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Percy Bysshe Shelley A Tragic Flaw Essay

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There once was a revolutionary English Romantic poet by the name of Percy Bysshe Shelley, and considered by many critics as one of the greatest lyrical, influential, and liberal poets of his era. Shelley always stood up for what he believed in and would fight tooth and nail for what he wants. His life was always full of risks and was very adventurous, this is what made him an interesting person and it is what made his works so intriguing. Despite his popularity, Shelley’s riskiness was also his tragic flaw because of all the misfortunes that he caused and the misfortunes of his own. Shelley was an anomaly in history because of the way he lived his life and for the way he stood up for his radical beliefs. Shelley was born on August 4, …show more content…

For these reasons, kids bullied him and taunted him with petty nicknames such as “Mad Shelley” and “Shelley the Atheist”(Poetry Foundation). Shelley then published a pamphlet with the help of his friend, Thomas Hogg. This pamphlet was his first publication and it was called “The Necessity of Atheism”, this work was disapproved by the authorities at Eton and he was then expelled. He also published another pamphlet that was questionable and it was called “Posthumous Fragments of Margaret Nicholson”. This shows how much of a radical he was because one of his first works got him expelled from a school and by the time he was only sixteen (Reiman pg. ). Shelley also wrote a couple poems while at Eton. The names of them were Original Poetry; by Victor and Cazire, The Esdaile Notebook, and Zastrozzi. They were his most popular works from the year 1810. (Means) Following Shelley’s expulsion, eloped with Harriet Westbrook in 1811. This marriage was disapproved by his family because she was from a working-class background and she was only sixteen. Shelley and Harriet then traveled through Scotland and Ireland, until they came home and settled in Wales in 1812 (Means). Queen Mab was one of his first major works written in 1813 and it expressed his hate for political tyranny and Christianity (Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia). He expresses how he feels about those who have power when he says “Power, like a desolating pestilence, Pollutes whate 'er it touches”(Queen Mab).He then

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