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Percy Bysshe Shelley

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Percy Bysshe Shelley was a major English Romantic poet.

Joseph Severn - Posthumous Portrait of Shelley Writing Prometheus Unbound 1845
Joseph Severn - Posthumous Portrait of Shelley Writing Prometheus Unbound 1845

He was known for his bold and radical ideas. His poetry often explored political and social views. Shelley did not achieve great fame during his lifetime. Many of his works were not published while he lived. This was because his ideas were sometimes seen as dangerous. People feared he might face legal trouble for his writings. However, his fame grew steadily after he died.

Percy Bysshe Shelley (Tate Britain) (Amelia Robertson Hill, bronze, idealised only, 1882)
Percy Bysshe Shelley (Tate Britain) (Amelia Robertson Hill, bronze, idealised only, 1882)

Shelley was a master of many different kinds of writing. He wrote long poems like "Alastor" and "Prometheus Unbound." He also wrote short, famous poems like "Ozymandias."

HistorySixWeeksTourMap
HistorySixWeeksTourMap

Some of his work was written as verse dramas. He even wrote prose fiction and many essays. These essays focused on philosophy and social issues. His writing style used sweeping and powerful imagery. This helped him express very complex and deep ideas. He used many different verse forms to show his skill.

Shelley was born on August 4, 1792, in Sussex, England.

WilliamGodwin
WilliamGodwin

His father was Sir Timothy Shelley, a Member of Parliament. Shelley had four sisters and one younger brother. As a child, he enjoyed hunting, fishing, and riding. He showed a great gift for languages at a young age. Later, he attended Eton College, where he faced severe bullying. Some students even called him "Mad Shelley." This was a hard time in his early life. He often felt like an outsider at school.

Science was another huge part of Shelley's life. He loved to read about mystery and the supernatural. At Oxford, he even set up a laboratory in his room.

Keats Shelly Museum, Spanish Steps, Rome
Keats Shelly Museum, Spanish Steps, Rome

He performed experiments with electricity and gunpowder. Sometimes these experiments were quite loud or even dangerous. He also studied the works of the philosopher Plato. In 1811, he was expelled from Oxford University. This happened because he published a pamphlet about atheism. His father was very upset by this event. This led to a long disagreement between them.

Shelley's life and work connected many different people. His second wife was Mary Shelley, who wrote "Frankenstein."

Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley Rothwell
Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley Rothwell

In 1818, he moved to Italy to live in self-exile. There, he wrote some of his finest Romantic poetry. His ideas later inspired many famous leaders and thinkers. These included Karl Marx and Mahatma Gandhi. Even the writer George Bernard Shaw admired him. Shelley died in a boating accident in 1822. He was only 29 years old at the time.

Louis Edouard Fournier - The Funeral of Shelley - Google Art Project
Louis Edouard Fournier - The Funeral of Shelley - Google Art Project
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WilliamGodwin.jpg
Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley Rothwell.tif
File:HistorySixWeeksTourMap.png
HistorySixWeeksTourMap.png
File:Joseph Severn - Posthumous Portrait of Shelley Writing Prometheus Unbound 1845.jpg
Joseph Severn - Posthumous Portrait of...
File:Louis Edouard Fournier - The Funeral of Shelley - Google Art Project.jpg
Louis Edouard Fournier - The Funeral of...
File:Percy Shelley gravestone with clear text.png
Percy Shelley gravestone with clear text.png
File:Keats Shelly Museum, Spanish Steps, Rome.JPG
Keats Shelly Museum, Spanish Steps, Rome.JPG
File:Percy_Bysshe_Shelley_(Tate_Britain)_(Amelia_Robertson_Hill,_bronze,_idealised_only,_1882).jpg
Percy_Bysshe_Shelley_(Tate_Britain)_(Ameli...
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