Percy Bysshe Shelley as a revolutionary poet

A Presentation ByZenab Jehangir Khan

Shelley As A Revolutionary Poet

ContentsFrench

RevolutionRomanticismShelley at War

With Existing World

Constructive Revolution

The Return of Nature

Believer of an Ideal World

Wanted to Scatter His Ideas

French Revolution

• Liberty• Equality• Fraternity• Death

Romanticism• Return to Nature• Return to Supernatural• Anti Materialism• Escapism• Spontaniety of Poetry• Ideal of Liberty and Individualism

Romanticism• “For the Romantic poet, the idea of revolution

has a special interest, and a special affinity. For Romanticism seeks to effect in poetry what revolution aspires to achieve in politics: innovation, transformation, defamiliarisation" (David Duff)

Shelley at War with Existing World• He dreamt of a new society• He was a dreamer of dreams • He led a ceaseless war against

the existing political, social and economic institutions

The wingèd seeds, where they lie cold and low, Each like a corpse within its grave, untilThine azure sister of the Spring shall blow Her clarion o'er the dreaming earth, and fill(Driving sweet buds like flocks to feed in air) With living hues and odours plain and hill; - “Ode to The West Wind” (L. 6-12)

...thou wouldst free This world from its dark slavery,        That thou—O awful LOVELINESS,Wouldst give whate’er these words cannot

express. - “Hymn to Intellectual Beauty” (L. 69-72)

Constructive Revolution

• He wanted to kindle enthusiasm for liberty and justice• Faith and hope in something good

The trumpet of a prophecy! O Wind,If Winter comes, can Spring be far behind? - “Ode to The West Wind”

(L. 69-70)

Peace, peace! he is not dead, he doth not sleepHe hath awakened from the dream of life'Tis we, who lost in stormy visions, keepWith phantoms an unprofitable strife,And in mad trance, strike with our spirit's knifeInvulnerable nothings. — We decayLike corpses in a charnel; fear and griefConvulse us and consume us day by day,And cold hopes swarm like worms within our living clay.

- “Adonais” (L. 343- 351)

The Return of Nature• Essential happiness of life is in simple life

Let me go back to the breast of Mother Earth where my own hands can win my own bread from woods and fields.

- CSSForum.com

Than thou, O uncontrollable! if even I were as in my boyhood, and could be The comrade of thy wanderings over heaven, As then, when to outstrip thy skiey speedScarce seem'd a vision—I would ne'er have

strivenAs thus with thee in prayer in my sore need. - “Ode to The West Wind” (L. 47-52)

Believer of an Ideal World

• World without evil, suffering, and misery• Rule of reason• Bright future of humanity

...Thou dirge Of the dying year, to which this closing nightWill be the dome of a vast sepulchre, Vaulted with all thy congregated might Of vapours, from whose solid atmosphereBlack rain, and fire, and hail, will burst: O

hear!- “Ode to The West Wind” (L. 23-28)

Wanted to Scatter His Ideas

• He wanted t raise and enliven his spirit out of the depths of desolation, dejection and weariness

• Scatter his thoughts among the universe

Drive my dead thoughts over the universeLike withered leaves to quicken a new birth! And, by the incantation of his verse,Scatter, as form an unextinguished hearthAshes and sparks, my words among mankind!

- “Ode to The West Wind”(L. 63-67)

Teach me half the gladnessThat thy brain must know,Such harmonious madnessFrom my lips would flowThe world should listen then – as I am listening now. - “Ode to A Skylark”(L. 101-105)

• Cazamian said:

“Shelley belongs to that rare species of mankind whom reason and feeling convert revolutionaries in the flush of youth an who remain so for the rest of their life.”