| Percy Bysshe-Shelley (1792-1822) |
| Pobaby counted among the most renowned poets of the Romantic era, he was often referred to as the "poet's poet". Shelley was born August 4, 1792 at Field Place in Sussex. Timothy Shelley, his father, was a wealthy country squire. At the age of 12, he was sent to Eton, where he completely failed to adhere to the traditions there. While at Eton, Shelley discovered the works of William Godwin and he embraced the ideals of the French Revolution. Shelley went on to attend Oxford University, starting in 1810. His experience at Oxford was to turn out ever more dramatic than his years at Eton. Shelley wrote articles defending Daniel Issac Eaton, a bookseller charged with selling books by Tom Paine and the much persecuted Radical publisher, Richard Carlisle. He also wrote The Necessity of Atheism, a pamphlet that attacked the idea of compulsory Christianity. Oxford University was so shocked when they discovered that Shelley had written the outrageous and ateistic material that on March 25, 1811, they expelled him. |
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| It didn't tke Shelley long to shock his family once again though. At the age of 19, he eloped with Harriet Westbrook, a 16 year old daughter of a coffehouse/tavern keeper, to Scotland. Apparently, his father never forgave him for his rebellion. He lived in Ireland for a time after his marriage. he and Harriet scattered revolutionary pamphlets from their hotel balcony. When no dramatic response seemed forthcoming, the couple moved back to London. he continued to write revolutionary material, including A Declaration of Rights. In 1814, Shelley fell in love with 16 year old Mary Wollstoncraft-Godwin, daughter of William Godwin and AMry Wollstoncraft. He told HArriet, "Our connection was not one of passion and impulse." But she refused to allow him to live with Mary, and she refused to allow her to live with them, so Mary and Percy eloped. They travelled in Europe for a few years, while Shelley continued writing. They returned to England, then travelled to Switzerland in 1816. That year, two dramatic events occured. The first was the suicide of Mary's sister Fanny. And the second was the suicide of Harriet, Shelley's first wife. After Harriet's suicide, they could no longer stay in England, with Shelley being considered a scoundrel. He also lost custody of the children he'd had with Harriet, so they moved to Italy, where he spent the last years of his life. In 1818, he wrote The Cenci, Ode to the West Wind, Peter Bell the Third and Mask of Anarchy. In that year, too, he completed Prometheus Unbound. During that year, they stayed at Byron's villa in Venice; from whence Mary Shelley wrote Frankenstein, but they moved to Florence in the winter of that year. After that he wrote To a Skylark, To Night, Epipsychidion, Triumph of Life and Defense of Poetry. On July 8, 1822, Shelleya nd his friend Williams took a trip in the sailboat "Ariel". Unfortunately, they were caught in a storm; their bodies were recovered ten days later, when they washed up on shore. Shelley's body was cremated, then his heart and ashes were buried in a Protestant cemetary in Rome. |