Percy Bysshe Shelley

Percy Bysshe Shelley was born in 1792 in West Sussex, England. His parents were wealthy landowners and Shelley spent much of his early childhood outdoors in the English countryside. When he was ten years old, he was sent to Eton College to be educated. A studious and solitary child, Shelley was bullied relentlessly by his classmates during his time at Eton. He enrolled at Oxford University in 1810 where he developed his interest in writing and literature, despite rarely attending lectures. During his time at Oxford, Shelley began to experiment with writing novels and poetry and also to develop an interest in politics. He was expelled from Oxford in 1811 for writing a pamphlet called “The Necessity of Atheism,” which was highly critical of the Church. After his expulsion, which caused a rift between Shelley and his father, Shelley eloped with Harriet Westbrook, a sixteen-year old girl who had become infatuated with him. Their marriage was unhappy however, and Shelley continued to court relationships with other women throughout this period. Shelley also began to spend time with William Godwin, a political writer whom Shelley considered his mentor and who had been married to the famous feminist writer Mary Wollstonecraft before her death. Shelley left Harriet and their daughter, Ianthe, in 1814 while Harriet was pregnant with their second child and entered a relationship with William Godwin and Mary Wollstonecraft’s daughter, Mary, whom Shelley eventually married in 1816 after Harriet committed suicide. Percy and Mary Shelley travelled widely in Europe, spending time with Shelley’s friend, the famous poet Lord Byron, who was also the lover of Mary’s sister, Claire. Due to the fallout with his family, Shelley was often very poor and, although he was a prolific writer, his poetry was not a commercial success during his lifetime. His marriage to Mary was tumultuous and Shelley continued to have affairs throughout. The couple had two children, both of whom died in infancy, and an adopted daughter who also died very young. Shelley died in 1822 at age twenty-nine, when his boat sank in stormy weather off the Italian coast.