E212: British Literature since 1760

Lord Byron Study Questions

Al Drake. 520 Hum. T/Th. 7:30-8:30 | ajdrake@ajdrake.com

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1. Manfred keeps referring, as he does at 1.1.14, to some "primal scene" that appears to be the cause of his unhappiness. Find some of his allusions to this event. What kind of reconciliation does Manfred seek--is it possible to achieve such a reconciliation? Explain.

2. "Nature" deserves attention in this play. Why is the alternating Alps/Manfred's Tower setting important? Is the Alpine setting metaphoric of something? Explain.

3. Examine Manfred's first encounter with the Spirits in Act 1, scene 1. Who are these spirits, and what is Manfred's relation to Nature?

4. The Chamois Hunter appears in Act 1, scene 2. What is his role in this play? What does Manfred think of him and his advice?

5. Who is Astarte and what knowledge does she impart to Manfred? (Act 2, scene 3)

6. What is the Abbot's role in Manfred? (See Act 3). What does he represent? What does he offer Manfred?

7. When the spirits come to drag Manfred away to hell, he resists them with scorn. Examine his dying speech, 3.3.109-41. What is his reason for refusing to bow to the spirits' will?

8. Manfred is often described as a rather programmatically "romantic" text. What characteristics of the play lend themselves to such a categorization? Is there anything in the text (or about Byron's life and other works) that makes such descriptions an oversimplification? Explain.

Edition: Abrams, M.H. et al. The Norton Anthology of English Literature, Volume 2A. Seventh edition. New York: Norton, 2000.