Topic: Comparison of two poems by Shelley whose topic is the defence of the working English class and the necessity to rebel against the oppressive power of the monarchy.

England in 1819 by Percy Shelley

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,--
Rulers who neither see, nor feel, nor know,
But leech-like to their fainting country cling,
Till they drop, blind in blood, without a blow,--
A people starved and stabbed in the untilled field,--
An army, which liberticide and prey
Makes as a two-edged sword to all who wield,--
Golden and sanguine laws which tempt and slay;
Religion Christless, Godless--a book sealed;
A Senate,--Time's worst statute unrepealed,--
Are graves, from which a glorious Phantom may
Burst, to illumine our tempestous day

(source: http://www.poemhunter.com/p/m/poem.asp?poem=35615)

 

To the men of England by Percy Shelley

Men of England, wherefore plough
For the lords who lay ye low?
Wherefore weave with toil and care
The rich robes your tyrants wear?

Wherefore feed and clothe and save,
From the cradle to the grave,
Those ungrateful drones who would
Drain your sweat -- nay, drink your blood?

Wherefore, Bees of England, forge
Many a weapon, chain, and scourge,
That these stingless drones may spoil
The forced produce of your toil?

Have ye leisure, comfort, calm,
Shelter, food, love's gentle balm?
Or what is it ye buy so dear
With your pain and with your fear?

The seed ye sow another reaps;
The wealth ye find another keeps;
The robes ye weave another wears;
The arms ye forge another bears.

Sow seed, -- but let no tyrant reap;
Find wealth, -- let no imposter heap;
Weave robes, -- let not the idle wear;
Forge arms, in your defence to bear.

Shrink to your cellars, holes, and cells;
In halls ye deck another dwells.
Why shake the chains ye wrought? Ye see
The steel ye tempered glance on ye.

With plough and spade and hoe and loom,
Trace your grave, and build your tomb,
And weave your winding-sheet, till fair
England be your sepulchre!


(source: http://www.poemhunter.com/p/m/poem.asp?poet=3099&poem=64034)

 

The English Romantic Poet Percy Shelley- in spite of having been born within an aristocrat family- is well-known for rebelling against English politics and conservative values.  In “England in 1819” and “To the men of England”, Shelley shows his defence of working class people against the oppressive upper class, the Prince of England included. It is necessary to point out that at that time the United Kingdom was reign by the Prince.(wikipedia)

 

The title of the poem “England in 1819” describes the political and social situation of England. The year, 1819 wasn’t randomly chosen by Shelley, as that was the last one George IV reign. However he was unable to play his role as a king and the period from 1811 to 1820 corresponds to the Prince Regent. In this poem Shelley clearly supports the working class by making hard criticisms of the monarchy. (dialspace)

 

 Shelley expresses all these ideas in this sonnet composed by a unique stanza of fourteen verses whose rhyme scheme is ABABABCDCDCCDD.

 

In the first verse, Shelly describes an old, mad, blind detested and dying king who the citizens hate “an old, mad, blind despised and dying king”. This makes reference to George III who died in 1820. The opinion of most of the English working class is expressed in this poem as the opinion about the Prince, as well as his regency being ill-fated and his actions were a complete catastrophe for the working classes. The monarchy doesn’t care about the English citizens “rules who neither see, nor feel, nor know” (line 4). People are oppressed, hungry and hopeless and their fields are untilled “A people starved and stabbed in the untilled filed” (line 7). “People” here refers to the working class, as people from the aristocracy don’t have this kind of problems. Therefore, Shelley is talking about the injustice upon common people as they don’t have any rights, only obligations. The following four verses metaphorically express Shelley’s anger against the oppressive power, against the army and against religions as a sealed book. Instead of Shelley’s angriness against the oppressors, in the last couplet he seems to see the future with a positive attitude: “Are graves, from which a glorious Phantom may/ Burst, to illumine our tempestuous day”.  The term phantom is not clarified in the poem but it could be a metaphor to refer to “revolution” as this is Shelley’s desire. Shelley is clearly supportive of the working class even though he was born into an aristocratic family.  

 

The second poem, “To the men of England” is divided into eight four lines stanzas whose rhyme scheme is AABB CCDD EEFF GGHH IIJJ KKLL MMNN OOPQ.

 

Here, Shelley speaks directly to the men of England concretely to those who work in the fields. Shelley denounces that they are being exploited and indirectly advice them to rebel against the ruling class, as they work really hard to make their tyrants lives better “wherefore weave with toil and care / the rich robes your tyrants wear?” (line 4). Through this rhetorical question Shelley pretends to make the working class think about their situation and to rebel. Farmers at this time are not allowed to keep what they sow and though they work very hard, they are still hungry.

 

Shelley employs a metaphor by comparing the working class with bees as bees work their whole lives so that the Queen does not have to work and is the one who lives better. “those ungrateful drones who would / drain your sweat—nay, drink your blood” (lines 7-8). In this case the Queen bee represents the King of England.

 

In the fourth stanza Shelley asks the working English population if they have leisure, comfort or calm. The poet addresses the masses sympathizing with them, as he means they deserve a good life, after their hard work “Have ye leisure, comfort, calm, / shelter, food, love’s gentle balm?” (line 13).

 

In the next stanza Shelley states that all the men of England work in vain, as everything they earn the ruling class takes away from them. “the seed ye sow another reaps; / the wealth ye find another keeps; the robes you weave another wears” (lines 17-19). It is in the following stanza when Shelley more explicitly tells them to rebel by not allowing the ruling class what they earned with their effort “Sow seed, but let no tyrant reap; / Find wealth, -- let no imposter heap”. In the last verse of this stanza Shelley seems to call for armed action as a defence “forge arms, in your defence to bear” (line 24).

 

Shelley supports his belief in working class empowerment by describing what their fate will be if they do not rebel against the oppressors. In a cynical and sarcastic tone, he suggests that the men who do not wish to “shake the chains ye wrought” (line 27) retreat to their “cellars, holes, and cells”. The poet is implying that they do not live decent homes whereas the elegant houses they have built are being used by their tyrants. Their dreary dwelling places then become mass graves that they dig for themselves. In other words, Shelley tells the men that if they do not rebel, they should be prepared to “build” their “tomb” “trace your grave, and build your tomb” (line 30). (easternct)

 

To sum up, in these two poems Shelley demonstrates his support for the English working class. In the first poem “England in 1819”, Shelley hardly criticises the oppressive power as the monarchy doesn’t care about the English citizens “an old, mad, blind, despised, and dying King”. Shelley talks about the injustice upon the masses, however in the end the poet seems to have many hopes for the working classes as he thinks someday the situation will change “Are graves, from which a glorious Phantom may/ Burst, to illumine our tempestuous day” (lines 13-14). In the second poem, Shelley directly addresses the men of England, the masses. Shelley encourages the masses to take action, even using arms, only in their defence though, as the rewards of their hard work are being stolen by the rich. They live in a devastating situation and they have to take action, according to Shelley. Otherwise, if they do not rebel, they should be prepared to “build” their “tomb”. (easternct)

 

 

Sources:

 

 

·        http://www.gutenberg.org/dirs/etext03/shlyc10.txt Thomas Hutchinson, M. A.16-05-2006

 

 

 

 

 

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Academic year 2005/2006

a.r.e.a./Dr.Vicente Forés López
©Lorena Ramos Jiménez
Universitat de València Press
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