Introduction
England in 1819 is a political poem by P.B. Shelley. Being a radical poem it couldn’t be published during lifetime of the poet and posthumously published in 1839. It reveals socio political conditions of the England then.
Central Idea
Poem centralizes on the socio political conditions of the England where king is completely turned invalid due to disease and old age. His successors are products of an incapable dynasty. Insensitive laws are ignoring plight of the general public. Army is like a double edged sword. In such atmosphere poet hopes for a better future.
Themes
- Tyrannical Rule – Poem reflects that the common person is ignored by the ruling authority. People are hungry. Fields are left uncultivated. Army is attacking with daggers on peacefully protesting public and famous Peterloo massacre happened. Rulers are clanged to the country like leech and sucking every leftover drop of the blood.
- Corruption – Poet has highlighted corruption in both ruling community who are trying to extract as much possible from the country without serving it. They are compared with leech by the poet. Similarly in religion god is denied, Bible is not followed. It shows corrupt status of clergy of the churches who are making public fool for monetary benefits.
- Hope – Despite such hopeless conditions in the country Shelley hopes for a phoenix like rebirth of this country out of the graves of these incapable rulers, exploiting bureaucracy, common public and corrupted church.
Figure of speech
- Alliteration – ‘Despised and dying’, ‘dregs of their dull’ in first two lines have repetition of /d/ consonant sounds. Similarly in ‘country cling’, ‘blind in blood’ etc. there is repetition of consonant sounds /k/ and /b/.
- Simile – Rulers are compared to leeches.
“Rulers who neither see nor feel nor know,
But leechlike to their fainting country cling”
Hence it’s an example of simile.
- Metaphor – ‘Glorious Phantom’ is a metaphor for bright future.
Revolutionary Shelley
Shelley has been revolutionary throughout his short span of life. He was firstly expelled from the Oxford in 1811 for his controversial pamphlet ‘The Necessity of Atheism’. Later on he self-exiled himself from the country and continued his free voice against the contemporary ruling authority and church. In this poem too he exposed the rulers and their behavior. He even talked about inhuman act of Peterloo incident and role of local magistrates and army in that. Religion hasn’t remained untouched from him. This radical and revolutionary nature of Shelley is clearly visible in this poem.
A Romantic poem
England in 1819 reflects traits of romantic poetry. It has liberal ideas of the Shelley towards common people and their plight. It demands changes in contemporary conditions of the country. Poet has used his imagination power to hope for a ‘glorious phantom’ i.e. bright future for the country. Hence it’s a romantic poem.
Structure and Rhyme Scheme
England in 1819 is a sonnet of Petrarchan pattern with inverted structure as it has first sestet and then octave. Its rhyme scheme is ababab cdcdccdd which is also different from usual rhyme scheme of Petrarchan sonnets.
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