Two Different Deaths in Sardanapalus and The Two Foscari. The New Studies of English Language & Literature 51 (2012): 1-21. Byron’s Sardapanalus and The Two Foscari have posed a controversial question of whether they are political or historical, and recent critics tend to regard them as political dramas. However, if we treat them as counterpart dramas, the controversy becomes clear. This paper argues that they should be read as historical dramas dealing with universal subjects rather than contemporary political issues. Despite the fact that they are both tragedies ending with tragic deaths of each protagonist, Byron seems to show how different they are in respect of individual efforts against tyranny: the king dies as a hero rebelling against the tyrannical demand that he must expand his realms killing innocent people whereas the doge dies as a helpless victim manipulated into obeying tyrannical laws of Venice, which killed his own son. Byron is a poet well-known for his being rebellious against any kind of tyranny. Some critics depreciate his dramas as ‘undramatic’ but if we note that Byron intended his dramas, not for the audiences in theater but for the readers, these dramas are successful in delivering his message clearly. (Dongguk University)