Don Juan · Chapter
Canto VII explained
Byron opens with a meditation on the fleeting nature of love and glory, then turns to the siege of Ismail, introducing the fortress's layout and the arrival of Field-Marshal Suwarrow.
What happens
Byron opens with a meditation on the fleeting nature of love and glory, then turns to the siege of Ismail, introducing the fortress's layout and the arrival of Field-Marshal Suwarrow. He satirizes war, heroism, and public enthusiasm, detailing the preparations for the assault and the cynical politics behind it.
Themes in this chapter
War and Violence
The canto focuses on the siege of Ismail, detailing the brutality and absurdity of war, with Byron's satirical commentary on military glory.
Satire of Society
Byron mocks public enthusiasm for war, the glorification of generals, and the fickleness of fame, comparing heroes to butchers.
Illusion and Reality
The opening stanzas question the reality of love and glory, presenting them as fleeting illusions, while the siege itself contrasts heroic narratives with grim facts.
Characters to notice
Key passages
“Oh, ye great bulletins of Bonaparte! Oh, ye less grand long lists of killed and wounded!”
Byron contrasts the grand reports of Napoleon with the grim casualty lists, highlighting the disparity between heroic narrative and bloody reality.
Satirizes the glorification of war through official dispatches.
“Let there be Light! said God, and there was Light! Let there be Blood! says man, and there's a sea!”
Byron parallels the divine creation of light with man's destructive command for bloodshed, emphasizing war's evil.
Highlights the theme of war and violence as a perversion of divine order.
“Souls of immortal Generals! Phoebus watches To colour up his rays from your despatches.”
The sun god Apollo draws inspiration from the reports of famous generals, mocking the way history romanticizes military leaders.
Satirizes the illusion of heroic immortality.