The first version of the archetype in Byron’s work, Childe Harold, draws on earlier literary figures such as Hamlet and Goethe’s Werther (1774), and resembles René, the protagonist of Chateaubriand’s 1802 novella, though Byron may not have known this character. Following Childe Harold’s Pilgrimage, the Byronic hero reappeared in several of Byron's works, including his Oriental-themed poems The Giaour (1813), The Corsair (1814), Lara (1814), and his dramatic poem Manfred (1817). In these works, the hero becomes more "swashbuckling" and decisive, qualities Byron later embodied himself when he joined the Greek War of Independence, with tragic results.
Most scholars recognise Byron's Childe Harold as the first Byronic hero, described by historian Lord Macaulay as "a man proud, moody, cynical, with defiance on his brow, and misery in his heart… capable of deep and strong affection." Yet, many also consider Byron himself the first true Byronic hero, reflecting these traits in his own life.
The Byronic hero can be seen as an intensified Romantic hero—someone who questions or rejects social conventions, feels alienated, centres on the self, and often inspires others to act nobly. Far from an idealised figure, the Romantic hero is flawed and complex, behaving heroically despite sometimes unsavoury traits.
Many literary critics and biographers believe Lord Byron created the Byronic hero archetype out of frustration with traditional Romantic heroes, aiming for a figure more appealing and psychologically realistic.
Though similar to Romantic heroes in defying societal norms, Byronic heroes are marked by greater psychological depth. They reject conventional virtues, display intelligence, cunning, deep emotions, impulsiveness, sensuality, cynicism, dark humour, and a morbid outlook.
Byronic heroes also carry a larger-than-life presence, often dressing and styling themselves distinctively to stand apart.