In the following essay, Boker suggests that the usual Oedipal reading of Manfred leaves much of the play's complexity unexplained; she offers a reading that also accounts for the protagonist's narcissism.

In the following essay, Stein discusses the destructive qualities of Manfred's narcissism and assesses the character's culpability for Astarte's death.

In the following essay, Nicholson discusses the idea that Byron, since he believed that the meaning of life is unknowable, emphasized action rather than thought in Manfred.

In the following essay, Nicholson elucidates the role of temptation in Manfred.

In the following essay, Eggenschwiler discusses the aesthetic unity of Manfred while taking into account its logical inconsistencies.

In the following essay, Macdonald situates Manfred within the Faustian tradition to account for the spirit world Byron created.

In the following essay, Twitchell discusses the supernatural world created by Byron in Manfred.

In the following essay, Sperry places Manfred within the context of Byron's life and career, suggesting that the writing of the play represented for its author a personal catharsis that enabled him to write Don Juan.

In the following essay, Luke claims that Manfred's guilt stems not from a possibly incestuous relationship with Astarte, but from his failure to prevent her death.

In the following essay, Soderholm explores the connection between Byron's character Manfred and Nietzsche's Uebermensch, suggesting that Manfred is a hate-poem aimed at several people in England, particularly Byron's wife, Lady Byron, and his sister, Augusta Leigh.

In the following essay, McVeigh examines the Incantation in Manfred's opening scene and suggests there are thematic implications for its incongruity with the rest of the play.

In the excerpt below, Cooke analyzes the nature of the self and the strength of individual will as they are presented in Byron's dramatic poem Manfred.