Percy Bysshe Shelley (1792–1822) was one of the major English Romantic poets, renowned for his lyrical beauty, radical political ideas, and imaginative power. Born into an aristocratic family in Sussex, England, Shelley was educated at Eton and Oxford, from which he was expelled for publishing a pamphlet titled The Necessity of Atheism. This early act of rebellion foreshadowed a life marked by nonconformity, idealism, and controversy.
Shelley’s poetry reflects his passionate belief in individual freedom, social justice, and the transformative power of the imagination. He was deeply influenced by the Enlightenment, the French Revolution, and classical literature, as well as his own experiences of exile and personal tragedy. His major works include Ode to the West Wind, To a Skylark, Adonais (an elegy for John Keats), and the political allegory The Mask of Anarchy. One of his most famous works, Prometheus Unbound, is a lyrical drama celebrating human liberation and defiance against tyranny.
Shelley’s personal life was as unconventional as his political and philosophical beliefs. He married the writer Mary Wollstonecraft Godwin (later Mary Shelley, author of Frankenstein) after eloping with her, even while still legally married to his first wife. His relationships, atheism, and advocacy for social reform made him a controversial figure in his time.
Shelley died in a boating accident off the coast of Italy at the age of 29. Though underappreciated during his lifetime, he is now celebrated as a visionary poet whose work continues to inspire readers and thinkers around the world.
Poems
“Ode to the West Wind”
- “Ode to the West Wind”: A Critical Appreciation
- Shelley as a Revolutionary poet with special reference to “Ode to the West Wind”
- Shelley as a Romantic Poet with Special Reference to “Ode to the West Wind”
