Percy Bysshe Shelley

Date of Birth: August 4, 1792

Zodiac Sign: Leo

Date of Death: July 8, 1822

Biography

Percy Bysshe Shelley was a renowned English Romantic poet, born on August 4, 1792, in Field Place, Horsham, Sussex, England. He is considered one of the most influential poets of the 19th century and is known for his radical political views, atheism, and advocacy for social justice. Shelley attended Eton College and later went to University College, Oxford, where he was expelled for co-authoring a pamphlet titled “The Necessity of Atheism.” His poetic works include masterpieces such as “Ozymandias,” “Ode to the West Wind,” and “To a Skylark.” Shelley’s personal life was tumultuous and filled with romantic entanglements. He married Harriet Westbrook in 1811, but the marriage was short-lived. He later fell in love with Mary Wollstonecraft Godwin, with whom he eloped to Europe. Mary Shelley would go on to write the classic novel “Frankenstein.” Shelley’s life was tragically cut short when he drowned in a boating accident in the Gulf of Spezia, Italy, on July 8, 1822.

5 Interesting Facts about Percy Bysshe Shelley

1. Percy Bysshe Shelley was expelled from Oxford University for advocating atheism.

2. He was a close friend of Lord Byron, another influential Romantic poet.

3. Shelley’s second wife, Mary Shelley, authored the famous novel “Frankenstein.”

4. He was a staunch advocate for social justice, including issues like vegetarianism and anti-monarchism.

5. Shelley’s works were often criticized during his lifetime but gained significant recognition posthumously.

5 Most Interesting Quotes from Percy Bysshe Shelley

1. “Poets are the unacknowledged legislators of the world.”

2. “The more we study the more we discover our ignorance.”

3. “Fear not for the future, weep not for the past.”

4. “The past, like an inspired rhapsodist, fills the theatre of everlasting generations with its harmony.”

5. “Man’s yesterday may never be like his morrow; Nought may endure but Mutability.”

Highest Net Worth Achieved

Percy Bysshe Shelley did not achieve significant financial success during his lifetime. His family’s wealth provided some support, but his radical views and lifestyle often put him at odds with his inheritance. Therefore, he did not accumulate significant personal wealth.

Children

Percy Bysshe Shelley had several children, though many of them did not survive infancy. He had two children with his first wife, Harriet Westbrook: Ianthe and Charles. With his second wife, Mary Shelley, he had four children, but only one, Percy Florence Shelley, survived to adulthood.