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Scandalous Affairs
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By the end of this lesson, you will be able to evaluate different kinds of celebrity house.
PROFESSOR:Fame and infamy—have been around longer than the paparazzi, Hollywood or the tabloid gossip sheets. However, I think the two go hand in hand and are especially interesting when the famous and infamous individual is blessed with great talent. George Gordon Byron, 6th Baron Byron, fits this description perfectly. He was a British poet, born in 1787 and died at only 37 years of age in 1824 in Greece whilst taking part in the struggle for Greek independence against the Ottoman Empire. He was famous for his poetry and courage but also infamous for his love affairs.
PROFESSOR1:In a quote that has endured into the 21st century, Lady Caroline Lamb described him as "mad, bad, and dangerous to know". So, does he deserve this reputation? Without doubt, I think he does. Byron was, to say the least, emotionally precocious. He developed a passion for Mary Duff when he was a mere boy of eight and this was to set the tone of his "sentimental education".
PROFESSOR2:But it was the affair with Lady Caroline Lamb that earned him his scandalous reputation. Apart from the fact that she was already married, their affair was well-publicized and the flamboyance of their indiscretion shocked the strait laced British public. She was emotionally disturbed and even after he tired of her she publicly pursued him, calling at his home dressed as a page boy. 19th century British society was rigid and conventional and this type of behavior could've destroyed them both. As if this wasn't enough, there were rumors of licentiousness, and so, in 1816 he left England, to escape the censure of British society, and never returned. He lived in Switzerland and Italy and continued writing prolifically, in particular 'Childe Harold' and his magnum opus "Don Juan".
PROFESSOR3:In 1823 he joined the Greek independence movement and sailed from Genoa on the ship "Hercules", arriving at Kefalonia in the Ionian Islands on the 4th of August before sailing to Messolonghi to join the rebel army under Alexandros Mavrokordatos. Byron died of fever on 19th of April 1824. Byron's charisma, wild public image and physical beauty made him a 19th century rock star. His fame is considered a precursor of modern celebrity. His wife Annabella described the hysteria surrounding him as "Byromania" and the term "Byronic" is used to describe a heroic type who is flawed but possesses great talent; who is passionate, rebellious, arrogant and ultimately self-destructive and this became the blueprint for modern anti heroes and bad boys whose images adorn magazine covers and the tabloids.
