A theme that pervades much of Byron's work is that of the Byronic hero, an idealised but flawed character whose attributes include:

• being a rebel
• having a distaste for social institutions
• being an exile
• expressing a lack of respect for rank and privilege
• having great talent
• hiding an unsavoury past
• being highly passionate
• ultimately, being self-destructive

The literary history of the Byronic hero in English can be traced from Milton, especially Milton's interpretation of Lucifer as having justified complaint against God. One of Byron's most popular works in his lifetime, the closet play "Manfred," was loosely modeled on the Goethe's anti-hero, Faust. Byron's influence was manifested by many authors and artists of the Romantic movement during the 19th century and beyond.