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Percy Bysshe ShelleyA modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
“Ozymandias” by Percy Bysshe Shelley (1818)
Shelley wrote “Ozymandias” in 1817 as part of a competition with his friend Horace Smith. The Examiner published the poem in January of 1818, and Shelley wrote this particular work in the form of a sonnet (14 lines, iambic pentameter, set rhyme scheme, etc.). In the sonnet competition with Smith, the two had to write a sonnet on a specific topic in an allotted amount of time. Shelley’s sonnet describes a broken statue of a once famous and powerful ruler reduced to rubble. The main message to readers is to beware of hubris and overfeeding one’s ego.
“England in 1819” by Percy Bysshe Shelley (1839)
Though it was published posthumously, Shelley originally wrote “England in 1819” in the year that appears in the title. He wrote the poem in response to the Peterloo Massacre, which occurred when peaceful demonstrators desiring parliamentary reform were charged by the cavalry, killing 15. The poem was most likely not published right away as Shelley could have been charged with sedition. The poem gives a biting critique of royalty, politicians, and the army.
“A Lament” by Percy Bysshe Shelley (1824)
Published posthumously by Mary Shelley, this particular poem has a pessimistic tone and message.
By Percy Bysshe Shelley
A Defence of Poetry
Percy Bysshe Shelley
Adonais
Percy Bysshe Shelley
Alastor; or, The Spirit of Solitude
Percy Bysshe Shelley
Mutability
Percy Bysshe Shelley
Ode to the West Wind
Percy Bysshe Shelley
Ozymandias
Percy Bysshe Shelley
Prometheus Unbound
Percy Bysshe Shelley
Queen Mab: A Philosophical Poem
Percy Bysshe Shelley
The Masque of Anarchy
Percy Bysshe Shelley
The Triumph of Life
Percy Bysshe Shelley
To a Skylark
Percy Bysshe Shelley