The Appeal of the Byronic Hero

Byronic heroes/heroines are quite similar to anti-heroes in that he/she lacks traditional heroic qualities, as well as appearing arrogant, cynical, moody, intelligent, mysterious, rebellious, educated, usually an outcast, jaded, perceptive, and emotionally conflicted to name a few characteristics. More and more in modern society we are seeing Byronic heroes/heroines as the protagonist of a story. The reason Byronic heroes are so appealing is that they have traits that many people can identify with easily. Often, people tend to see negative qualities in themselves. It's easier for people to see the negative traits they have (either physical traits or personality traits) rather than the positive. Byronic heroes are very self-critical and they recognize their faults, so it is easy for people to identify with that self-critical feeling.Byronic heroes are characters who aren't perfect, but they do have many appealing qualities as well. This allows audience members to not only connect with them, but to want to be like them as well. Byronic heroes are smart, they're often good looking and educated, and we want to emulate them. Audiences can relate to Byronic heroes with their roles as outcasts as well, since almost everybody has felt like they don't belong or fit in at one point or another.

Elsa from Disney's Frozen

Two great example of Byronic heroines in modern storytelling are the characters Elphaba from the musical and book Wicked, and Elsa from the new Disney movie Frozen. Both Elphaba and Elsa struggle with their roles in society. Elphaba is a young woman who has been an outcast for her entire life due to her green skin, and this isolation is magnified when she realizes she has magical powers. Elphaba is awkward, bossy, green, introverted, blunt, and can even be a little mean at times. Yet audience members around the world absolutely love her and relate to her so much even though she's the wicked witch of the west. The trick to a good Byronic hero is giving them enough good qualities to distinguish them from a villain/antagonist. Besides these seemingly negative qualities, Elphaba has many positive qualities as well. She's smart, courageous, brave, unusually beautiful, kind and gentle, passionate, and stands up for what she believes in. Elsa from Frozen is another great example of a Byronic heroine. She becomes an outcast in her own kingdom for being different and having powers to control ice and snow. Elsa is quiet, introverted, can come off cold, and more, but audiences around the world have fallen in love with her movie because of how much she loves her sister and nearly ruined her life to protect her sister and the people in her kingdom. Stories no longer revolve around the perfect hero anymore, instead more and more Byronic heroes are cropping up in stories because of their reliability to a world full of insecurity. Byronic heroes give us hope that one day, people will learn to love the awkward, flawed outcasts we see in ourselves.

P.S. Just for fun, here are the anthems sung by these two awesome Byronic heroes