The Free Besieged

"The Free Besieged" (Greek: Οι Ελεύθεροι Πολιορκημένοι, Oi Eleftheroi Poliorkimenoi) is an epic, unfinished work composed by Dionysios Solomos and inspired by the third siege of Missolonghi (1825–1826), a crucial conflict of the Greek War of Independence. It is not a single work, but consists of three separate poems in fragmentary form. The Free Besieged is considered one of the greatest poems of Solomos, national poet of Greece.

In April 15, 1825, the invading Ottoman armies in Central Greece besieged the city of Missolonghi for the third time. However, the defenders managed to keep the city for almost one year, but a number of factors like the numerically superior strength of the Ottomans, the continuous assaults and the lack of food and other supplies led them to decide a heroic sortie on the night of 10 April 1826.

The siege and the subsequent sortie were one of the most stirring events of the Greek Revolution (1821–1830) and in fact the besieging forces were so overwhelming that there was no doubt about the result of the struggle. This event inspired Dionysios Solomos, the national poet of Greece, to compose The Free Besieged, which refers to the struggle of the defenders.

The Free Besieged was composed in a period of more than twenty years (1828–1851). It is not a single work, but consists of three separate poems in fragmentary form. The first poem, in chronological order, is considered to be a lyric draft. Then the work is progressively advancing to a more epic form, with the second poem written in rhyming decapentasyllable and the final one a decapentasyllable without rhyme. The three fragments are linked together by short narrative passages in prose.

The Free Besieged does not have a continuous narrative, but consists of a series of scenes and glimpses that occurred during the last days of the siege, before the sortie. The central theme, according to Solomos' notes, is the defenders' power of the will, which is tested by a number of afflicions. Thus, the besieged, according to Solomos, become truly free because of their spiritual victory over all their trials. This was described by the poet as an inner freedom of the will.

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