Percy Shelley considered to be one of the most radical of the Romantic writers. He was described as a”misunderstood idealist and appalling selfish…a risk taker” a loyal friend (Wolfson and Manning p. 869). Grandson of a wealthy landowner and son of a member of parliament he was expected to follow in their footsteps, however, young Master Shelley was thrown out of Oxford infuriating his family (Wolfson and Manning). Shelley was a rake, and he had liaisons with several women, eloping with Harriet in 1811 fathering two children with her. Shelley embraced Godwin’s and Wollstonecraft’s ideas against marriage abandoning his wife Harriet and eloping with the authors’ daughter Mary in 1814. Shelley had several children by both women, and after Harriet’s
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10,000 millworkers and their families staged a peaceful protest The people were demonstrating about the working conditions, famine, and voting rights. A magistrate authorized the use of troops to disburse what he feared would become a rebellion. The soldiers were young and inexperienced, the overreacted, brutally attacking the crowd. Six people were killed, and much more were injured. Shelley was infuriated by this unprovoked attack on unarmed English citizens. He lambasted the government in his work “Mask of Anarchy” using simile and metaphors; fraud, murder, hypocrisy, and anarchists were used tp personify the armed forces, the government leaders, and the King. He has the masked murders and the anarchists travel throughout England savaging the country. In Shelley’s opinion, these people were evil and responsible for killing innocent protesters/ Shelly was not espousing violence as a solution. Rather justice, love, and other values could defeat anarchy. He was telling the people of England to embrace peace and to look further than corrupt leaders. To look beneath their disguises and see them for what they were. An anarchist disguised as King and government. A king whom the people foolishly worshiped and adored. The people of England were duped by the brutal forces who were not ashamed of their evil actions. They were blind to the reality, the King and his minions were the slaves of
10,000 millworkers and their families staged a peaceful protest The people were demonstrating about the working conditions, famine, and voting rights. A magistrate authorized the use of troops to disburse what he feared would become a rebellion. The soldiers were young and inexperienced, the overreacted, brutally attacking the crowd. Six people were killed, and much more were injured. Shelley was infuriated by this unprovoked attack on unarmed English citizens. He lambasted the government in his work “Mask of Anarchy” using simile and metaphors; fraud, murder, hypocrisy, and anarchists were used tp personify the armed forces, the government leaders, and the King. He has the masked murders and the anarchists travel throughout England savaging the country. In Shelley’s opinion, these people were evil and responsible for killing innocent protesters/ Shelly was not espousing violence as a solution. Rather justice, love, and other values could defeat anarchy. He was telling the people of England to embrace peace and to look further than corrupt leaders. To look beneath their disguises and see them for what they were. An anarchist disguised as King and government. A king whom the people foolishly worshiped and adored. The people of England were duped by the brutal forces who were not ashamed of their evil actions. They were blind to the reality, the King and his minions were the slaves of