Byron's poem "Mazepa" is complexpoetic composition, which consists of twenty short sections. The English poet created the legend of the Ukrainian hero from Voltaire's fragmentary information about Karl XII. The French author, most likely, was familiar with the legend of Mazepa superficially, and, perhaps, his opinion of this man was based on rumors and legends. Perhaps, precisely because of his legendary love, this image and J. Byron also fell in love. Mazepa is an idealized hero who never managed to realize his plans.
Famous Cossack ataman Hetman Ivan StepanovichMazepa (1640-1709) became famous for his struggle for the independence of his own country and its separation from both Russia and Poland. To this end, the future hetman entered into an alliance with the Swedish king Charles XII, who for a long time saw the enemy in the Russian Empire. In the battle of Poltava in 1709, the troops of the Russian Tsar defeated the Swedes, and Karl and Mazepa were forced to flee. Karl went to the north of Europe, and Mazepa was waiting for Turkey, in which he saw his probable ally.
There are several reasons whyGeorge Gordon Byron became interested in the historical character. Mazepa is the essence of Byron's rebellious aspirations, a worthy example of serving their homeland. Carefully studying the "History of Charles XII", written by Voltaire, the English romantic read everything that was known to the French author about the semi-legendary historical hero. “History” was very popular in Europe, this work was translated into foreign languages, it sustained fourteen reprints during the life of the author. In the fifth section, referring to the events of the Swedish-Russian war, Voltaire pointed to the historical significance of the actions of the hetman for Ukraine and the whole of Europe, and also mentioned the love story that happened to the ataman in his young years. It was these notes that prompted the English poet to create a poem reflecting the distant event of European history, which by that time was already considered a well-forgotten past.
English poet and aristocrat wrote his poem inItaly, in 1818 or in 1819. Some researchers believe that the story of Mazepa's unlawful love for someone else's wife is a rethinking of his own love drama that Byron was experiencing. Mazepa had an unlawful passion for his neighbor's wife, Teresa, and the English author fell in love with the wife of Count Guiccioli, who was called by the same name.
Like the hero of the poem, Byron was forced to leave his beloved, not knowing anything about her future. The sad lyrics of their own experiences smoothly fell into the fabric of literary production.
The author broke his poem into small domes,each of which is a separate part of the whole story. At the beginning of the poem, the terrible defeat inflicted on the Swedes by the Russian troops during the Battle of Poltava was told. A small Swedish squad retreats, fleeing from their pursuers, and stops in the middle of the forest. The author describes how Mazepa cares for her faithful horse, how carefully she cleans the harness, how happy she is with her pet. Trying to distract the king from thoughts of defeat, Mazepa tells one of the stories of his life associated with a horse. The fact that he was a page at the court of the Polish king Jan Casimir, that the young Ivan Mazepa was handsome, and many women stopped his eyes on him. But the heart of the hero took possession of the young beautiful Theresa, who was the legitimate wife of a Polish nobleman. Young Ivan struggles to meet with the impregnable beauty, and, finally, he was able to ignite the fire of love in the heart of his chosen one. Upon learning of his wife’s infidelity, the angry husband ordered Ivan to be tied to the back of a wild horse and released in the field. The flour that the rider experienced was described by Byron in several precise words. But the fate of the unfortunate Theresa in the poem says nothing more. It is not known whether Mazepa himself knew what was waiting for his beloved in the future ...
Mazepa spent a lot of time on the horse's back.Too cruel was such a punishment for the young Ivan, but the Polish earl wanted his lover's lover to experience a lot of torment before death. Ivan's body was excised by wild bushes, the skin was burned by the sun, the rain was chilling. The crows circled above him, and the wolves followed the trail of his horse. After a few days of tormenting the horse, the hunted horse fell, and the bound Ivan was under the horse's carcass. He was already saying goodbye to life when the Cossacks saw him and rescued him from certain death, as Byron describes. Mazepa joins the ranks of the Cossacks, and a completely different fate awaits him. The main character finishes his story, and the exhausted king is already asleep, not hearing his words.
