Percy Bysshe Shelley

Lore & Background

Percy Bysshe Shelley was an English writer and a leading figure among the Romantic poets, known for his radical political and social views as well as his poetic craft. He was born in Sussex, the eldest son of a Whig Member of Parliament, and spent a sheltered early childhood close to his mother and sisters. At school, he was frequently bullied, earning the nickname "Mad Shelley" for his violent reactions and eccentric interests in science, the occult, and supernatural tales. He conducted experiments with gunpowder, acids, and electricity, and later at Oxford, he set up a laboratory in his room. Under the influence of a close friend, he developed strong anti-Christian and radical political views, which were dangerous during Britain’s war with Napoleonic France. His life was marked by family crises, ill health, and backlash for his atheism and defiance of social conventions. He went into permanent self-exile in Italy in 1818, where he produced some of the finest poetry of the Romantic period. His best-known works include long poems such as *Alastor*, *Julian and Maddalo*, *The Mask of Anarchy*, *Adonais*, and *The Triumph of Life*; short poems like "Ozymandias," "Ode to the West Wind," and "To a Skylark"; and verse dramas including *The Cenci*, *Prometheus Unbound*, and *Hellas*. He also wrote prose fiction and essays on political and philosophical issues, much of which was unpublished in his lifetime due to risk of prosecution. After his death in a boating accident at age 29, his reputation grew steadily, influencing later poets such as Robert Browning, Algernon Charles Swinburne, Thomas Hardy, and W. B. Yeats.

Reader's Guide

Shelley’s significance rests on his enduring influence on poetry and radical thought, though he did not achieve fame during his lifetime. A radical in both his poetry and his political and social views, he is considered one of the major English Romantic poets. His work is noted for its sweeping momentum of poetic imagery, mastery of genres and verse forms, and a complex interplay of sceptical, idealist, and materialist ideas. Much of his poetry and prose was not published in his lifetime, or only in expurgated form, due to the risk of prosecution for political and religious libel. Following his death, recognition of his achievements grew steadily, and he became an important influence on later poets such as Robert Browning, Algernon Charles Swinburne, Thomas Hardy, and W. B. Yeats. From the 1820s, his writings found popularity in Owenist, Chartist, and radical political circles, and later drew admirers including Karl Marx, Mahatma Gandhi, and George Bernard Shaw. American literary critic Harold Bloom described him as a superb craftsman, a lyric poet without rival, and one of the most advanced sceptical intellects ever to write a poem. His life was marked by family crises, ill health, and backlash against his atheism, political views, and defiance of social conventions, leading to permanent self-exile in Italy in 1818, where he produced some of the finest poetry of the Romantic period before his death in a boating accident at age 29.

Did You Know?

• At Eton College, he endured severe mob bullying called 'Shelley-baits' and earned the nickname 'Mad Shelley'.
• He drowned near Livorno (then known to the English as Leghorn) on 8 July 1822.
• His only child to live beyond infancy was Sir Percy Florence Shelley, 3rd Baronet, born in Florence, Italy.
• His heart is reputedly buried alongside his son in the family vault at St Peter's Church, Bournemouth.