George Gordon Lord Byron's "Don Juan"
Byron's Use of Satire and Political Commentary
Oct 24, 2008 Cicely A. Richard
Satire is an effective writing technique used to expose faults in society and utilizes humor as a mirror through which the world looks at itself. Instead of taking social norms and vices as seriously as many critics, satirists view the ideals of the world as sometimes ludicrous or not always as it seems. They wish to turn the world upside down and make people question their preconceived ideas about the way the world works.
In the poem "Don Juan," George Gordon Lord Byron deviated from the common perception of the notorious lover, Don Juan, and paints him as a man on whom women prey. Additionally, he takes a satiric look at politics and the arts of his time. In this poem, Byron illustrates the effectiveness of satire as a literary device.
Many writers believe that they should use their talents as a way to voice their opinions of the political climate that exists in the world around them and bring order to a chaotic world. In "Don Juan," Byron satirizes individuals who carry such high ideals of their writing. Particularly, he mocks Poet Laureate, Robert Southey and the other Lake Poets for their politics, pretensions and poetry. He says, "You're a poet - Poet-laureate, And representative of all the race, Although 't is true that you turn'd out a Tory at Last, - yours has lately been a common case."
In this verse, Byron makes light of Southey and his colleagues for their arrogant views that they are the voice of the people, that their words are representative of the thought of all humankind. Thus, the use of satire in this section of his poetry points out the foolish thinking of these artists. Satire is the fertile soil on which writers deposit seed of doubt in the public’s mind.
The use of satire as a form of political commentary causes the public to look objectively at politics and politicians. In this poetic work, Byron insults the Foreign Secretary, Castlereagh, calling him an "intellectual eunuch Cold-blooded, smooth-faced, placid miscreant The vulgarest tool that Tyranny could want." By referring to Castlereagh a eunuch, Byron creates doubts about his competency or effectiveness as a leader.
Not only does Byron question the Foreign Secretary's abilities as a leader, he questions his intentions as a leader, calling him a troublemaker and a tool of tyranny. Consequently, people who read this literary work may take a closer look at this politician to see if there are nuggets of truth in Byron’s words.
Satire is an effective way to enlighten people about things that may otherwise be taken for granted. It is successful because the humor makes people take a lighter look at serious matters. So, when others finish absorbing the words of the satirist, they begin to think about the information presented to them. For that reason, Byron's use of satire is instrumental the success of "Don Juan."
Lord Byron
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