П о я с н ю в а л ь н а з а п и с к а

PERCY BYSSHE SHELLEY (1792–1822)
"Poets are the trumpets which sing to battle; poets are the unacknowledged legislators of the world."
SHELLEY
Percy Bysshe Shelley was the most progressive poet among the Revolutionary Romanticists in English literature.
Like Byron, he combines in his poetry the romantic elements typical of the period with a revolutionary protest against the growing power of capitalism. Revolt against all existing laws and customs; revolt against all forms of religion; courage and readiness to act upon what he considered the right principles; extreme generosity; all-embracing love for mankind – these are the characteristic features of the poet, and they are reflected in his works.
Shelley foretold a happy future for humanity. He believed that the day would come when the people of this world would be free from their dark slavery. He was the first poet in English literature to portray the common people as the only force capable of changing the existing order of life, and to them, the poet addresses his passionate appeal to overthrow their oppressors.
For his revolutionary ideas and firm belief in the happy future of humanity Frederick Engels called Shelley a prophet, and Kail Marx spoke of him as of "a socialist from top to toe". His Life and Work
Percy Bysshe Shelley was bom on the 4th of August, 1792, in Sussex. Like Byron, he came from an aristocratic family, and broke away from his class. His father was a baronet, and a narrow-minded man. The boy felt ill at ease in his family, and at Eton College where he was sent to in 1804. He was a shy, gentle, kind and sensitive boy by nature, but he had his own notions of justice, independence and freedom. At Eton the boy promptly rebelled against the brutal fagging system, then tolerated in English public schools. The teachers disliked him for his independent thinking. He was called "Mad Shelley" or "Shelley – the atheist".
In 1810 Shelley entered Oxford. A year later he wrote an anti-religious pamphlet called "The Necessity of Atheism", for which he was expelled from the University. The same year he was disinherited by his father.
In 1813 Shelley published his first great poem. "Queen Mab", containing sharp criticism of human society, past and present, and expressing his ideals as to the happy future of mankind, to be brought about by peaceful means.
Almost the same idea of "bloodless revolution" is expressed in "The Revolt of Islam Cizlami" (1818), a poem about the leaders of the revolt. Loan and Cythna, who sacrificed their lives for the cause of freedom. Though at that time Shelley had not yet realized the necessity of armed struggle, and advocated the bloodless dethronement of oppressors, the plot of the poem was inspired by the ideas of the French Revolution, which he supported with all his heart.
For the poems directed against "all the oppressions which are done under the sun" Shelley received the reputation of being "a dangerous man" and was ostracized by society. Life in England became unbearable and the poet left hisnative country, which he was destined never to see again.
In 1818 Shelley went to Italy. After wandering over the country he finally settled in Pisa beloved of so many English poets. There he found comfort in the friendship of Byron, who admired his verses, and spoke of Shelley as the most gentle and amiable person he had ever met. The great works of art and the rich colouring of Italy gave new life to Shelley's poetic genius. Most of his best works were written under a southern sky during the last years of his short life. A thorough study of social and political conditions helped Shelley , to realize the inconsistency of the theory of "bloodless revolution" i and to understand the necessity of violence as the only means of abolishing tyranny. 'The Cenci" (.1819) is the first of the poet's 1 works where this idea is clearly expressed. Shelley's considerable dramatic, power is manifested in this tragedy, based on an Italian murder story of the 16th century.
A great lover of man and freedom, a foe of despotism, Shelley voices his sympathy with those who fought the oppressor and boldly faced death. "The Cenci" ranks among those works of the poet which burn with the fire of his genius.
Though far from England, Shelley was always interested in the affairs of his native country. The economic misery and political oppression of the English people grieved and angered the poet. In 1819 he wrote revolutionary songs which show the progress of his world outlook.
In the "Song to the Men of England" (1819) Shelley appeals to the English workers to struggle for their human rights.
The same theme of revolt is heard in the poems: "The Mask of Anarchy" (1819), "England in 1819" (1819), "Ode to Liberty" (1820) and many others.
When the Chartist Movement began to develop. Shelley became one of the most popular poets of the time. During demonstrations the workers marched along the streets, singing his revolutionary songs.
One of Shelley's best works is his lyrical drama "Prometheus lprami Unbound" (1820). The plot is a variation on the theme of "Prometheus Bound", a tragedy by Aeschylus ('irskilasi (525–456 B. C.). According to Greek myths, Prometheus stole the gods fire from Olympue, and brought it down to mankind. For this Jove (dgouvl, father of the gods, chained Prometheus to a rock over a precipice. and subjected him to everlasting torture.
In SheHey's drama Prometheus symbolizes the human mind and will- His captivity means that both the mind of man and man himself are enslaved. Shelley's hero does not seek a reconciliation with Jove. He suffers terrible tortures but does not submit.
Prometheus is helped by the innumerable forces of nature. The Spirit of the Earth, Demogorgon – the symbol of revolution, and the other good spirits cast Jove out of Olympus into oblivion. Prometheus is unbound, the human mind is free, the world of men passes from chaos to unlimited progress. The forces of nature symbolize the common people, who overthrow all forms of tyranny and become free and happy.
The poet was a revolutionary both in his political outlook and poetical style.
Shelley was also the author of many lyrical poems of rare beauty and emotional power. Though some of his verses are rather sad, the motif of "world sorrow" is alien to him. Shelley was an optimist. He regarded the world and nature as ever in development. He ends his "Ode to the West Wind" ("O wild West Wind, thou breath of Autumn's being,") with the famous line.
"If Winter conies, can Spring be far behind?"
The poet was inspired by love: a love not limited to mankind, but extending to every living creature, to animals and flowers, to the whole of nature; his very being is fused and blended in nature. He becomes one with the lark ("To a Skylark"), with the cloud ("The Cloud"), and the west wind ("Ode to the West Wind").
Shelley's rich imagination, his power of rhythmical expression, his passion, for liberty make his poetry unexcelled. He brought the melody of verse to a degree of perfection unknown in English poetry before him To Shelley poetry was a device for making immortal all that is good and beautiful in the world. He had the key to the hidden mysteries of the heart, of life itself.
Great as Shelley's fame is now, it should be remembered that it was entirely posthumous. He received practically no encouragement during his lifetime.
On July 8. 1822, while Shelley and a friend of his were sailing in a small boat across the Bay ofSpezia Cspetsial, near Genoa, a sudden and violent storm broke out Ten days later their bodies were found washed ashore. They were cremated on the " spot, and, according to some accounts, the poet's wife, Mary, snatched her husband's heart from out of the ashes. The heart was buried in the Protestant cemetery in Rome. The inscription on his tombstone reads: "Percy Bysshe Shelley, COR CORDIUM" (The Heart of Hearts).