Lord Byron and Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte between the Ode and Waterloo

Abstract

This study examines Byron's portrayals of Napoleon as illustrated in two poems, An Ode to Napoleon Buonaparte and Childe Harold Canto III, particularly in Waterloo and Napoleon. The study is of two sections. The first focuses on the tarnishing of Napoleon's image as introduced in the Ode, a poem published a few days after Byron received the shocking news of Napoleon's abdication. The second focuses on the rehabilitation of the image as suggested in Waterloo and Napoleon, verses written almost two years after the tragic events of Waterloo Battle. Amidst the discussion, the mystical attachment of the poet to Napoleon, the rage over his abdication, and the effect of Napoleon on Byron's trends and convictions are carefully elaborated. Coincidental and psychological affinities and analogies between Byron and Napoleon, as individuals, would be highlighted too. The study concludes that the tarnishing of Napoleon's image in the Ode is only an eventual consequence of Byron's sudden shock and thwarted expectations in what he used to deem as a little pagod. However, after the rage vanished, Byron favorably twists the image of Napoleon and resituate him among his favorite heroes.