King, father, or husband? : the dilemma of justice in Byron's Parisina.

Byron's last romance during the years of fame, Parisina, was written during the four-year period dating from his return to England in 1812 until his final departure from that country in the spring of 1816. Parisina was the product of the forces at work on Byron's mind during this period: the deaths of several close friends and relatives, his poor health, his increasing sense of isolation, his mounting pecuniary difficulties, his marriage and subsequent separation. Byron's letters from this period chronicle the effect of these forces on the poet as well as suggest their relationship to the issues presented in Parisina. The poem received mixed reviews from contemporary critics. Most of those antagonistic toward Parisina were responding primarily to the controversy surrounding Byron's separation from his wife. Later criticism of the poem has been limited, though generally laudatory. Byron's advertisement to Parisina functions as the springboard for a critical discussion of the work, for it presents both Byron's apology for the poem and the poem's thesis. The exegesis itself focuses on the areas of theme, structure, characterization, and style. The tension in the poem rests on the requirements of the characters' familial relationships with one another. Thematically, the poem addresses the dilemma of judgement: how can man make just decisions in a world of ambiguity and conflicting societal roles? Azo chooses wrongly between the two poles of justice and societal expectation and suffers the resultant emotional devastation.

Name thesis:degree_name

M.A.

Level thesis:degree_level

Masters

Grantor

Baylor University.

Year dc:date.issued

1990

Author dc:creator

• Hawkins, Ann Rachelle.

Advisor dc:contributor.advisor

• Goode, Clement Tyson, 1929-

• Byron, George Gordon Byron, Baron, 1788-1824.
• Byron, George Gordon Byron, Baron, 1788-1824. Parisina.
• Justice in literature.

Statement dc:rights

• Baylor University works are protected by copyright. They may be viewed from this source for any purpose, but reproduction or distribution in any format is prohibited without written permission. Contact libraryquestions@baylor.edu for inquiries about permission.

Language dc:language.iso

en

Handle dc:identifier.uri

https://hdl.handle.net/2104/14469

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:baylor-ir.tdl.org:2104/14469