Percy Bysshe Shelley
"Poetry lifts the veil from the hidden beauty of the world, and makes familiar objects be as if they were not familiar," quoted Percy Bysshe Shelley in A Defence to Poetry. Of the poets from the English Romantic Period ( a period of love and admiration for the aesthetic portion of nature and the bond between nature and humanity ), Percy Bysshe Shelley ranked as one of the greatest. Although his life spanned but thirty years, he established himself through his works, and partly through his unique lifestyle, as both a great writer and poet. During his thirty years, he expressed himself as an atheist, satirist, radical, optimist, vegetarian, idealist, essayist, dramatist, translator, novelist, and a supporter of "free love." Percy Bysshe Shelley possessed a desire for social and political reform and portrayed this in campaigns and writing pamphlets. He stressed for perfection of humanity and attempts at perfection and reason. He viewed man as good and society bad ( almost Marxist ) and thought it necessary to suppress institutions to make earth a "paradise." His works included pamphlets, poetry, lyrics, and elegy.The first of seven children, Shelley was born August 4, 1792 in Field Place, Su
"The hand" is the sculptor's, who had "mocked" (both imitated and derided) the sculptured passions; "the heart" is the king's, which has "fed" his "passions." The fact that the sculptor captures the scornful and proud appearance of Ozymandias unbeknownst to the king is also highly ironic-both the sculptor's work and colossal ruin live on to mock this once powerful and proud king. At a more general level, the irony in this poem serves to underscore the popular 18th century sic transit gloria mundi theme, which often centers on ruins (especially monuments) to make a statement about "the passing glory of the world." The stark contrast between the power of the inscription and the wreckage it refers to also underscores the romantic interest in ruins and the aesthetics of the natural process of decay. Percy Bysshe Shelley, throughout his career, composed numerous short lyrics that have been viewed as some of his best works. All of his minor poems possess a "simple, personal" tone and touch on theme "central to his more ambitious works: the Hymn to Intellectual Beauty and Mont Blanc focus on his belief in animating spirit, while Ode to the West Wind examines opposing forces in nature" (NCLC 305). The "west wind," in the famous ode, symbolizes the power of natural phenomena and nature's promise of providing a new world after the wintry present. To a Skylark symbolizes in it the gladness of natural creatures that are free from the "hate and pride, and fear" which sadden and cloud the spirit of man. "Shelley is often felt to be less a poet of nature...he does not follow nature so faithfully, but compels her to ends of his own. In a sense, however, he is more of a nature-poet. For he readily passes beyond the visible shows of nature to the larger cosmic operations in which she manifests her power and direction" (Joseph Warren Beach). Another one of Shelley's famous lyrics is the ironic Ozymandias, the result of a writing contest that granted Shelley as the winner. In 1821, Adonais: An Elegy on the Death of John Keats appeared. This "elegy" was written in elegiac verse. "Shelley laments Keat's early death and, while rejecting the Christian view of resurrection, describes his return to the eternal beauty of the universe" (NCLC, 305). Also appearing in 1821, was Epipsychidion. This work summarizes his journey and search for "ideal beauty" through his relationships with many women (Harriet, Mary, Claire, and Emilia Viviani). Epipsychidion is considered as one of Shelley's most "revealing and technically accomplished poems" (NCLC 305). Shelley's last work, The Triumph of Life was unfinished at his death. It describes the harsh journey of life that has halted the goals of most people. "Despite its fragmentary state, many critics consider The Triumph of Life a potential masterpiece and evidence of a pessimistic shift in Shelley's thought (NCLC 305). Previously, all of Percy Bysshe Shelley's works expressed an optimistic view of humanity and life. It is ironic that at the change in his style and view of life, his death occurred shortly after. Although Ozymandias is a short, lyrical poem, there derives from its context deep meanings and irony. There is also a hidden sense of attachment between the writer's lifestyle and the themes that are present within the poem. As stated earlier, Percy Bysshe Shelley stressed social and political reform. His idea of a ruler or government was totally opposite of how King Ozymandias is portrayed. The line immediately following King Ozymandias' words "Look on my works, ye mighty, and despair!" mock and stress the absurdity of the king's words. "Nothing beside remains." This line brings forth the fact that the words on the pedestal are the only trace of the "great" king. And those words on the pedestal remind all who read them that King Ozymandias apparently was not as "mighty" as he thought. This fact involves dramatic irony. The audience or reader knows what really remains of
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Approximate Word count = 2919
Approximate Pages = 12 (250 words per page double spaced)
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