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England in 1819

England in 1819. By Percy Bysshe Shelley Pg. 705. Percy Shelley (1792-1822). His second wife was Mary Shelley, the author of Frankenstein Up until his death by drowning at 29 in a storm at sea, it is said he only made 40 pounds from his writings.

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England in 1819

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  1. England in 1819 By Percy ByssheShelley Pg. 705

  2. Percy Shelley (1792-1822) • His second wife was Mary Shelley, the author of Frankenstein • Up until his death by drowning at 29 in a storm at sea, it is said he only made 40 pounds from his writings. • He wrote plays and long visionary poems such as Alastor and The Revolt of Islam. • He also wrote Gothic novels such as Zastrozzi (1810) and St. Irvyne(1811) • Other famous poems include To a Skylark and Ozymandias.

  3. Peterloo Massacre and King George III • On Aug. 16, 1819, English soldiers charged into a crowd of people rallying for parliament reform in St. Peter’s Field. At least six were killed and more than eighty injured. • King George III, the king of England during the American revolution, was also king in 1819 and declared insane in 1811. • Percy Shelly was angered by the massacre and the state of England at the time he wrote the poem.

  4. Poem Structure • 14 line sonnet • Rhyme Scheme: ABAB, ABCD, CDCC, DD • Iambic pentameter

  5. Meaning and Theme • Description and criticism of England’s gov’t in 1819. • The theme is the awful state of England and a desire for change. • Similar to William Wordsworth’s London, 1802.

  6. Special Terms • Liberticide– the murder of liberty • Golden and sanguine laws – laws written to protect financial interests • Time’s worst statute – laws that restricted on people who didn’t belong to the Church of England • Phantom – a metaphor for the spirit of revolution

  7. Questions • Why are the “princes” described as “dregs of their dull race”? • Why are the “rulers” described as “leechlike”? • Explain the paradox in line 13: that “graves” might give birth to the glorious Phantom. • Can you think of any other times in history where this poem could apply?

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