for philosophy. Instead, let's remember that Byron was an extremely shrewd judge of people and human character, exhibiting the kind of insight Shelley did not possess. Further, despite his towering fame and riches -- Byron appears a much more modest, down to earth and realistic person over Shelley. For example, while Shelley clung to a type of childish atheism, punctuated by a fascination with demonology and the occult, Byron was no less than a deist -- a much more sophisticated belief system. Byron's ideas are overall more mature as a whole, humane, liberal and astute. Says the Poetry Foundation:

Byron was a leader of the era's poetic revolution, he named Alexander Pope as his master; a worshiper of the ideal, he never lost touch with reality; a deist and freethinker, he retained from his youth a Calvinist sense of original sin; a peer of the realm, he championed liberty in his works and deeds, giving money, time, energy, and finally his life to the Greek war of independence. In his dynamism, sexuality, self-revelation, and demands for freedom for oppressed people everywhere, Byron captivated the Western mind and heart as few writers have, stamping upon nineteenth-century letters, arts, politics, even clothing styles, his image and name as the embodiment of Romanticism.

C. Byron v. Shelley as Fathers

In fatherhood, these great poets truly stand in contrast. One would readily assume Shelley was at least a better dad than Byron, given George's famed womanizing and dissolute lifestyle. Yet this is clearly not true. In fact, Shelley was a horrific parent. Further, he was every bit as dissolute as Byron except George Gordon did not pretend to be someone he was not. Shelley was, by all accounts, fixated upon younger women, even as a boy. He had no belief in marriage, desiring an open relationship, if feasible, even by incest, according to Johnson. More troubling was Shelley's treatment of his first wife, 16-year-old Harriet Westbrook. Shelley lived an itinerant life, always on the run from police, political intrigue and creditors. The beautiful Westbrook was shocked when Shelley announced his love for Mary Wollstonecraft. Yet, Shelley, who wanted a standing menage a trois since childhood, still visited Harriet episodically. Shelley desired a radical community sharing all things, including sex. Harriet committed suicide 5 years later, aged 21 -- by drowning. Shelley had a total of seven children. The first two with his wife, Harriet. These became wards of the state after she committed suicide, in light of Shelley's radical views. Surprisingly, he never made any attempt to contact them. This author never even sent a letter. Of his four children with Mary, three died related to Shelley's wanderlust. A last child born to Shelley -- by Claire Clairmont, his own relative -- was placed in the Naples Foundling Hospital. Even Byron was sickened by this last move. Unsurprisingly, it died 18 months later. In contrast, while Byron was certainly no Puritan when it came to sexual liaisons, he did have some scruples, whereas Shelley had none. Byron also had a child with Claire Clairmont, but he would not allow her to raise it because of her dissipative and sexually licentious manner. Byron's child, Allegra, was well provided for, yet still died at 4. Byron provided honorably for his other illegitimate children, according to Eisler.

D. Shelley v. Byron as Men

In comparing Byron with Shelley, one might have a favorite poet. Judged as men, neither stands out as a moral pillar or an exemplar for others to follow. And yet, it would seem that Byron had the finer character for several arguable reasons. First, Byron was not a hypocrite when it came to relations with the opposite sex, refusing to hide behind a sham marriage as did Shelley. Second, while Byron did have many encounters, he often did so with prostitutes. Shelley, on the other hand, had a taste for innocent girls and repeatedly seduced them. Third, because of Byron's fame, looks and charm it appears more women chased him than vice verse -- opposite of Shelley, who was always prowling for fresh, innocent ingenues to corrupt. Fourth, while Shelley was opposed to private property, this did not keep him from consonantly manipulating others for cash, or running up debts and even stealing from those of lesser means. Fifth, while Byron appears to have had genuine care for those around him, it seems that Shelley was only concerned with abstract humanity. He disregarded the enormous costs of his monstrously selfish and predictably disastrous decisions. Sixth, it appears Byron matured into a real leader who risked his life for the liberty of others before dying. Shelley died as selfishly as he lived, disregarding the dangers of racing a sail boat into a sea squall, knowing he could not even swim. Overall, having noted his profligate ways -- let's consider with some sympathy Byron's extraordinarily chaotic and emotionally abusive childhood, including sexual abuse. Further, when considering his father, Captain Jack Byron -- George nearly resembles a choirboy. These events, while not a complete defense, explain much of Byron's licentiousness -- it was bred in the bone. Contrast this to Shelley's extreme wealth, titled status and childhood of ease. Then consider the extreme disinterest and cruelty Shelley doled out daily to those closest to him, whilst bragging of his commitment to humanity. Here we can best understand that Byron, while no saint, still had a sense of honor and an unerring regard for truth that the radical socialist Shelley found inconceivable.