Always enveloped by mysticism and controversy, Percy Bysshe Shelley lived a life of a rebel. Raising his voice against the conventionality and social injustice, this romantic poet expressed his religious and political views in broad daylight. Struggling against his own people, Shelley produced some of the most cherished verses of English literature.
He is often referred to as the 'Poet’s poet'. His passionate search for love and social justice was gradually channeled from overt actions into poems. The spirit of revolution and the power of free thought were his biggest passions in life.
Queen Mab, published in 1813, was his first major poem. A philosophical poem, it was the result of long serious work. The poem emerged from Shelley’s friendship with British philosopher William Godwin and it expressed Godwin’s freethinking socialist philosophy.
"How wonderful is death
Death and his brother sleep !"
Shelley represents the most interesting period of English literature and history. His romanticism has since been the inspiration and influence for generations.
The Distinguished Boy
Percy Bysshe Shelley was born with a silver spoon in mouth. A heir apparent of Sir Timothy Shelley, he was destined to become a lord like his father and grandfather. But the child grew up to become a revolutionary. Radically opposite to conventionality, Shelley contributed in the field of English literature with the same fervor.
Percy Bysshe Shelley was born on August 4, 1792. He was the eldest son of Sir Timothy and Elizabeth Shelley. While a child his father became the region’s representative in parliament. Shelley also an heir to a rich estate called Field Place acquired by his grandfather. The newborn was of slight built and as he advanced in age, he developed a delicate look which made him look girlish.
Education
Six year old Shelley was put under the tutorage of Rev Mr Edwards to learn Latin. The teacher enjoyed teaching this pupil with excellent memory and good grasping power. His base of Latin prepared by Mr Edwards helped Shelley a lot in his further education.
Shelley was brought up in privileged circumstances, attending Syon House Academy in 1802 when he was 10. Shelley was a better companion to younger girls rather than boys of his age. He learned various subjects like geography, astronomy and languages like French and Latin. His Syon House days were a different experience for the youngster. He was not used to usual boyish sports and was not quite amiable by nature. The worst part was the punishments imposed upon him. It was a strange experience for a boy raised in aristocracy. He became an easy prey for the senior bullies and underwent punishments executing their orders. His only solace was his cousin Tom Medwin, who studied at the same school. Even at that tender age, Shelley's tilt towards romanticism was quite apparent. His interests varied from fairies to fighting, spirits to volcanoes. For study, he found the class-work very easy and therefore tedious. But what he hated the most were the dance-lessons. He enjoyed reading and gazing out of his window and drawing the pine trees in his notebook. Back home on vacations, he would suddenly feel completely in command and would entertain his younger sisters with mysterious and melodramatic stories. He was much fascinated by electricity and tried to catch it by flying a kite.
At Eton
At 12 he was enrolled at Eton in 1804, where he remained for six years as an exceptionally brilliant student. He attracted attention with his careless dressing, stringless shoes and by not wearing hat at all. He was not a popular student, was rather known as 'Shelley the atheist' or 'mad Shelley'. He normally ignored these comments and continued his own way. But at his boiling point, he was reported to have stabbed a boy with a fork. He lived in a world of his own, often believing his make believe stories to be true.
Shelley got outlet to his curiosity in science at Eton. He experimented with chemicals and once almost poisoned himself. During a vacation, he constructed a steam engine which blew up during the experiment. His interest diverted to metaphysics and magic too. He used to wait all night through for ghosts. He learned special ways of raising ghosts and experimented them alone at midnight.
He was a voracious reader and enjoyed reading even on some forced gaming trips. He normally spent his pocket money to buy books and scientific toys. He devotedly read Gothic romances and thrillers. He also discovered the works of William Godwin and embraced the ideals of the French Revolution.
At Eton, Shelley found his union with muse. His budding creativity found way in form of verses. During his Eton years, he wrote and published his Gothic novel Zastrozzi, that voiced his own heretical and atheistic opinions through the villain Zastrozzi. By the time he left Eton, he was an author and loved his work.
At Oxford
In 1810, Shelley went to Oxford University, where he enlisted his fellow Thomas Jefferson Hogg as a disciple, but after a year, the University expelled both for refusing to admit Shelley’s authorship of The Necessity of Atheism – a pamphlet that attacked the idea of compulsory Christianity.
In 1813, he published his first major poem – Queen Mab. In England he met William Godwin, a British philosopher. He also wrote articles for The Examiner on political subjects.
First Love
At the age of 19, Harriet Grove, Shelley's cousin, was an exceptionally beautiful girl. He was madly in love with her and compared her with Madonna of Raphael. She was rather naive. They corresponded quite regularly with recorded 44 letters form Shelley and 20 from Harriet during 1809. They used to enjoy blissful togetherness at Field Place. The girl was brought up in typical Catholic atmosphere, while Shelley delved in revolutionary thoughts. Somehow, the Groves and Shelleys came to the conclusion that the marriage of two was quite improbable. This did not deter Shelley as he continued to write hopeful letters. He disliked Christianity for taking away his sweetheart. Sometime later, Harriet got married to a country gentleman and the affair came to an end.
