Percy Bysshe
Shelley was born on August 4, 1792 in England. Percy, as a
boy,
had no tolerance
for authority and was very imaginitive. Shelley first attended Oxford University in 1810. Shelley, while attending the University, wrote a pamphlet entitled, "The Necessity of Atheism," which was about the non-existent of God and also how the individual imagines him. As a result of this pamphlet, he was dismissed from Oxford University. In 1811, Shelley met a young women by the name of Harriet Westbrook. They fell in love instantly. On August 28, 1811, they eloped and were married in Scotland. Shelley was always traveling across Europe to help spread the word about his ideas regarding the existence of God. Because of this pamphlet that he wrote, he was always a hunted man. Assassins would break into Shelley's home and try to murder him. As a result, Shelley was always on the run. Later in that same year, Harriet, Shelley's wife, gave birth to their first girl, who was named Ianthe Eliza. After her birth, Shelley published his first poem called "Queen Mab."
In 1814, Shelley met a girl named Mary Wollstonecraft Godwin, the future author of the novel Frankenstein. Shelley fell in love with her the moment that he saw her. On July 28th of that same year, Shelley married Mary in France. Later on, Percy Shelley finally was able to stop running and began to live at Bishopgate. This spot is where he started to write most of his poetry. His first son, named William was born here. William would become one of Percy's biggest inspirations in writting his poetry. Shelley continued to move around from country to country, such as Swizterland, Italy, and England. Shelley eventually became a lover of the water. He would always write his poetry while floating in a boat on the lake. He believed that it gave him a tranquil state of mind.
In 1817, Shelley was challanged by Horace Smith to write a poem about the statue Ozymandias. This statue was the remnants of the empire that Ramses II had built during his reign in Egypt. He related his poem not only to ancient Egypt but also to the political situations of the times, concerning Napoleon and Europe.
In 1818, one of Shelley's daughters, Clara, died. This left Shelley extremely depressed. Later on,
Shelley's son, William, also died. These tramatic experiences led him to present the world with two masterpieces : "The Cenci" and "Prometheus Unbound". These two works were considered to be Shelley's best work ever.
On July 8th of 1822, Shelley set sail for Leghorn. They travelled on their ship the "Don Juan". After leaving port, the vessel encountered some horrible weather. Accounts from viewers at the port, saw the ship enter a dense fog and the passengers were never seen again. Ten days later, villagers of Leghorn saw two washed up bodies on the shore. One of these bodies was identified to be Percy Bysshe Shelley. His body was cremated and buried in the new Protestant cemetery in Rome. He died at the age of 30 but left a large poetic legacy behind.
for authority and was very imaginitive. Shelley first attended Oxford University in 1810. Shelley, while attending the University, wrote a pamphlet entitled, "The Necessity of Atheism," which was about the non-existent of God and also how the individual imagines him. As a result of this pamphlet, he was dismissed from Oxford University. In 1811, Shelley met a young women by the name of Harriet Westbrook. They fell in love instantly. On August 28, 1811, they eloped and were married in Scotland. Shelley was always traveling across Europe to help spread the word about his ideas regarding the existence of God. Because of this pamphlet that he wrote, he was always a hunted man. Assassins would break into Shelley's home and try to murder him. As a result, Shelley was always on the run. Later in that same year, Harriet, Shelley's wife, gave birth to their first girl, who was named Ianthe Eliza. After her birth, Shelley published his first poem called "Queen Mab."
In 1814, Shelley met a girl named Mary Wollstonecraft Godwin, the future author of the novel Frankenstein. Shelley fell in love with her the moment that he saw her. On July 28th of that same year, Shelley married Mary in France. Later on, Percy Shelley finally was able to stop running and began to live at Bishopgate. This spot is where he started to write most of his poetry. His first son, named William was born here. William would become one of Percy's biggest inspirations in writting his poetry. Shelley continued to move around from country to country, such as Swizterland, Italy, and England. Shelley eventually became a lover of the water. He would always write his poetry while floating in a boat on the lake. He believed that it gave him a tranquil state of mind.
In 1817, Shelley was challanged by Horace Smith to write a poem about the statue Ozymandias. This statue was the remnants of the empire that Ramses II had built during his reign in Egypt. He related his poem not only to ancient Egypt but also to the political situations of the times, concerning Napoleon and Europe.
In 1818, one of Shelley's daughters, Clara, died. This left Shelley extremely depressed. Later on,
Shelley's son, William, also died. These tramatic experiences led him to present the world with two masterpieces : "The Cenci" and "Prometheus Unbound". These two works were considered to be Shelley's best work ever.
On July 8th of 1822, Shelley set sail for Leghorn. They travelled on their ship the "Don Juan". After leaving port, the vessel encountered some horrible weather. Accounts from viewers at the port, saw the ship enter a dense fog and the passengers were never seen again. Ten days later, villagers of Leghorn saw two washed up bodies on the shore. One of these bodies was identified to be Percy Bysshe Shelley. His body was cremated and buried in the new Protestant cemetery in Rome. He died at the age of 30 but left a large poetic legacy behind.
