In order to answer an essay question on any poem it is vital that you understand what it is about. This section includes:
- The poem in a nutshell
- A “translation” of the poem, section-by-section
- A commentary of each of these sections, outlining Percy Bysshe Shelley’s intention and message
“England in 1819” in a nutshell
“England in 1819”, written by the romantic poet Percy Bysshe Shelley, examines the state of England during the reign of King George III. The speaker’s critical observations as he describes his world comments on the corruption and despair he observed in the country.
“England in 1819” breakdown
Lines 1–3
“An old, mad, blind, despised, and dying King;
Princes, the dregs of their dull race, who flow
Through public scorn, — mud from a muddy spring;”
Translation
- The poem begins describing King George III, who was mentally and physically ill
- Shelley goes on to describe the princes, who he believes are the worst kind of human
- He says that the citizens of the country “scorn” or despise the monarchy
- He describes the “Princes”, the heirs to the throne, as dirty or polluted (corrupted) as mud
Shelley’s intention
- The first lines of Shelley’s polemic poem criticise the disconnected relationship between the monarchy and the people of England
- The poet attacks the characteristics of the King, who he believes is too weak to rule the country:
- The reference to blindness could symbolise ignorance as well as his physical blindness
- He goes on to criticise the King’s sons as corrupt and “dull”
Lines 4–7
“Rulers who neither see nor feel nor know,
But leechlike to their fainting country cling
Till they drop, blind in blood, without a blow.”
Translation
- The speaker clarifies his position on the monarchy:
- England’s leaders are ignorant and desperate
- They “suck the blood” from a weakened (“fainting”) country
- Shelley anticipates the death of the king (and, perhaps, the entire aristocracy )
- He explains they will die in blood without ever being involved in actual conflict
Shelley’s intention
- Shelley expands on his critique of the monarchy and aristocracy:
- He compares England’s rulers to a parasitic animal (“leech-like”)
- Shelley’s controversial attack suggests the monarchy causes blood to spill
- He goes further, suggesting they are blinded by blood
- He suggests that while causing conflict, they simultaneously avoid personal involvement, implying their privileged status protects them
Line 7
“A people starved and stabbed in th' untilled field;”
Translation
- The speaker describes England’s citizens as one mass of suffering
- The line refers to the people dying as a result of starvation or conflict
- The speaker describes the fields (possibly referring to farmland) as neglected
Shelley’s intention
- Shelley refers to the suffering of the people in England in 1819:
- He draws attention to the way the country cannot feed itself as farms have been neglected
- He refers to violent protests that occurred between the peasants and the military in 1819 (the Peterloo Massacre)
Lines 8–10
“An army, whom liberticide and prey
Makes as a two-edged sword to all who wield;
Golden and sanguine laws which tempt and slay;”
Translation
- The speaker states that the military (“army”) destroys freedom (“liberticide”) and preys upon vulnerable people
- The reference to a “two-edged sword” implies the laws are hypocritical, and punish people while pretending to protect them:
- Shelley suggests the laws that are presented as valuable (“Golden”) and positive (“sanguine”) are, in fact, destructive as they “tempt” and “slay”
Shelley’s intention
- Shelley criticises the military institution of England
- He refers to propaganda that presents the army and the justice system as good
- He implies that England’s systems are corrupted and harm people rather than protect them
Lines 11–12
“Religion Christless, Godless — a book sealed;
A senate, Time's worst statute unrepealed —”
Translation
- The speaker now refers to England as without morality and religious values
- The speaker considers England’s “Senate” or parliament the worst law of all time
- Shelley says the parliament has never been removed (“unrepealed”)
Shelley’s intention
- Shelley draws attention to the outrage and frustration felt by the speaker as they criticise the government
- Shelley suggests England’s government is old-fashioned (“Time’s worst statute”) and its effectiveness has never been reflected upon or altered
Lines 13–14
“Are graves from which a glorious Phantom may
Burst, to illumine our tempestuous day.”
Translation
- The speaker ends the poem hopeful for change
- Shelley hopes the systems he criticises are “graves”
- Shelley concludes with a wish that the death of the old systems brings a ghost (a “Phantom”)
- He hopes these systems are replaced with something that brightens the dark, “stormy” situation in England in 1819 (“tempestuous day”)
Shelley’s intention
- Shelley ends on a morbid, yet hopeful note:
- The poem ends hoping for the death of old systems in England
- Shelley implies that from the death illumination and enlightenment can be born