The Intense and Controversial Life of Percy Bysshe Shelley

Percy Bysshe Shelley was a renowned and controversial poet that belonged to the romantic period. His work is highly celebrated, even to this day. In fact, his poems have been studied in classrooms for decades. Despite how highly acclaimed his work is, his life, however, was criticized for being incredibly scandalous. Never a dull moment in Shelley’s short life, we’ve summarized the most prominent points in this article:

• Shelley was born in the late 18th-Century on the English countryside. He was the eldest of seven children and at age 10 was sent to study at Eaton. Here he would be bullied physically and emotionally by his classmates, due to this he learned to cope by escaping to his imagination. He would go on to publish two novels and two poetry volumes during these years.
• In 1810 he was expelled from Oxford University for writing and publishing a political pamphlet titled: ‘The Necessity of Atheism’. He would later go on to write several other political pamphlets that he would distribute via hot air balloon, glass bottles, and paper boats.
• His love life was scandalous, to say the least, at least for his time. He married his first wife Harriet against everyone’s wishes and as an act of rebellion. He wanted to save her from committing suicide, however, he got bored of her soon after. Shelley later began an affair with his mentor's daughter Mary, who would later become Mary Shelley author of Doctor Frankenstein. Her father disapproved of this union and would not speak to her for three years. During this time Mary and Percy fled to Paris and explored Europe. When they returned to England both Mary and Harriet were pregnant, so Harriet asked for a divorce and custody of the children. After another long time away in Europe, Shelley returned to England to discover that Harriet had killed herself by jumping in a river. He married Mary a few weeks later and her father welcomed them both into the family. However, Shelley never recovered the custody of his children.
• Throughout his life, Shelley befriended several acclaimed romantic poets that encouraged him to pursue his own career. These names included John Keats, Lord Byron, and Leigh Hunt. Despite his talents, however, Shelley found many obstacles in getting his work published for being considered politically provocative, attacking religion and at times being incestuous. 
• In the last years of his life, the Shelley couple moved to Italy and lived in several cities. Unfortunately, they lost a son, to a fever, and a daughter a few weeks after her birth. It was here in Italy where Shelley died just before turning 30. He drowned when sailing, and whilst the newspaper reported it as an accident, many believed it was a murder based on evidence from the scene of the accident. They believed he would have been murdered for his political views.

Shelley went on to publish several novels and poem anthologies in his short life. Works that you will only fully appreciate when you know about his turbulent life. If you’re curious about it and wish to explore it further, you can read his work in our online library www.unnomedia.com.