is one of Byron's most influential works and in many ways the greatest and most complex of his ‘Byronic hero' poems. It is Byron's first complete dramatic text, and was written in Switzerland between 1816 and 1817. It was published by John Murray in June 1817. There is some dispute as to when Byron began the piece (the draft manuscript is undated) and the Incantation of the first act had already been published in December 1816 as part of a volume entitled
The Prisoner of Chillon and Other Poems. Jerome McGann has shown that the fifth and sixth stanzas of the Incantation are written on paper which Byron used between 1813 and 1814 (see
The Complete Poetical Works, III, p. 464). The factual background to the poem is Byron's exile following his alleged affair with his half-sister…
1873 words
Citation: O'Connell, Mary. "Manfred". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 12 October 2007 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=3750, accessed 25 November 2024.]
