The Prisoner of Chillon: A Fable In A Nutshell George Gordon, Lord Byron was an English poet writing in the early

nineteenth ce ntury. He's one of the central figures in the literary movement called Romantici sm, which began around the turn of the nineteenth century (critics still love to argue about when, exactly, to date the beginning of the movement start dates ra nge from the 1760s to 1800). The Romantic-era writers and poets thought that lit erature needed to be less about rationality and scientific precision, and more a bout human feelings and real, everyday human experience. For some poets (like Wi lliam Wordsworth), this meant focusing on nature and common people. You'll notic e this obsession with nature and human emotions to some extent in pretty much an y Romantic-era poem. Byron was part of the younger generation of poets to take part in this movement, and he was the rock star of the Romantic-period poets. He was wildly popular, a lthough some of his poetry (like his long narrative poem Don Juan) was considere d too scandalous for respectable people to read. Byron's lavish, decadent lifest yle and loose morals made Lady Caroline Lamb famously describe him as "mad, bad, and dangerous to know." He shocked contemporary London with his love affairs an d rumors both of bisexuality and even of an incestuous relationship with his hal f-sister. The final nail in the coffin of his reputation was the legal separatio n from his wife (divorces were hard to come by in those days). His wife's family wasn't pleased, so they helped to spread more scandalous gossip about Byron. Ev entually, he moved out of Britain to continental Europe to escape the nasty rumo rs that were flying around at home. After Byron's separation from his wife in 1816, he ended up settling down near G eneva, in Switzerland. That's where he met the poet Percy Bysshe Shelley, and Sh elley's soon-to-be wife, Mary Godwin (a.k.a. Mary Shelley of Frankenstein fame). Byron's love affairs didn't end when he left England he ended up having an affa ir with Mary Shelley's stepsister, Claire Clairmont, and had an illegitimate dau ghter with her. But Byron wasn't just busy with Claire Clairmont in Switzerland. Inspired, perha ps, by the history and landscape around Lake Geneva, he wrote one of his most fa mous narrative poems, "The Prisoner of Chillon." It's based on the experiences o f a real-life prisoner, Franois Bonnivard. The historical Bonnivard was thrown in prison a couple of times for stirring up the citizens of Geneva against the rul e of Duke Charles III of Savoy, but never for as long a period as the character in Byron's poem. And the historical Bonnivard had a reputation for being a bit o f a jerk, while Byron's character is almost saintly. But Byron wasn't the only p erson who wanted to remember the historical Bonnivard as a martyr for justice an d liberty he was something of a local folk hero around Geneva, in spite of his p ersonality defects. Byron tips us off that we shouldn't read "The Prisoner of Chillon" as factual hi story in the sub-title of the poem he calls it "A Fable" (see the "What's Up wit h the Title?" section for more on that). But the actual history of the poem isn' t as important as the ideas behind it. At the time Byron was writing this poem i n 1816, only twenty years had passed since the French Revolution had created suc h a stir in Europe. Even though most people agreed that the French Revolution ha d spun out of control (an awful lot of innocent people got their heads lopped of f during the Terror), many progressive-minded people, like Byron, still thought the ideas behind the French Revolution Liberty, Equality, and Brotherhood were p retty great. In the opinion of many (Byron included), those were ideals worth dy ing for. The prisoner of Chillon spends his life in prison and watches his broth ers die right next to him for those same basic ideals. Byron never returned to Britain, but he continued to produce poetry until the en

d of his life in 1824. He was only 36 when he died he caught a fever when he was in Greece, helping to fight for Greek independence against Turkey. Although his name was mud in England for a while after he died (those rumors about his half sister and his other affairs were hard to squelch), he was eventually celebrated as a freedom fighter as well as one of the Romantic period's greatest poets. Why Should I Care? "The Prisoner of Chillon" isn't just a romanticized story about a guy who spent most of his adult life in prison. It's about how we adjust to our surroundings: the prisoner is able to survive, even while watching his brothers die alongside him, because he believes in something greater than himself. No, we're not talkin g about religion or spirituality we're talking about the prisoner's political be liefs. He's been thrown in prison for sharing his father's belief in personal fr eedom and liberty. Have you ever been punished for something you didn't do? Or for something you di d do, but that you really and truly believed to be the right thing? Sure, your e xperiences might be on a smaller scale (unless, of course, you've led a patrioti c revolution against tyranny and injustice), but the idea is the same: humans ar e able to survive almost anything, so long as they really and truly believe in t he justice of their cause. Summary of Lord Byron's-'Sonnet on Chillon' Book Review by:akso6o175 Original Author: Andy Kester Sawian Summary ratin g: 4 stars (12 Ratings) Visits : 743 words:600 More About : sonnet on chillon Ads by Google human analysis Unique Annotations for NGS Analysis SNPs, Binding Sites, Disease Genes www.Biobase-International.com Castle X Snow Gear Jackets, Bibs, Pants, Gloves Free Shipping Worldwide Shippin g fullthrottledirtgear.com Villars 4+ Star Apartment Beautiful chalet-style apartment Large terrace, incre dible views www.villarsapartmentrentals.com Lord Byron was a passionate advocate of freedom and liberty and died in Greece w here he joined the cause of freedom. The eternal and everlasting spirit of the chainless mind of a patriot is free even when his body is in chains. The spirit of liberty is at its brightest in prison because it then burns at its intensest . The abode of liberty is the heart in which only love alone can bind together a nd unite the spirit of patriotism. When ardent patriots are captured or arrested they are sent to be kept in the dungeons to stay there indefinitely in the dark ness of a cold prison house. The dirty floor of the dungeon has become an altar of prayer for the imprisoned patriots. The price of freedom will come when the blood of martyrdoms is spilled on the streets. The Castle of Chillon (on the lake of Geneva) is a symbo l of tyranny and oppression because in it many a fighter for freedom was condemn to live in fetters and die. Bonnivard who rose against tyranny was imprisoned t here. Francois de Bonnivard, born in 1496, became prior of the monastery of St. Victor near Geneva, and conspired with a band of ardent patriots of that city to throw off the yoke of the Duke of Savoy and establish a free republic. For this he was twice imprisoned by the Duke; his second imprisonment was in the Castle of Chillon and lasted from 1530-1536. Ads by Google

