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Percy Bysshe Shelley by Izzah Nazirah (193297)






Percy Bysshe Shelley. We can say that Shelley might be one of the most controversial poets in history of English Literature. Shelley was born as the eldest son in his family and was sure to inherit his grandfather’s estate. Besides, being the apparent heir to his family’s wealth, he also might have a seat in the parliament. The reason why I chose him to write about was to know more about the reason why he was controversial and what made him write about controversial things. I guess being bullied in school, coming from a rich family and was spoiled by all contributed a lot. Shelley went to Eton College at the age of 12. When he was in Eton College, he wrote poetry but his first publication was a Gothic novel, Zastrozzi (1810).



Then, he went to Oxford University but could not graduate as he was expelled as it made people think he was an atheist when he wrote a pamphlet with Thomas Jefferson Hogg called “The Necessity of Atheism”.  His father could have saved him and Hogg from expelled but they refused to disavow the pamphlet and declare themselves as Christian. At the age of 19, Shelley eloped to Scotland with Harriet Westbrook. They got married and bore children but I guess they were not happy as Shelley did adultery with Mary Godwin. Mary Godwin was William Godwin and Mary Wollstonecraft’s daughter.


Shelley referred his relationship with Mary as free love. Percy Shelley believed that he was following Godwin’s principle. However, Godwin opposed the relationship and this forced Shelley to elope with Mary, accompanied by Jane Clairmont to Calais, Paris and then to Switzerland. After six weeks, they returned to England because of money problems. During the years after he eloped he had several publications, which are “A Refutation of Deism: in a Dialogue” and “Alastor: The Spirit of Solitude: and Other Poems”.

 


In 1816, Mary bore a son, named William. Then, they went on a trip to Italy by the initiative of Claire for Lord Byron. Sailing on Lake Geneva, Lord Byron suggested that they present a ghost story each. Mary’s controbution made her write the  novel Frankenstein and it was published on 1818. The preface was also written by Shelley and made it one of the most popular works during the Romantic period. For Shelley, he wrote two of his finest poems during this trip: “Hymn to Intellectual Beauty” and “Mont Blanc”. Then, he wrote the “The Revolt of Islam”. He really went through a lot of ups and downs. Fighting for his beliefs. Percy Bysshe Shelley did not live long. He died when he was drowned in a sudden storm at the age of 29.




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