The Byronic Hero is a variant of the Romantic Hero who possesses an "expression indicating a mixture of contempt and sadness"[1] and whose behavior is unpredictable, "moodyly taciturn and violently explosive".[2] However, the Byronic hero has a redeeming characteristic or quality that earns him the title "hero". Leslie Fielder defines "the villain hero as an invention of the Gothic form" and thus connects to the Gothic as his "temptation, suffering, the beauty and terror of his slavery to evil are among its major themes." The Byronic hero originates from the archetypal 18th century man of feeling, Lord Byron.[4] The protagonists, Heathcliff and Erik, both exercise some of these traits in their physical appearance, mannerisms and relationships with other characters, as well as the settings associated with them. Conversely, some might argue that they take on the role of a gothic antagonist, specifically Erik, and thus is presented as a satanic hero through his actions and appearance. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay While Brontë illustrated Heathcliff with the physical appearance of a Byronic hero, Erik, it could be argued, is given the appearance of a Gothic antagonist by Leroux. Erik's “strange, pale, fantastic face” is covered by a mask to hide “a face so pale, so dismal, and so ugly” covered in “terrible dead flesh.” The grotesque imagery of his description evokes in the reader a response of revulsion befitting that of an antagonist. The structured narration of the story, however, suggests that Erik's appearance as a villain may be largely exaggerated by the narrator as was stereotypically done by theater people. Leroux repeatedly associates the words “death” and “skeleton” with Erik, underlining his connection with hell, with death and with the supernatural, a classic characteristic of the Gothic protagonist and the Byronic hero. While Erik's appearance is one of horror and death, Heathcliff's physical appearance is typical of a Byronic hero who demonstrates a "mixture of contempt and sadness" as he is described as a "dark-skinned gypsy" with "deep eyebrows and eyes full of black fire." .” Victorian readers would have rejected Heathcliff as a savage outcast due to their prejudices against those other than white Englishmen, choosing to see him as a demon and a villain. Brontë portrays this in the novel through Nelly's initial rejection of Heathcliff as a boy solely based on his "dirty and ragged" appearance and the "half-civilized ferocity" that "hid" in his eyebrows. However, most modern audiences are no longer influenced by this nature of prejudice and therefore can sympathize with Heathcliff's character instead of rejecting him. It could also be argued that Heathcliff's undying love for Cathy is his redeeming and humanising quality and therefore, unlike Erik, he is a Byronic hero rather than a villain. However, to some extent it is Erik's appearance that creates sympathy in the reader as his character recalls how his mother would "never...let him kiss her" and would run away and "throw her mask at him." Her mother's rejection allows us to psychologically understand her character's actions which become evident in her character's admiration for Christine's "beauty" and "grace of manners". Thus, his actions are no longer intrinsically evil but have a pitiful and painful cause that presents him, like Heathcliff, as a menacing Byronic hero. Alternatively it can be argued that through the ways andErik's actions He is presented as a satanic hero for his actions. they are “great or disastrous”. The Satanic Hero, for some critics, has no difference from the Byronic Hero, but for others the Satanic Hero's actions are much more evil. Erik's murder of Joseph Buquet is an example of such an act, and the image of him as a "serpent... dragging himself about the floor" and "hissing, incoherent words" allude to the serpent in Paradise Lost , a classic satanic hero, and illustrate Erik's feelings of torment and pain. However, corresponding to the description of a Byronic hero's actions as "violently explosive", the actions attributed to Erik are fantastically dramatized by Leroux using imagery. grotesque and pitiful in which he "tangle[ed] his dead fingers in [Christine's] hair". The use of the word “dead” also implies that Erik is robbed of his feelings and senses and is therefore presented as a antagonist Similarly, Heathcliff's outbursts are associated with Cathy, his female match, and reflect his character's conflicting emotions towards her as "his violent nature was not prepared to endure the appearance of impertinence. from someone he seemed to hate." Scholars, however, sympathize with Heathcliff and ascertain that his "demonic behavior... evolve[s] from his history of deprivation." Nelly Dean and the Persian. This would cast doubt on their objectivity. Both characters, however, present an alter ego of themselves in which they adopt low-key, shadow-like, dignified personas. Stevie Davies[6] states that the alter-ego is a theme in Wuthering Heights that contributes to Brontë's “critique of so-called civilized behaviour” in which other characters continue to reject Heathcliff even though his “manners were even dignified: entirely free of roughness. " While Heathcliff's character becomes "disinclined to society" and "increasingly otherworldly, lost in the land of ghosts"[7] after Cathy's death, in the second half of the novel Erik's character becomes more passionate, his "emotion … so big”, in conflict with his shadowy ways at the beginning of the novel in which he “followed them” adopting ghostly ways. Leroux can thus present him as the “Phantom of the Opera” and make clear his connection with the supernatural, common characteristic in that of a Gothic protagonist However, it is this later emotion shown towards Christine's character that some might argue is her redeeming quality as it liberates her and therefore she is a hero, even though her actions are arguably presented as satanic. as he originally imprisoned her. However, it is possible that Leroux is adhering to 18th century ideals of a Byronic Romantic hero who was "a man of feelings", linking Erik to Lord Byron and the Romantic movement. It is evident that the structure of Heathcliff and Erik's behavior is mirrored. The reader is introduced to Heathcliff's background story from the beginning of the novel, where his response can be pity or empathy. As the novel progresses and Heathcliff becomes quieter and harsher in his treatment of the second generation, he becomes less of a hero and more of a villain. Leroux structures Phantom in the opposite way, starting with Erik's character as an evil mystery and only introducing his story-building piety much later in the narrative, so Erik goes from being a Gothic antagonist to being presented as a Byronic hero towards the epilogue. the relationships between the protagonists and the female characters have a significant impact on the reader's reception of them being Byronic heroes who earn "the reader's sympathies". "reveals a strong desire for dissolution of the self", where Catherine states:"I am Heathcliff" and Heathcliff states that Catherine is "his soul, his life". life and suggests that after his death, Heathcliff will become soulless and lifeless and an antagonist without moral conscience – a villain. This could also be why Heathcliff has to die as he has no life without her. With both characters, what matters is the relationship between them and their paired character triggers their sporadic emotions. Some argue that Brontë does this to maintain her criticism of society in the Victorian era since "the anomalous love between Catherine Earnshaw and Heathcliff discharges a rebellious energy against norms and laws"[10] and therefore Catherine and Heathcliff must be separated, the that Brontë faces Catherine's death as punishment for their transgressions. Brontë's critics observe that she tends to "prefer the more problematic Byronic hero-villains" since they threaten the "fiercely defended independence" of her heroines, their soul mates. independence by naming her "Christine the victim" and banning her from marrying. Christine's character thus becomes the damsel in distress and since Erik is limiting her freedom, Leroux presents him as the villain, who the hero must defeat. Alternatively, Heathcliff's character has the potential to limit Cathy's independence should they marry, but they do not and so he remains a Byronic hero. Brontë uses structures with Gothic elements to "mirror states of psychological stress and release in the characters". The same technique is used by Leroux. The landscape of Wuthering Heights is described as “artfully personified”. This may be due to Brontë's use of contrasting pairs between her settings, which inwardly reveal more about the characters associated with them. Wuthering Heights and Thrushcross Grange are associated with opposite characters, Heathcliff and Edgar Linton. Wuthering Heights from the beginning of the narrative is given a dark aura, although it is ambiguous whether this is because Heathcliff's character is associated with it, or whether it is inherently so and thus Heathcliff's character becomes more otherworldly. What is evident is that Brontë uses the pathetic fallacy of “deeply recessed” narrow windows, “stormy weather” and Gothic elements of buildings combined with the repetition of the 'H' names of “characters of the heights”, such as Hindley, Hareton , Heathcliff, implying that they are “reflections of others” to “increase the aura of strangeness” and ambiguity that surrounds Heathcliff's character and which confirms his presentation as a Byronic hero.[13] Alternatively, the romantic imagery of the opera house is associated with Erik. Theater is associated with the sublime and so this is where the ghost resides because, as noted earlier, his behavior and manner embrace extreme passionate emotions. As in the case of Heathcliff, it is ambiguous whether it is Erik who enhances this sublimation in the theater or vice versa. Leroux also exploits the gothic characteristics of Erik's character by associating him with ghostly settings such as the cemetery which gives a "glimpse of life among the dead... because death was all around him". Leroux accentuates this link by repeatedly alluding to the Raising of Lazarus,[14] emphasizing the possibility of the return of the dead and thus increasing the reader's suspicions about Erik's character and his origins, allowing Leroux to explain his origins later in the novel. . While Erik's character resides in the cellars, an environment associated with villains (and the fact that he is underground links him to Satan), and hides from the judgment and hatred of society, Wuthering Heights is a symbol of strength and resistance, a reflection of Heathcliff's attitude. character as a hero. Ultimately, Erik and Heathcliff are romantic heroes who, through their appearances and"..