Not the average hero

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,
The age discovers he is not the true one; . . .” (623).

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 almos...