Characteristics of the main character can hardly be calledunambiguous. The character of the hetman at the beginning and at the end of the work was outlined by several successful strokes. Mazepa is depicted as a strong, courageous, steadfast man with a strong will - in this he looks like the main characters of other poems written by George Byron. Mazepa remains true to his aspirations at all stages of his life, being both a strong husband in his prime, and a tired, lonely seventy-year old man. The poem well shows the changes in the character of I. Mazepa throughout all these years. The passage of time changes the hero - he becomes more wise, decisive and loyal to his ideals.
Mazepa Byron is primarily a rebel whosets own goals and seeks to achieve them. For some, the image of Ivan Mazepa is a characteristic of a hypocrite and a traitor, but for someone he is a hero. J. Byron proposes independently assessing the character and actions of Mazepa, reserving the right to draw before the reader the moments of the life of a living Ukrainian legend. With a real historical prototype, the literary character has a clear resemblance. The heroic features of the real Mazepa were poetically emphasized. Perhaps the author was attracted by the persistent desire to achieve his goal, which hetman Mazepa had set himself. Byron was able to express all the drama of shattered hopes and describe a man who, in a single battle, lost everything he had.
It is interesting to repeat the word "wild."For the inhabitant of foggy Albion, the boundless Ukrainian steppes seemed precisely "wild." It is not by chance that he repeats this word again and again. For him, Ukraine is a “wild country” in which there are “wild steppes” and a “wild forest”. A few strokes are registered in the work “wild” horse Mazepa, who carried him through forests and thorny bushes to Ukraine - this is also an image of strong passions that captured the heart of the future hetman, and the consequences of the fatal choice, and a symbol of indomitable will. Turbulent streams of water, strong waves and harsh winds underline the influence of strong desires and passions that swept the hero, the crow is a symbol of death waiting for him at every turn, and the evening cold, fog and wraith are a poetic image of external forces that give Mazepa the right to evaluate future the obstacles of his own life.
Strong adjectives create emotional,saturated image of Ukraine, which is a free, undeveloped land. It is obvious that behind the scenes he contrasts the well-groomed English fields and the measured life of compatriots to the “wild” steppe in which the current events took place.
The invisible thread of all the heroes of the battle pursuesevil rock Fate turned away from the Swedish army in the devastating battle of Poltava, from King Charles XII himself, condemning him to retreat and defeat. Fate brought young Ivan with a beautiful woman Teresa, who gave her future love to the future hetman. But the same fate and separated them - after all, Ivan never knew what happened to his beloved after separation. Fate saved him, bringing to Ukraine and elevating him over the rest of the Cossacks, but also brought down all his aspirations and hopes, leaving him alone in the declining years of his abandoned hero.
In the romantic literature of the early 19th century, the horse- a symbol of fate and good luck. Perhaps this is why it becomes clear why the king of Sweden is losing his horses - luck turned away from him, as Byron poeticly emphasizes this. Mazepa, on the contrary, retains his horse, as a symbol of the fact that rock is on his side, and his luck did not leave, despite the dramatic situation. The rider Mazepa personifies the symbol of courage and the right to control his own destiny. And only at the end of the story, written by George Byron, Mazepa is left without comrades and without a horse - thus immediately emphasizing the loneliness and hopelessness of the main character, which Byron perfectly described.
The plan of the entire work can be presented as follows:
It can be said that from this little story waswritten by a whole poem, the author of which naturally became precisely Byron. “Mazepa” is a hero who overcomes obstacles and in the end conquers honor and glory in a foreign country. The English poet made a little mistake, giving Mazepa Polish origin and a well-known surname. But even in this error lies its romance. In foreign lands, an exile can win power, glory and honor, and even become the ruler of vast lands. In the image of the protagonist, as if in a drop of water, Byron himself’s aspirations are displayed - after all, he himself became an Italian Carbonari who defended his own land from the French invaders, and later sought to leave for Peru and shoulder to shoulder with the legendary Bolivar to win the independence of this country.
The image of the protagonist of this poem inspiredthe great Vernier, who wrote a picture of the work of Byron. There is information about several theatrical productions staged for this poem, and already in our time a wonderful film was produced.
The ancient legend became the basis for the book, onThe cover of which is written: J. Byron. "Mazepa". The text of this work is easy to read and remember. We hope that this brief analysis of Byron’s work will help to understand the nature and character of the Ukrainian hero.
