Not the average hero

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Not the average hero

"I want a hero an uncommon want,

When every year and month sends forth a new one,

Till, after cloying the gazettes with cant,

Custom Essays on Not the average hero

The age discovers he is not the true one; . . ." (6).

In Canto I from "Don Juan," Lord Byron desires a hero but cannot find one in the world around him. He wants an epic hero, someone who will give him the necessary inspiration to write a poem of epic proportion. This hero needs to be like the heroes of Greek and Roman mythology; he wants his hero to be as strong and powerful as the gods. Lord Byron cannot find this type of epic hero in the world around him because there are so many. There are men called heroes who are not true heroes. Perhaps this is why the hero, Don Juan, is not of epic proportion. Numerous external and internal forces make Don Juan a striking contrast to the mythical Greek and Roman heroes. Instead of masculine features being prevalent Don Juan is feminine in ways which render him almost completely useless as an epic hero. Don Juan is an inadequate hero because his gender has been inverted resulting in atypical heroic characteristics.

The standard definition of a hero is someone who does the right thing no matter the consequences they may face. A true hero is strong, brave, and willing fight to the death for the downtrodden and persecuted. Much like Robin Hood, a hero will try to help elevate the common person. During the time Lord Byron wrote "Don Juan," all heroes were male and displayed masculine ideals. The typical hero was a protector of women, the helpless, and the innocent. A hero will go above and beyond the call of duty. A hero virtue lies in the call to do what is right. A true hero fights for what he believes in so others will benefit.

Lord Byron's Don Juan does not fulfill the typical definition of an epic hero. Don Juan exhibits only one conventional heroic trait and that is his flaw. Every hero possesses some kind of flaw that he must overcome. The typical list of flaws includes women, drugs, and money. The term "Don Juan" is usually given to men who attract and woo women only then leave behind a trail of heartbreak. This might make a reader believe that Byron's Don Juan's flaw is women. Although his flaw does have something to do with two women, his mother and his lover, his flaw is more complex than that. Don Juan's real weakness is his inexperience with the world at sixteen years of age. This inexperience is a product of his upbringing and education. More experience would have enabled Don Juan to better handle difficult situations that call for a true hero

One of the biggest contributors to Don Juan's flaw is a result of his parents' relationship, or lack thereof. Don Jose and Donna Inez love and dote on their son, but as a married couple, they lack any kind of attraction towards each other. As a description of the type of life the two lead Byron writes that they spend their time "Wishing each other, not divorced, but dead; They lived respectably as man and wife . . . And gave no outward signs of inward strife" (66). Although it is not visible to anyone else, Donna Inez and Don Jose do not have a quality relationship. Donna Inez even tries to convince people that her husband is mad. When Don Jose dies, Donna Inez takes over the estate and Don Juan is left without a father to guide him.

After the death of his father, Don Juan's education is left to his mother. Don Juan becomes a sheltered hero. Every mother wants to protect her children, but Donna Inez wants to control Don Juan as well. At this time in history women were not involved in a male child's education once he reached a certain age. Donna Inez plans Don Juan's education when causes the first emerging flaw in the hero. Donna Inez feels that her son's education should be more consumed with morals than biology or physiology. When the tutors begin to teach Don Juan about mythology Donna Inez forbids it. As a sixteen-year-old male, Don Juan is not taught the basics of the world, he is only taught what his mother wants him to know. He is educationally unintelligent as well as socially unintelligent. As a result of being under his mother's control, Don Juan is not able to fully experience life and all it can offer.

Instead of being masculine Don Juan is feminized under his mother's influence. He becomes debilitated, a characteristic the conventional hero would not possess. The hero is masculine in ways that common men are not. Where a common man will back down, a hero will step forward. Women will throw themselves at a her, but the hero will pursue only those he feel are worthy. A hero can make women swoon, but in the case of Don Juan the roles are reversed. When Donna Julia, a married, older woman begins to seduce Don Juan he should back away and recognize that having an affair would be wrong. Instead of doing what is right, Don Juan has an affair with Donna Julia. She continually seduces him and he willingly obliges. Instead of being the pursuer, Don Juan is the pursued. If he had a father figure Don Juan would be able to learn about the ideals of marriage. He would know that what he is doing is immoral. His mother kept him away from this side of life with her moral education. Having the affair with Donna Julia, a Moor, Don Juan is not only immoral but is tainted with impure blood.

When two people have an affair, it is almost inevitable that they will be caught; Don Juan and Donna Julia are no exception. In the beginning of the relationship, Donna Julia tries unsuccessfully to forget Don Juan. Don Alfonso discovers his wife is being unfaithful and tries to prove it by gathering a search party to find Don Juan in Don Alfonso's home. While Don Juan is hiding under the covers, Don Alfonso and his lackeys search the room but find no one. The master of the home is forced to stand and look foolish as he tries to fumble with excuses. After the search party leaves, Don Juan comes from hiding and is caught by Don Alfonso. Don Alfonso goes to retrieve his sword, and Donna Julia tells her lover to flee. However, Don Juan is trapped. The two men fight and eventually the hero is forced to escape naked from the house. Don Juan is a reactor. When the situation gets too rough he runs away naked and vulnerable. A hero would never allow himself to look vulnerable or weak. He would stay and fight to the death. How can Don Juan be considered a true hero if he will not take charge of his own life?

Instead of exuding masculinity, Don Juan seems to only exhibit a more feminine side. A sixteen-year-old male cannot be a true man if he is not taught how to be one. Byron writes Don Juan to be an epic hero, something he cannot be. Don Juan is instead a negative hero. Everything that a standard hero is Don Juan is not. He is not brave, this is proven when he runs from the house naked showing his vulnerability. Don Juan is pursued by an older, married woman instead of pursuing her. He is not the man in the relationship because he is at her will at all times. Don Juan acts more like Don Quixote than Odysseus. For this hero nothing seems to go right which Don Juan human. He starts from nothing and is an unsuccessful hero in the beginning. Byron writes his hero from the beginning to prove that a simple person can become a hero. If Don Juan can obtain the masculine characteristics of a hero, it could be possible for him to become a heroic character. Byron may be able to show the reader that a common man can become a hero if he is able to overcome his past.

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