Or
Percy Bysshe Shelley
Or
P.B. Shelley
P.B. Shelley was born on 4 August, 1792, at Field Palace in Sussex. He was the eldest son of Timothy Shelley who was a Tory squire. He was educated at home and at Eton. At the age of ten, he was sent to Syon House Academy near London. In 1804, he entered Eton College. At Eton, he was called the "Mad Shelley". After finishing school life, he admitted himself into Oxford in 1808. Here he met Thomas Jefferson Hogg. Hogg was a scep ic. Shelley was very much influenced by him and wrote "The Necessity of Atheism". So he was expelled from the university in 1811. Then he went to London.
Shelley made Harriet Westbrook atheist and fell in love with her. Then he eloped with her to Scotland. They were married at Edinburgh in 1811. All was not well with his married life. He suspected Harriet of having become too intimate with Hogg. In the meantime, he was acquainted with a radical philosopher, William Godwin. He wrote "Queen Mab" in 1813. He fell in love with Mary, daughter to Godwin. At last, he eloped with her in 1814. Harriet was very much shocked at the news. She did not tolerate it. She committed suicide by drowning in 1816. After several months of her death, Shelley married Mary in 1816. In the same year, he published "Hymn to Intellectual Beauty" and "Alastor". "The Revolt of Islam" was written between 1817-1818. Rejected by his relatives, he left England for Italy in 1818 and never returned to his own country. Here he met Leigh Hunt, Picock, Byron, Trelawney and Hogg. They were forever associated with his Italian life. In 1819, Shelley wrote "The Masque of Anarchy" and "Song to the Men of England". In the next year, he published "Ode to Liberty" and "Ode to Naples". "Prometheus Unbound" was published between 1818-1820. He has also written "Julian and Maddalo", "Epipsychidion", "Adonais" and other lyrical poems.
Shelley was always restless. He wanted to go on a boat excursion from Leghorn to Le Spezia of Italy. But unfortunately, he was drowned in a storm on 8 July, 1822. Along with his friend, William, he died in that accident. His body was washed ashore several days later. It was cremated by his friends, Byron, Hunt and Trelawney. Afterwards, the ashes of his body were buried in the Protestant Cemetery in Rome on January 21, 1823.
Lord Byron praises Shelley highly and says, "The most gentle, the most amiable, and the least worldly-minded person I ever met!" Shelley is a versatile genius. He composes lyrics, long narrative poems and dramas. His letters and prefaces prove his hold on the English prose. But his genius is essentially lyrical. Graham Hough has supported this view. In this respect, Louis Cazamian also says, "Shelley's lyricism is incomparable." A.C. Swinburne says, "Shelley was alone the perfect singing god; his thoughts, words and deeds all sang together." As a lyricist, Shelley remains unexcelled in the history of English literature. He exhales a lyric as a flower exhales fragrance. His poetry is marked by melody and imagery. In his odes and other poems, his deep love and affection for the world is revealed. He is a great humanitarian and a poet of nature.
However, French Revolution influenced him to a great extent. His spirit is the real spirit of a romantic. He dreams of a golden millennium. He hates orthodoxy, suppression, unjustness and oppression. He revolts against all evils prevailing in the society. His "Ode to the West Wind" and "To a Skylark” give me much pleasure along with his other lyric poems. They make me spell-bound with dreaminess and vision. His rebellion and lyricism in poetry charm me too much. So I like Shelley most as a revolutionary poet.
Post a Comment