The Life of Percy Bysshe Shelley

Percy Bysshe Shelley was born in 1792. He was the son to a rich land owner. Growing up, Shelley proved himself to be a intelligent student. It later on helped him get accepted into Oxford University in England. Shelley only attended Oxford for a year, due to a explicit pamphlet he created with another student called "The Necessity of Atheism" Shelley and the other student were expelled from the school. The article was only the beginning of his rebellion of law and order. In his earlier poems, Shelley attempted to express his political views in through the poem "Queen Mab". Although his writing was amateur, it contained very mature philosophy. His beliefs were extreme and his writings contained many contradictions. He believed in free love, atheism, vegetarianism and political radicalism. In 1814, Shelley became involved with Mary Godwin. At the time, he was married to Harriet Westbrook. By 1816, Shelley left Harriet and he and Mary got married. The same year, his wife, Mary, created the horror story "Frankenstein." Shelley and Mary spent the summer in Geneva, Switzerland with Lord Byron, John William Polidori and Claire Clairmont. During the stay in a rented house on Lake Geneva, Lord Byron came up with the idea to write supernatural stories. It was that night when Mary Shelley had created the story "Frankenstein." Mary Shelley also had writing talent. Not only was she known for creating one of the most known ghost stories, she also edit her husbands poetry. When the couple returned back to England, Shelley wrote a poem about the extreme ideas of poets and their visions to improve man kind. After being in England, the couple moved to Italy for good. When they arrive tragedy struck his family. His infant daughter had died, and his ex wife committed suicide. Only living in Italy for four years, Percy Shelley died before his thirtieth birthday. He drowned at sea during a violent storm. His wife continued to edit his work, and spread his fame even after his death. Shelley had accomplished many things in his short life, and he is still known as one of the greatest romantic poets.

-Lauryn Hartung