My rating: 5 of 5 stars

After reading an excerpt of Byron’s Manfred in a collection of his poetry, I knew I had to read the full closet drama. It is a fascinating work that develops ideas of spirits, power originating from oneself instead of from gods or nature, dying on your own terms, trying to forget past sins, living a life without the need for a final redemption. The Poetry Foundation’s biography of Byron says its main theme is defiant humanism, and I find those words perfect. Many have speculated that Manfred’s horrible, unnamed sin regards a forbidden love with his half-sister Augusta. This is developed in the play when Manfred and an evil spirit conjure up Astarte who remains speechless except for uttering a prophecy of his impending death (Act II, scene IV).

My copy of Manfred also included Byron’s Lament of Tasso and the poem Beppo. I didn’t really get much from Tasso, a short poem that never really caught my ear or mind. But, my first thought on starting Beppo was “Wow”. It is a stunning satire, which includes nice “burns” of other poets, an attack on paying off one’s sins with contributions, and a comparison of morals between Italians and some self-righteous English folk. Beppo reminded me a bit of Byron’s English Bards and Scotch Reviewers, from the pacing, biting wit and frequent use of asides to the reader.