"Don Juan" is an epic poem written by Lord Byron, published in several parts between 1819 and 1824. The poem is a satirical take on the legendary figure of Don Juan, a seductive and promiscuous character from Spanish literature. Byron's "Don Juan" follows the adventures of the titular character as he travels across Europe and encounters a variety of characters, including nobles, poets, and politicians. The poem is notable for its witty and often irreverent tone, as well as its exploration of themes like love, sex, politics, and religion. Throughout the poem, Byron pokes fun at the conventions of romance and chivalry, and portrays Don Juan as a figure who is at once charming and flawed. Despite his many dalliances, Don Juan is often shown as a sympathetic and likeable character, who is capable of genuine feeling and emotion.
Lord Byron, sometimes known as George Gordon Byron, was an English romantic poet and lord who served as the sixth Baron Byron of Byron FRS (22 January 1788–19 April 1824). He is recognized as one of the finest English poets and was a key figure in the Romantic movement. The lengthy narratives Don Juan and Childe Harold's Pilgrimage are among his best-known works; many of his shorter verses in Hebrew Melodies also gained popularity. After receiving his education at Trinity College in Cambridge, Byron travelled widely throughout Europe, stopping in countries like Italy, where he spent seven years after being forced to leave England owing to lynching threats. He stayed in Venice, Ravenna, and Pisa. He frequently paid a visit to his friend and fellow poet Percy Bysshe Shelley while he was living in Italy. Byron later enlisted in the Greek War of Independence against the Ottoman Empire and died in command of a battle during that conflict, for which the Greeks hold him in high esteem as a folk hero. After the First and Second Sieges of Missolonghi, he suffered a fever, which led to his death in 1824 at the age of 36.
