Percy Bysshe Shelley

 

Percy Bysshe Shelley: A Biography

Early Life
Percy Bysshe Shelley was born on August 4, 1792, at Field Place, near Horsham in Sussex, England. He was the eldest son of Sir Timothy Shelley, a member of Parliament, and his wife, Elizabeth Pilfold. Shelley grew up in a wealthy, aristocratic family, but from a young age he developed a rebellious and independent spirit.

Education
Shelley attended Eton College in 1804, where he was often bullied for his eccentricity and refusal to conform. At Eton, he developed an early interest in literature, science, and radical ideas. In 1810, he entered University College, Oxford, where he wrote his first major pamphlet, The Necessity of Atheism. This work, which challenged religious orthodoxy, led to his expulsion from Oxford in 1811, a scandal that estranged him from his family.

Personal Life
In 1811, soon after leaving Oxford, Shelley eloped to Scotland with Harriet Westbrook, a 16-year-old schoolgirl. Their marriage was troubled, and Shelley’s restless nature led to frequent separations. By 1814, he abandoned Harriet and fell in love with Mary Godwin, the daughter of philosopher William Godwin and feminist writer Mary Wollstonecraft. They traveled through Europe, and in 1816, after Harriet’s tragic suicide, Shelley and Mary married. Mary later became famous as the author of Frankenstein (1818).

Literary Career
Shelley is considered one of the greatest Romantic poets, known for his radical political ideas, lyrical genius, and visionary themes. His works often explore freedom, nature, love, revolution, and human potential.

• Early Works: Queen Mab (1813), a utopian poem, expressed his revolutionary ideals.

• Major Poems: Alastor (1816), The Revolt of Islam (1817), Prometheus Unbound (1820), and Adonais (1821, an elegy for John Keats).

• Famous Short Poems: “Ode to the West Wind,” “To a Skylark,” and “Ozymandias” are among the finest lyrical poems in English literature.

• Prose Works: Shelley also wrote essays and political treatises, such as A Defence of Poetry, where he argued that poets are “the unacknowledged legislators of the world.”

Exile in Italy
In 1818, Shelley and Mary settled in Italy, where he produced some of his greatest works. He formed close friendships with other writers, including Lord Byron and Leigh Hunt. Italy provided Shelley with inspiration, but he also endured personal tragedies, including the deaths of several of his children.

Death
On July 8, 1822, at the age of just 29, Percy Bysshe Shelley drowned in a boating accident off the coast of Livorno, Italy. His body was later cremated on the beach near Viareggio, and his ashes were buried in Rome’s Protestant Cemetery, near the grave of John Keats.

Legacy
Though underappreciated in his lifetime, Shelley’s reputation grew enormously after his death. Today he is celebrated as one of the greatest English Romantic poets, admired for his passionate commitment to freedom, social justice, and artistic beauty. His lyrical poetry and visionary ideas continue to inspire readers and writers worldwide.