The Politics of Byron and Alfred de Musset: Marino Faliero and Lorenzaccio

Abstract

The impact of the life and works of Lord Byron on Alfred de Musset (1810–1857), a French writer of the next generation, has been widely acknowledged since Musset's first collection of poetry appeared in 1829. But Musset's deeper engagement with Byron in his later works merits further attention. This article examines Musset's major political play, Lorenzaccio (1834), in relation to Byron's drama Marino Faliero (1821), focusing on the similarities between the political issues they raise: how, and whether, political change can be effected; the validity of the motivations of those seeking change; the potential or otherwise for solidarity among different classes; what is at stake in revolutionary violence; the relationship between words and action in a political context. I argue that a comparison of the two highlights the extreme pessimism of Musset's play, as such positives as Byron's text offers are negated by that of Musset.