Marriage With Harriet Westbrook
Shelley got acquainted with Harriet Westbrook, daughter of a coffeehouse keeper through his friend Thomas Jefforson Hogg. During 1811, slowly the acquaintance transformed into strong feeling. He felt more of a rescuer rather than a lover, as Harriet was put under restrictions. Once, Harriet was caught reading one of Shelley's letters and Timothy Shelley was summoned to her school. Harriet was allowed to continue her study but she was looked down upon. This made her decide to leave the school. Shelley decided to rescue her from her confinement and they eloped one day. He married her despite his anti-matrimonial views. This was a terrible scandal and his father never forgave him. He immediately stopped all the allowances due to Shelley. He moved to Ireland where he made revolutionary pamphlets on politics – A Declaration of Rights. Harriet gave birth to their first child Elizabeth Ianthe in 1813.
Mary Godwin
Shelley admired William Godwin's writings and developed friendship with him and his family. Mary Goldwin was a beautiful daughter who inherited the word-trade from her father. In 1814, Shelley fell in love with Mary Godwin. This greatly upset Harriet and William Godwin. The lovers were again and again pleaded not to meet and put an end to the unwelcome affair. This frustrated Shelley so much that he threatened to commit suicide. He, Mary and her cousin Claire eloped, against Godwin’s objections in 1814. For the next year they traveled across Europe. He continued his involvement in politics. Returning to England, he produced Alastor or The Spirit of Solitude in 1816, which anticipated his later important work. Shelley and Mary met the British poet Lord Byron. At that time Shelley wrote two short poems Hymn to Intellectual Beauty and Mont Blanc. Meanwhile, Harriet gave birth to their son Charles. When Shelley and Mary returned, she was pregnant and soon gave birth to a girl-child who died within a few weeks. In early 1816, Mary gave birth to their son William. The same year, in November, Harriet Shelley's deadbody was found from Hyde Park's Serpentine. She was quite depressed because of the Mary-Shelley affair and she was believed to have committed suicide. Soon, Mary and Shelley decided to get married and they exchanged vows on December 30, 1816.
Shelley was also supposed to be attracted to Chaire. This was a matter of distress between the husband and wife.
Mastermind At Work
In 1817, he wrote the pamphlet – A Proposal for Putting Reform to the Vote Throughout the United Kingdom, in which he suggested a national referendum on electoral reforms and improvements in working class education. He also produced Laon and Cythna, a long narrative poem, which tells a symbolic tale of revolution. It was republished as The Revolt of Islam. At the same time, he wrote revolutionary political tracts signed The Hermit of Marlow. And the couple left England for the last time.
As Shelley’s health suffered due to change in climate, Shelley and Mary proceeded to Italy. They reached Milan in 1818. There, Shelley translated Plato’s Symposium and wrote his own essay On Love. He also wrote a poem Rosalind and Helen in which he imagines his destiny in the poet – reformer Lionel, who was imprisoned for radical activity.
During the remaining four years of his life, Shelley produced all his major works. Traveling and living in various cities of Italy, the Shelleys were friendly with British poet Leigh Hunt and Byron. Before his death in a boat accident, he published seven volumes of poetry : Rosalind and Helen, The Cenci; Prometheus Unbound; with Other Poems which contains The Cloud and Ode to the West Wind; Oedipus Tyrannus.
Many other poems were left in his notebooks like the Letter to Maria Gisbornem, The Witch of Atlas; The Triumph of Life; Posthumous Poems.
Sudden Exit
P B Shelley did not know to swim. But he loved sailing. This had proved fatal once when his boat turned down and escaped death by inches. But he could not fight the fate any longer. Shelley and a few friends decided to spend the summer of 1822 sailing on Bay of Lerici. A special boat was constructed and he named it Don Juan. On July 7, just 10 miles away form the shore, Don Juan was caught in storm. The boat could not survive against huge waves of Mediterranean sea. After his body was washed ashore near Viareggio 10 days later, it was cremated according to the dictates of Italian Law. His ashes were buried in a Protestant cemetery in Rome.
Many critics regard Shelley as the greatest of all English poets. They point especially to his lyrics, including the familiar short odes To a Skylark, To the West Wind, The Cloud. The effortless lyricism of these works is also evident in Shelley’s verse dramas The Cenci and Prometheus Unbound. His prose include a translation of The Symposium of Plato and his critical work A Defense of Poetry is equally skillful.
Byron wrote about Shelley’s death :
"There is another man gone about whom the world was ill-natured, and ignorantly, and brutally mistaken."
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