The Byronic Hero (a variant of Romantic Hero) possesses an “expression of contempt or gloom”[1]; and whose behavior is unpredictable. [2] However, the Byronic Hero possesses a redeeming feature or quality that earns his title of ‘hero. Leslie Fielder’s definition of the “heroevil” is that it is an invention of a Gothic form. He also links to the gothic by describing the “temptation, suffering and beauty of his bondage, to evil, as its main themes.” [3] Lord Byron, an eighteenth-century archetype of “man of feelings,” was the inspiration for the Byronic heroine. Heathcliff (the protagonist) and Erik (the antagonist) both exhibit a few of these traits. However, there are those who argue that Erik and Heathcliff play the Gothic antagonist role and are presented as Satanic Heroes through their appearances and actions.
Bronte depicted Heathcliff as a Byronic Hero. However, Leroux gives Erik the appearance of a gothic antagonist. Erik’s “strange and wan face” is disguised by a mask that hides his “terrible dead flesh”-covered face. This evokes an aversion in the reader, which is typical of an antagonist. Although the story is structured in a way that suggests Erik may have been portrayed as a villain, it could be exaggerated by Leroux, as theatre folk are known to do. Leroux frequently associates Erik with the words “death”, “skeleton”, and emphasizes his connection to hell and death, a characteristic of the Gothic protagonist, and the Byronic hero. While Erik’s exterior is full of terror and death, Heathcliff displays a Byronic Hero’s physical appearance. Leroux repeatedly associates the words “death” and “skeleton” with Erik, highlighting his connection to hell, to death and to the supernatural. Victorian readers would have rejected Heathcliff due to prejudices against non-white Englishmen, preferring to see him as a ghoulish villain. Bronte shows this through Nelly’s initial rejection of Heathcliff’s character as a boy. This was solely due to his “dirty, grungy” appearance and the “half civilized ferocity that “lurked” between his eyebrows. Most modern audiences don’t have the same prejudices and are more likely to sympathize with Heathcliff than to reject him. It is possible to argue that Heathcliff is a Byronic Hero because of his undying love for Cathy. Although Erik’s character is sympathetic, it is his appearance that makes the reader feel sympathy. In his story, he recounts how his mother wouldn’t let him kiss her, and how he would instead run away and throw his mask. Or, one could argue that Erik’s actions, and his manner, make him a Satanic Hero. His actions, according to some, are no different from the Byronic Hero. But, others believe the actions of the Satanic Hero are more sinister. Erik’s act of murdering Joseph Buquet in Paris is an example. His image as a “snake… dragging himself about on a floor” and “hissing insane, incoherent language” alludes directly to the classic Satanic Hero, the serpent of Paradise Lost. Erik’s pain and suffering are evident. Leroux uses grotesque imagery to dramatize Erik’s attributed actions. His “violently explosive” actions correspond with the description that a Byronic Hero makes. Erik “twist[ed]his dead fingers into [Christine]’s] hair,” which implies that Erik has been deprived of his feelings and senses. Heathcliff’s outbursts also have Cathy as a female counterpart and are indicative of his conflicting emotions towards Cathy.
His violent nature did not allow him to bear the appearance of impertinence from someone whom he appeared to hate.” Scholars however sympathize with Heathcliff and know that Erik’s “demonic behaviour” is a result of his history in deprivation.[5] Their objectivity would be in question. The alter-egos of both characters are discreet, shadowy, and dignified. Stevie Davies[6] argues alter-ego is a theme from Wuthering Heights. This theme contributes in Bronte’s “critique o so-called civilised conduct” where other characters continue their rejection of Heathcliff. Erik’s emotion… so great conflicts with Heathcliff’s shadowlike manner at beginning of the book, where he followed them and adopted a ghostly manner. Leroux allows Heathcliff to be introduced as the “Opera Ghost” and to make clear his connection with the supernatural, which is a common trait in gothic protagonists. Some may argue that Christine’s later emotion is what redeems him. Although he frees her and becomes a hero, his actions are portrayed as being as evil as his imprisonment. Leroux could, however, be sticking to eighteenth-century ideals as a Romantic Byronic Hero. He is “a man that feels”, linking Erik to Lord Byron. It is obvious that Erik’s and Heathcliff are mirrored in their behaviour. Heathcliff’s history is told to the reader at the beginning of the book. They may respond with pity, or even empathy. Heathcliff’s treatment towards the second generation becomes harsher and quieter over time. Leroux frames Phantom in the other way. He introduces Erik’s pity creating history as an evil mystery to Erik, and starts him as a villain. Erik becomes a Byronic Hero towards the end.
