Part 3/4
Just like the realist painter Gustave Courbet mentioned in earlier posts many other famous visitors were drawn to Chillon. From Lord Byron to Victor Hugo, Gustave Flaubert, Alexandre Dumas, Mark Twain, Charles Dickens and last but not the least François Bonivard, who also served as an inspiration for some of the artists mentioned previously.
Amongst many of his notable works, Lord Byron had written 2 items on the Château. The first was literally written on the castle, on its walls, carving his own name into the walls of the Chillon Castle (which would lead to imprisonment in the present day). The 2nd was a notable poem, The Prisoner of Chillon, dedicated to François Bonivard.
Yes, François Bonivard was not just a visitor but a prisoner held in the dungeon of the castle. Out of the 6 years that he was a prisoner there, 4 years were spent tied to chain which was the radius to the area he could cover.
Due to the Covid-19 restrictions this year, many of us can resonate more closely with François now, with the limited areas we can cover under lockdown. It has been an unexpected uniting frustration that is universal with no regard to class or colour, it feels negative but is positive, agree?
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