Hero Dust: Byron's Napoleonic Dramatis Personae

With Napoleon's abdication in 1814, the man Byron had idolized since his youth meets an inglorious end, and with him, Byron's hopes for a new age.

In 'Ode to Napoleon Buonaparte' (1814), Byron summons a cast of characters from history, mythology, fact and fable, searching for some counterpart for Napoleon who can 'dazzle and dismay', and represent both the best and worst of humanity.

In a final twist, however, less than a year since the Ode, Napoleon escapes from exile in a sensational return to power. As he looms over Europe again, how will Byron's characterizations hold up?

Join Toby Lucas, from Durham University, to find out more.

This event is a partnership between Keats House and the Byron Society.