Test HSC Potency Effective HTS Assays for Testing Lympho-Hematopoietic Stem Cel ls www.neuromics.com Alpine Center The Swiss Business School for Hotel & Tourism Management Educatio n www.alpine.edu.gr Byron says that the mind of a lover of freedom remains free even when in prison because the seat of freedom is the heart which nothing but the lo ve of God can ever bind. The judgment of God shall fall upon the blood-thirsty t yrannies. The spirit of freedom burns brightest when the body is in chains and t he nation gains freedom through the martyrdom of chained patriots. It moves and flies to the hearts of every patriot like the endless blow of the wind and infl uence their minds. They become even more determine to fight back when the moveme nt is brutally suppressed by the tyrant. Bonnivard has turned the prison into a church by his sacred presence. Source: http://www.shvoong.com/books/poetry/2016472-summary-lord-byron-sonnet-ch illon/#ixzz1dHTHE6Sx

This poem dramatizes the conflict between liberty and tyranny, specifically in i nstances where tyrannical forces attempt to squelch liberty by imprisoning those who champion her virtues. The speaker presents a paradox in the beginning of th e poem, Eternal Spirit of the chainless mind!/Brightest in dungeons, Liberty, tho u art,--For there thy habitation is the heart,-- (1,2,3). The speaker personifies liberty and explains the paradox as the poem continues. Liberty is described as a living woman whose sons (5) are consigned, to...dayless gloom (5/6). In this gloo m however, love of thee alone can bind (4). The speaker creates a long metaphor in which to win, tyranny must make men turn their hearts against their mother. Sonnet on Chillon is an Italian Sonnet. This form is important because conflict is settled at the end of the octet. After setting up the conflict and paradox, a nd presenting the metaphor of liberty as a beloved mother who must be betrayed b y her children in order for tyranny to triumph, the speaker ends the octet sayin g Their country conquers with their martyrdom, And freedom's fame finds wings on every wind. (7/8). Tyranny, by locking up liberty's sons in damp vaults (6) succeed s only in creating martyrs whose example inspires the people, leading to their d ownfall.

The rhyme scheme in the octet follows the pattern of a typical Italian Sonnet, A , B, B, A, B, C, C, B. The first quatrain uses auditory rhymes Mind! (1) and bind (4 ), art (2) and heart (3). The second quatrain though, is all site rhymes, consigned ( ) and wind (8), gloom (6) and martyrdom (7). This auditory dissonance forces the read r to slow down by breaking the rhythm of of the poem, making the reader think mo re about the speaker's message and acknowledge the seriousness of the speakers i ntent. After placing the reader in a position of finality, with the conflict already re solved and the speakers views made clear, the use of the Italian Form allows the speaker to continue. The sextet begins, Chillon! (9). The exclamation grabs the r eaders attention, telling him that the speaker has more to say; ...thy prison is a holy place (9). After using the octet to illustrate what could be a hypothetica l situation of tyrannical oppression, the speaker declares boldly as the poem go es on that the situation is real, describing the prison as a holy place (9) whose a ltar (10) was consecrated by the steps (11) that left a trace...as if thy cold pavem ent were a sod, (11/12). The reader now knows that the prison is real, and that t he martyr is real and has been imprisoned so long as to wear through stone by wa

lking upon it's surface. The speaker then names his martyr;

...Bonnivard! (13).

The sextet follows as simple rhyme scheme, D, E, D, E, D, E with all rhymes bein g auditory place (9) trace (11) efface (13) and trod (10) sod (12) God (14). Th ward rhyme scheme, combined with the exclamation points at the beginning of line s 9, 13 and 14 give the sextet a quick rising rhythm that creates excitement, en ticing the reader to the speakers cause. The speaker ends with For they appeal! F rom tyranny to God. (14), halting the rising rhythm at a high place and purposely ending both the poem and his appeal to the reader with an appeal to God. The sp eaker leaves the reader swayed to his cause, if not by the rising fervent pace o f the sextet, then by appeal to a higher metaphysical authority.