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Teachers' Resource Web Study Questions on Byron Manfred 1. The introduction to Manfred in The Norton Anthology notes that while Manfred's unnamed transgression is probably "incest with his sister Astarte," this crime is only "hinted but never quite specified" (513). What textual evidence is there that Manfred has committed incest? More importantly, how are we to interpret the fact that the crime is never named? 2. The settings of Manfred—the " Summit of the Jungfrau, " the "Hall of Arimanes" with "Arimanes on his throne, a Globe of Fire"—are obviously not settings easily represented on stage, and possible only in a "closet drama" (a drama not intended for performance). Why does Byron use such settings? How are we to interpret them? (To start thinking about this, you might ask yourself what the difference might be if the whole play took place in and on the battlements of Manfred's castle. What does the Jungfrau bring to the play that other settings would not?) 3. Examine the scene in which Manfred calls Astarte back from the dead (Act 2, Scene 4). What does Manfred seek to gain by recalling Astarte? Does he get what he wants? What is the meaning of Astarte's words to Manfred? 4. Manfred consistently rejects offers of help. He rejects the offers of the seven spirits (Act 1, Scene 1), of the Witch of the Alps (Act 2, Scene 2), and the Abbot of St. Maurice (Act 3, Scenes I and 4). Why does Manfred reject these offers? Try to come up with a single explanation that explains all three of these rejections. 5. Manfred's final soliloquy (at the beginning of Act 3, Scene 4) describes an evening Manfred spent in Rome. Afterward, he remarks that it is "strange that I should recall it at this time" (543). Is it really strange? Strange or not, how do you interpret this passage? How is it related to this scene and to the play as a whole? 6. Despite Manfred's admission that he has committed a crime, despite his rejection of almost all human social contact, and despite the strong suggestions that Manfred has committed a great crime, many readers have found something admirable about Manfred. Explain why this is so, citing at least two passages.
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