Jane Eyre Byronic Hero Analysis

A byronic hero carries traits of an unethical protagonist in order to show that one is narcissistic with evil intentions. In the novel Jane Eyre (1847) Charlotte Brontë creates the character of Edward Rochester to play the role as the byronic hero. Brontë is able to illustrate the character with her choice of emotional appeal, characterization, and tone. Brontë’s purpose in creating Rochester’s character was to show the characteristics of a byronic hero in order to capture the different aspects of his inhumane behavior and dark persona.
Brontë characterizes Rochester as moody and temperamental throughout the novel to show how his arrogance affected his tone as a whole. {Rochester’s feelings for Jane were more complex and unique compared to

{Rochester admits that he could not be alone and that he has always craved some type of love even if he didn’t love his mistress back.} He tells Jane, “Yet I could not live alone; so I tried the companionship of mistresses. The first I chose was Celine Varens--another of those steps which make a man spurn himself when he recalls them. You already know what she was, and how my liaison with her terminated. She had two successors: an Italian, Giacinta, and a German, Clara; both considered singularly handsome. What was their beauty to me in a few weeks? Giacinta was unprincipled and violent: I tired of her in three months. Clara was honest and quiet; but heavy, mindless, and unimpressible: not one whit to my taste. I was glad to give her a sufficient sum to set her up in a good line of business, and so get decently rid of her. But, Jane, I see by your face you are not forming a very favourable opinion of me just now. You think me an unfeeling, loose-principled rake: don't you?” (Brontë 313). {Rochester is honest with Jane as he tells her that he is in need of someone for his own convenience. He even tells her that he got tired of them rather quickly because, even though he is not intelligent, he knows when woman are good for him or not. He seems to be ashamed of himself for telling Jane and being so wantful of women but not being able to actually love them.} He later says, “I now hate the recollection of time I passed with Celine, Giacinta, and Clara” (Brontë 314). {Rochester admits that he regrets wasting time on women who didn’t mean anything to him. Brontë characterizes Rochester as a womanizer with a lack of sense to show that he is not completely a Byronic Hero because he is not smart about his choices and he cannot be isolated which is why he is so desperate to make Jane, who is not like the other woman he has been involved with, his