The Execution of Doge Marino Faliero was painted in
1825-26 and was based on Lord Byron's play Marino Faliero. Byron
explained that he had chosen to depict Faliero as a noble man, unfortunately of
an ungovernable temper, who was not "actuated by jealousy of his wife; but
rather by respect for her, and for his own honor, warranted by his past
services and present dignity." In
Byron's work, Faliero feels that the injustices suffered by him at the hands of
the nobles equal those suffered by the common people, whose fate causes him
growing concern. Byron's choice of Faliero as his subject may thus be
interpreted as his reaction to the post-Waterloo political climate in Europe,
characterized by political oppression, corruption, state control of private
lives, and restrictions on freedom of action. This political climate drove Byron,
the rebellious aristocrat who understood that he had nothing to gain by
revolution, almost to despair. Byron's
frustrations are reflected in Faliero's mixed feelings of defiance and guilt
over his treason to the state and his own class, together with his awareness of
having sunk so low that he now keeps the company of people whom he pities and
despises at the same time.
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