Shelley wanted to fight tyranny, as well as slavery. His ultimate goal was to lead men to a “life of freedom, love, and apprehension of the beautiful” (Richards 672). Shelley felt that repression exist because mankind instituted and tolerated it (Matthews 200). He believed that “Mankind only had to will that there should be no evil, and there would be none” (Ford 161). This idealistic view of the world is

Golden and sanguine laws which tempt and slay;

Prometheus symbolizes humans, and his wife, Asia, symbolizes human nature (Ford 162).

In 1819, Shelley wrote “Song to the Men of England” (Editors 610). This poem was written for the same purpose as many of his others: to urge the working class of Great Britain to rebel. The imagery of a bee hive is evident throughout this piece. In stanza II, for instance, the “tyrants” are referred to as “Those ungrateful drones who would / Drain [the] sweat - nay, drink [the] blood.” In stanza III, a reference is made to the working class as the “Base of England.” The metaphor is picked up again in stanza VII, when Shelley orders the “Men of England” to “shrink to [their]...cells” (Editors 611).

The most rebellion-inspiring lines are found in stanza VI:

“Prometheus Unbound” was written as an idealism “meant to condition peoples’ minds for the stupendous changes that society must undergo in becoming truly human” (Matthews 199). Shelley never even expected this piece to sale, but he felt that it truly conveyed his message of the necessity of man defying his ruling power (Richards 674). In consideration of his poetry, Shelley said “Prometheus Unbound” was “a poem of higher character than anything [he had] attempted and perhaps less an imitation of anything that has gone before it” (Ford 161).

All else had been subdued to me; alone

Makes as a two-edged sword to all who wield, -

Some topics in this essay:
VI Sow, Act III, Necessity Atheism”, Unbound” Editors, England” Editors, Mary Shelley, Bysshe Shelley’s, Principle Ford, Sir Timothy, Godwin French, ford 162, matthews 195, matthews 199, percy bysshe, “prometheus unbound”, percy bysshe shelley’s, editors 610, reveals shelley’s, ford 161, bysshe shelley’s, shelley’s literary,