A review by ed_moore
The Curse of Minerva by Lord Byron

challenging reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? N/A
• Strong character development? N/A
• Loveable characters? N/A
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.5

Lord Byron’s Poem ‘The Curse of Minerva’ is the poets scornful response to the theft of the Elgin marbles from the Pantheon in Greece. He sides with the debate that such was an unjust theft rather than saving the marbles from the sacrilege of the Turkish, hence proclaims that until their return, they will therefore be cursed by the God, explaining the sinking of his ship in 1803. I stumbled upon this for an essay on Byron and the Elgin Marbles, reading it simply because it had a mythologically themed title and I hoped it’d be related and honestly the joy upon realising just how related it was really enhanced my enjoyment of this poem. It was scathing towards Elgin and Britain and exploring an issue that still is as conflicted upon and unresolved in the modern day, however this being a point of contention of 200 years ago, was of great interest.