THE THEME OF LIVINGNESS, FREEDOM AND IDENTITY IN THE SELECTED WORKS OF P.B. SHELLEY

Author: Dr Ramesh Kumar Shukla

ABSTRACT

P.B Shelley (4 August, 1792- 8 July 1822) is one of the most Romantic Poets of England. He is known for his prophetic vision, lyrical brilliance and revolutionary ideas. His major literary works are Queen Mob (1813), Mont Blane (1816), Hymn to Intellectual Beauty (1816), and Love’s Philosophy (1819), Ode to the West Wind (1819), To A Skylark (1820), The Cloud (1820), Promtheus Unbound (1820), Ode to Liberty (1820), Adonis (1821), and The Defence of Poetry (1821).

P.B Shelley’s poetry explores his belief that all existence is in the connected. Moreover, nature and human mind both are dynamic, constantly shifting and intimately connected. Nature is a living and breathing entity. It is governed by an unseen “spirit of beauty” or” intellectual beauty”. The wind, river, mountain, cloud, skylark and so on; all are manifestations of a vast and living universe. Shelley believes that the human mind is a lens through which the world achieves “livingness”. Shelley believes that the poet has a prophetic mind. He has inner power to guide humanity towards freedom. His bending of mind is full of freedom and individuality.

This paper explores Shelley’s visionary thought of freedom, prophecy, identity and romanticism. He has quest for freedom in his own life is well as cosmic. In his Ode to Liberty, he argues that freedom is an absolute necessity for human creativity and happiness. He has a strong voice against the corrupting institutions of monarchy and tyranny of England in 1819.

Keywords: Individuality, Nature, Imagery, Beauty, Romanticism

WORKS CITED

  1. Shelley, Percy Bysshe. “Ode to the West Wind.” Prometheus Unbound: A Lyrical Drama in Four Acts, with Other Poems, C. and J. Ollier, 1820, pp. 188-92.
  2. —. “The Cloud.” Prometheus Unbound: A Lyrical Drama in Four Acts, with Other Poems, C. and J. Ollier, 1820, pp. 193-96.
  3. —. “To a Skylark.” Prometheus Unbound: A Lyrical Drama in Four Acts, with Other Poems, C. and J. Ollier, 1820, pp. 197-202.
  4. Shukla, Ramesh Kumar. “The Theme of Freedom and Identity in the Selected Works of P.B. Shelley.” Unpublished manuscript, 2026.