The relationships between protagonists and female characters can have a profound impact on the reader’s perception of them.[8] Bronte uses Heathcliff’s character pairing with Cathy to illustrate a relationship where Heathcliff declares that Catherine is his soul, his life, and that Heathcliff, without her, will be soulless, lifeless, and without a moral consciousness – a villain. Heathcliff must die because he cannot live without her. Both characters are driven by their relationships with their paired characters. Bronte may have done this to continue her criticism of Victorian society. Heathcliff and Catherine Earnshaw’s “anomalous love”[10] makes it clear that Catherine and Heathcliff must be separated. Bronte punishes them by executing Catherine. Critics of Bronte state that she favors the “more problematic Byronic heroine-villains”, as they pose a threat to the “fiercely defended independance” of her heroines, which is what Heathcliff does. [10] Leroux also uses Erik to constrain the damsel, calling her “Christine” and forbidding her marriage. Christine’s character is made into the damsel of distress. Erik then restricts Christine’s freedom and Leroux makes him the villain who the hero must defeat. Alternately Heathcliff could be a constraint on Cathy’s independence if she marries, but that is not the case and he remains a Byronic Hero.
Bronte employs gothic structures to “mirror state of psychological stress in the characters.” [12] Leroux uses the same technique. The Wuthering Heights landscape is described as being “artfully personified.”
This may be due Bronte’s preference for contrasting settings. The contrasts reveal more about the characters in them. Thrushcross Grange and Wuthering Heights are both associated with Edgar Linton and Heathcliff, who are opposing characters. The beginning of the story gives Wuthering Heights a dark aura. It is unclear if this is due to Heathcliff or because Heathcliff is associated with it. It is clear that Bronte employs the pathetic fallacy that narrow windows and stormy weather are used in the story. This is combined with repeated ‘H’ names for the “heights characters, like Heathcliff, Hareton and Hindley to “increase an aura of strangeness” surrounding Heathcliff’s character, which confirms his status as a Byronic Hero. Erik is also associated by the romantic imagery found at the opera house. The theatre is associated to the sublime. As such, it is the place where Erik resides. It’s unclear whether Erik, or Heathcliff, enhances the subliminal experience in theatre. Leroux uses Erik’s gothic traits to associate him with revenant settings. Leroux does this by frequently allude to the Resurrection of Lazarus[14], which increases the reader’s suspicions of Erik. Leroux can then explain Erik’s origins later in Leroux’s novel. Erik is in the cellars where villains lurk, hiding from society’s judgments and hatred. Wuthering Heights on the other side is a symbol to strength and endurance.
In the end Erik and Heathcliff can be described as Romantic Heroes. They are represented by their reactions and appearances as Byronic Heroes. Sympathy, which is a major response to Byronic Heroes, is a common reaction to these characters. Because modern readers feel sympathy for their exclusions from society both are Byronic Heroes. These characters are often set in dark, gothic or romantic settings. They have an aura that is mysterious and are therefore hero-villains. Contemporaries and modern readers who embrace the Enlightenment period will seek out logic and reason behind the fantastical and sublime settings. The aura of mystery and weirdness that was lost is now gone. But their differences begin in the way they behave. Although their manners are similar in structure, it is possible to argue that Erik’s behavior with Leroux is more harsh, especially in Christine’s relationship. Erik is therefore labelled a murderer. Erik is not a Byronic Hero. However, he is a Satanic Hero who acts iniquitously, and whose circumstances earn him pity. Many critics agree that Heathcliff should be presented solely as a Byronic Hero. Erik in large part is a Satanic Hero.
