Beginning of the 19th century…. A disastrous July night…. A boat – with a would-be couple, a young lady and two men onboard – was crossing the English Channel. They had left Dover for Calais. However, the passengers were in deep trouble because of poor weather condition. It was a two-hour journey by boat…. but, the sudden storm in the sea made it difficult for the sailing boat to reach the destination on time.

English Channel

Let’s look back a little bit…. In 1804, a 12-year-old boy entered Eton College. He was cute and smart. He loved to read books and to conduct scientific researches. The boy had no friends at college, as he didn’t have any interest in spending time with friends. In fact, his classmates and seniors considered him as crazy. The boy was also very interested in one thing – writing. In April 1810, he matriculated at University College, Oxford. And before celebrating his 18th birthday, he penned a novel and started writing verses. The following year, he published a book, The Necessity of Atheism. However, the content of the book shocked the university authorities and he was rusticated from Oxford. Even, his father disowned him. On that day, no one could imagine that this man would become one of the greatest English romantic poets of all time.

Percy Bysshe Shelley

Percy Bysshe Shelley……..! The eldest son of Sir Timothy Shelley (1753-1844) and Elizabeth Pilfol (1763-1846), Percy had four younger sisters and one brother. Four months after he was rusticated from Oxford, Percy left his home (at the age of 19). His first girlfriend (and a classmate of his sister) Harriet Westbrook was with him, as they tied the nuptial knot (in 1811) without the approval of their respective families. Even after marrying Harriet, Percy got involved in an intense platonic relationship with Elizabeth Hitchener – a 28-year-old unmarried schoolteacher of advanced views. Later, he wrote: “She was the sister of my soul, my second self….”

Harriet Westbrook

Percy’s first relationship lasted exactly two years. His married life with Harriet ended soon after the birth of their first daughter Elizabeth Ianthe Shelley. Once again, he left the home, leaving Ianthe and Harriet (who was pregnant with their second child, Charles). Meanwhile, Percy met English journalist, political philosopher and novelist William Godwin. William’s wife Mary Wollstonecraft passed away after the birth of their daughter. As a result, he had to take care of his only child, Mary Wollstonecraft Godwin. Mary, who studied in Scotland, was a beautiful and charming lady. It was love at first sight for both Mary and Percy. On June 26, 1814, Mary declared her love for Percy. Later, they would decide to tie the knot, going against William.
Apart from Percy, many renowned poets used to visit Godwin’s residence. It brought an opportunity for Mary to become familiar with poems of Coleridge, Wordsworth and others. She loved to read books and write stories. One day, Percy and Mary planned to leave their home as they wanted to get rid of their monotonous life. Together with Mary’s stepsister Claire Clairmont, Mary and Percy left for France and travelled through Europe. Three years after their return to England, Mary penned the book, ‘History of a Six Weeks‘ Tour’, in which she shared her memories in France, Switzerland, Germany and Holland with the readers. Percy, too, wrote ‘The Spirit of Solitude’ after the tour of Europe. The poem was the first feather in his crown of success.

Mary Wollstonecraft Godwin

In 1816, Percy and Mary once again left England for Switzerland, where they met Lord Byron. Byron invited the couple to spend time with him at his residence. In a rainy evening, the three decided to have a competition to see who could write the best horror story. After thinking for days, Mary penned the novel ‘Frankenstein’. She started writing the story at the age of 18 and the first edition was published anonymously in London on January 1, 1818 (when she was 20). However, her name first appeared on the second edition published in France in 1823. And immediately after publication of the second edition, Mary became a world famous writer.

The draft of Frankenstein

After their return to England (in December 1816), Percy received the news of his first wife Harriet’s death. Before committing suicide, Harriet wrote a letter to Percy in which she left a message for her husband, wishing him a happy married life. Barely three weeks after Harriet’s body was recovered, Percy and Mary were married on December 30, 1816. Mary Wollstonecraft Godwin became Mary Shelley! The newlyweds started living in Italy and Percy created immortal poems – like ‘Ode to the West Wind’, ‘To a Skylark’ and ‘Hymn to Intellectual Beauty’ – after his second marriage. However, Percy and Mary didn’t enjoy a happy married life mainly because of Percy’s bohemian lifestyle that hurt Mary. They also lost two children. Still, they loved each other.

Livorno to Lerici

July 8, 1822. Ahead of his 30th birthday (August 4), Percy left this world. He was returning from Leghorn (Livorno) to Lerici in his sailing boat, the ‘Don Juan’ (although Percy changed it to ‘Ariel’). His friend Edward Ellerker Williams, Captain Daniel Roberts and young Cornish boatman Charles Vivian, were also with him. Unfortunately, the boat sank (it did not capsize, but sank) due to the severe storm on the Gulf of Spezia and poor seamanship of Vivian. All the travellers were drowned and their bodies washed ashore later. A colourful life stopped suddenly and Mary lost her ‘closest’ friend at the age of 24.

Shelley Memorial at University College, Oxford

Percy was cremated on the beach near Viareggio. There was a small book of Keats’ poetry in his pocket while drowning. Upon hearing this, Byron said: “I never met a man who wasn’t a beast in comparison to him.” Soon after the news of his death reached England, The Courier daily wrote: “Shelley, the writer of some infidel poetry, has been drowned; now he knows whether there is God or no.”
After Percy’s demise, Mary carefully preserved her husband’s literary creations. Their uncompromising attitude, sacrifice and immense self-confidence have made the couple immortal, forever.

English romantic poets
William Blake (28 November, 1757-12 August, 1827); William Wordsworth (7 April, 1770-23 April, 1850); Samuel Taylor Coleridge (21 October, 1772-25 July, 1834); Lord Byron (22 January, 1788-19 April, 1824); Percy Bysshe Shelley (4 August, 1792-8 July, 1822); John Keats (31 October, 1795-23 February, 1821); Felicia Hemans (25 September, 1793-16 May, 1835); Charlotte Turner Smith (4 May, 1749-28 October, 1806) and Mary Robinson (27 November, 1757 (?)-26 December, 1800)

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Published by Koushik Das

Koushik Das (born on May 16, 1976 in Kolkata) is a career journalist. Based in the Indian capital of New Delhi, Koushik writes mainly about foreign policies and current geopolitical issues, and rarely about other topics. His own political ideas are highly influenced by Antonio Gramsci, Louis Althusser, Michel Foucault, Michael Oakeshott and others. English philosopher and political theorist Oakeshott (Dec 11, 1901-Dec 19, 1990) says that “in political activity, men sail a boundless and bottomless sea. There is neither harbour for shelter nor floor for anchorage, neither starting-place, nor appointed destination. But we have to keep afloat”. (Rationalism in Politics, 1962) As a student of Political Science, Koushik loves to share his views on issues, which have great impacts on his thought process (and also on India, South Asia and of course on the global community), with his readers through his website – Boundless Ocean of Politics. By doing so, he tries to keep himself afloat. You will find some of his articles in https://inserbia.info/today/ (https://inserbia.info/today/author/kou_das13_i/), as he has been trying to assess the global geopolitics since 2003. You can also mail him at kousdas@gmail.com View all posts by Koushik Das