England in 1819 Analysis

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Because of his outspokenness, British Romantic poet Percy Bysshe Shelley is well remembered for his radical thoughts expressed during this time period. Through poetry, pamphlets, and essays, he explicitly expressed his views on politics, literature, and morality, earning him recognition as one of the most controversial literary figures of his time. Within the poem “England in 1819”, Shelley uses his skills to show multiple meanings by incorporating symbols and other literary devices. Throughout the poem, the speaker expresses his dissatisfaction for royalty and also tries to bring about a revolution. When readers first view this poem, they can tell that the speaker openly expresses his contempt for royalty. His use of imagery helps to create the mood of the piece which shows his blatant derogatory regard for royalty. Because of the royals’ actions, the speaker is angry, critical, and scornful, which correlates with the problems England experiences during that time period. This mood symbolizes the decay of the English way of life. The king, who has become too old to rule affectively, remains in power, serving as a bad example to the princes who will become his successors. Unfortunately, the public’s hatred of the ruling monarchy grows daily, and they become the object of public scorn. Shelley describes this in the poem when he says, “An old, mad, blind, despised, and dying King; / Princes, the dregs of their dull race, who flow / Through public scorn, -mud from a muddy spring” (Lines 1-3). He speaks of the rulers who have no concern for their citizens, and no desire to relate to them. He also likens the royalty to leeches who suck the life out of the country and its people until they die, blind in what they have done. As he continues, he criticizes the army, which destroys the citizens’ liberty while they kill their enemies. He finds no purpose in the
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