Percy Bysshe Shelley
Shelley's (b.1792 - d.1822) life was tragically taken in a storm while sailing his schooner in Italy. Shelley led a highly emotional existence. Expelled from Oxford for publishing an essay endorsing atheism, Shelley made the decision to follow his feelings instead of following rules. At the age of 19, he and his first wife, Harriet, eloped to Scotland. Harriet was only sixteen. He may have imagined himself as a glorious hero saving the young student from a life she detested in their elopement. Shelley continued to have female liaisons because he was dissatisfied with his marriage. Mary Wollstonecraft, better known as Mary Shelley, the renowned author of the Gothic classic Frankenstein, remarried. They traveled overseas with pals and ran into Lord Byron.
One of the foremost members of the "second generation" of Romantic poets, Percy Bysshe Shelley produced some of the genre's most well-known pieces. He was a contentious author whose poetry is distinguished by unwavering idealism and strong individual conviction. Despite the fact that he produced works throughout his life, the majority of publishers and magazines chose not to publish them out of concern that they might be charged with blasphemy or sedition. Shelley was unable to amass a large audience as a result throughout his lifetime. But when he passed away, his popularity continued to soar, and in the end, he received widespread acclaim and celebrity. Percy Bysshe Shelley not only inspired a subsequent generation of poets but also had an impact on notable individuals like the German philosopher Karl Marx and the Indian freedom fighter Mahatma Gandhi. He is regarded as one of the greatest English-language poets.
Famous Works:
- Ozymandias (1818)
- Ode to the West Wind (1820)
- Prometheus Unbound (1820)
Lifespan: August 4, 1792 – July 8, 1822
Nationality: English
