Romantic Hero
By Aaron Schwartz
Nineteenth century was called the century of contradictions. It was the century when many countries in Europe and in America began to build democratic societies; it was till when lots of nations were getting more and more liberties from their absolute and monarchic governments and when industry and technology were developing faster and faster. It caused the appearance of new sets of values, as a new culture was becoming more and more materialist. People were more involved in business, trade and development of economics than ever before. Few were getting richer and richer but the majority remained to be over the poverty line. Many farmers were getting bankrupts and had to start working on factories and plants where conditions of labor were unbearable. Capitalists cared very little about conditions of labor and only cared about their personal profits. That’s why it influenced on morality as well, as people began to consider virtues as sense of duty, faithfulness, and friendship and love to be out-dated and began to substitute them by materialist, selfish and mercantile values. This social crisis impacted literature and culture as well. Most of progressive writers so no ideals no good in contemporary society so they wanted to escape to the times when spiritual values and such senses as love and faithfulness on the hand with decency and duty were of the main importance.
They began to glorify medieval knights, noble robbers and sailors, who represented the image of honor, decency and high morality. Romantic writers wanted to create an image of an ideal hero who posses all essential human qualities and teach the reader whom they have to look at.
The most famous romantic writers G.G. Byron and Walter Scott had created a standard for the romantic hero in their novels.
Child Harold of Byron is a lonely person, who is disappointed in the whole world in society and in his country. His emotional problems disappear when he points his attention to Europe that was fighting against tyranny. Child Harold represents the protest against inhuman world, against persecution, lack of freedom and what is the most important Child Harold has a feeling of his guilt in it, which makes him to fight against evils of society.
Aivengo of Walter Scott was personification of favor, generosity and nobility. Aivengo was an arm holder of Richard lion Heart an English king who lived in the times of crusades. This romantic hero remains to be popular all over the world, as he represented all qualities of a brave, courage, honorable and generous man. He was faithful to his king, and to the lady of his heart.
Some romantic heroes of many Walter Scott’s novels are not similar to usual concept of the hero. His hero Rob-Roy, a robber from Scottish clan of Macgregor doesn’t looks like common robbers and criminals. He robs only rich and mean people, who oppress common Scottish peasants. Rob-Roy is a rebeller against unfair laws, against absolute power of English feudalism and against tyranny. He fights for independence and triumph of justice and liberty.
But still the paradox and pathos of many romantic figure is that they loved and sympathized to humanity and to all persecuted, unhappy people but at the same time he despised the society where he lived and felt to be alienated. Another moral paradox of romantic literature is that it creates a hero, a personality with firm character and high moral, who is passionate, lonely and who rejects the laws, others obey. This hero is opposed to the crowd; the image of this hero shows the high value of personality. Romantics sharply understood contradictory nature between an ideal and reality, they stood for human right for freedom and justice.
Romantic heroes do always conflict with society and that’s why they feel lonely and feel to bee strangers.