Byron begins work on Don Juan in Venice

Background. Byron became a celebrity after the publication of the first two cantos of Childe Harold's Pilgrimage in 1812. Scandal surrounding his separation, rumours about Augusta, and mounting debts forced him to leave England in April 1816, never to return. In 1816 he visited San Lazzaro degli Armeni in Venice, where he acquainted himself with Armenian culture with the help of Mechitarist monks, and he later co-authored Armenian grammars in 1817 and 1819. These Venetian activities preceded the summer of 1818, though the supplied passages draw no explicit connection between them and Don Juan.

Composition in Italy. The first canto of Don Juan was written between July and September 1818. Byron described the work as having no fixed plan but possessing materials, indicating an improvisational approach. He communicated his satirical intent to Thomas Moore in September 1818, noting the poem was written in the style of Beppo. This initial phase occurred while he was resident in Italy.

Literary Context. Don Juan was an unfinished satirical epic poem derived from Spanish folk legends. It portrayed Don Juan as a victim rather than a womaniser. The poem was written in ottava rima. Byron's work during this period was part of a broader poetical life, with the composition of Don Juan being coextensive with a major part of his career.