Manfred Totally Explained

Everything about Manfred totally explained

ť For the king of Sicily, see Manfred of Sicily.

Manfred is a dramatic poem written in 1816–1817 by Lord Byron. It contains supernatural elements, in keeping with the popularity of the ghost story in England at the time. It is a typical example of a Romantic closet drama. Manfred was adapted musically by Robert Schumann in 1852, in a composition entitled Manfred: Dramatic Poem with music in Three Parts, and later by Pyotr Tchaikovsky in his Manfred Symphony, Op. 58, as well as by Carl Reinecke. Friedrich Nietzsche was impressed by the poem's depiction of a super-human being, and wrote some music for it.

Plot

Manfred is a Faustian noble living in the Bernese Alps. Internally tortured by some mysterious guilt, which has to do with the death of his most beloved, Astarte, he uses his mastery of language and spell-casting to summon seven spirits, from whom he seeks forgetfulness. (Some speculate that the relationship between him and Astarte is incestuous, and/or that Manfred had either murdered Astarte or that she'd committed suicide, but this isn't made explicit in the play, though the implicit suggestions are quite strong). The spirits, who rule the various components of the world, are unable to control past events and thus can't grant Manfred's plea. For some time, fate prevents him from escaping his guilt through suicide. At the end, Manfred dies defying religious temptations of redemption from sin. Throughout the play, he succeeds in challenging all authoritative powers he comes across, and chooses death over submitting to spirits of higher powers. Manfred directs his final words to the Abbot, remarking, "Old man! 't isn't so difficult to die."

Biographic relevance

Manfred was written shortly after the failure of Byron's marriage to Annabelle Milbanke, who most likely accused him of an incestuous relationship with his half-sister Augusta Leigh. At the time, he'd exiled himself permanently from England and was living at the Villa Diodati in Switzerland. Most of Manfred was written on a tour through the Bernese Alps in September 1816. The third act was rewritten in February 1817 since Byron wasn't happy with its first version. Manfred shows some influence by Goethe's Faust, which Byron only read or heard in translation, but it's by no means a simple copy.

In performance

Manfred has received much more attention on stage for its musical treatments by Tchaikovsky and Schumann than it has on its own dramatic terms, even though it seems likely that Byron wrote the title role for Edmund Kean. There are no recorded full stagings in Britain in the twentieth century, but readings are more popular, partly because of the difficulty of staging a play set in the Alps. The exceptional size of the role of Manfred also makes the play difficult to cast. There was a production on BBC Radio 3 in 1988, however, which starred Ronald Pickup as Manfred.

Characters

Manfred
Chamois Hunter
Abbot of St. Maurice
Manuel
Herman
Witch of the Alps
Arimanes
Nemesis
The Destinies
The Seven Spirits

Scenes

ACT I

SCENE I: MANFRED alone. -- Scene, a Gothic Gallery. -- Time, Midnight.
SCENE II: The Mountain of the Jungfrau. -- Time, Morning.-- MANFRED alone upon the Cliffs.

ACT II

SCENE I: A Cottage amongst the Bernese Alps. MANFRED and the CHAMOIS HUNTER.
SCENE II: A lower Valley in the Alps.-- A Cataract.
SCENE III: The Summit of the Jungfrau Mountain.
SCENE IV: The Hall of ARIMANES.-- ARIMANES on his Throne, a Globe of Fire, surrounded by the SPIRITS.

ACT III

SCENE I: A Hall in the Castle of Manfred.
SCENE II: Another Chamber. MANFRED and HERMAN.
SCENE III: The Mountains.-- The Castle of MANFRED at some distance.-- A Terrace before a Tower.-- Time, Twilight. HERMAN, MANUEL, and other Dependants of MANFRED.
SCENE IV: Interior of the Tower.

Manfred in literature

It is interesting to note that the character Manfred was mentioned by Alexandre Dumas in his erudite novel The Count of Monte Cristo, where the Count declares: "No, no, I wish to do away with that mysterious reputation that you've given me, my dear viscount; it's tiresome to be always acting Manfred. I wish my life to be free and open."
   Indeed, the Count of Monte Cristo is quite similar to Manfred, in that he wants to keep his past a secret, feels superior to social conventions, and is following an agenda that runs counter to the social mores.
   The 'Count of Monte Cristo' was completed in 1844, just two decades after the tragic death of Lord Byron.
   On page 61 of The Crying of Lot 49 by Thomas Pynchon, Di Presso seems to refer (perhaps by accident) to Metzger as Manfred.
   Wikisource Manfred Poem - link http://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Manfred,_a_dramatic_poem

Further Information

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