Written in 1818, Stanzas Written in Dejection was penned directly in the midst of the English romantic era. Shelley, though not thought to be at the time, was one of the most incredible poets of his age, composing unique poems to capture the vibrant emotions of everyday life. Due to this fact, it almost goes without saying that his poem, Stanzas Written in Dejection, is a very descriptive and emotional piece that encompasses many of the romantic notions of the time. These thoughts and notions include, but are not limited to: spontaneity, impulses of feeling, glorification of the ordinary, individualism, and alienation.
Throughout his lifetime, Shelley wrote many incredibly distinctive pieces and became very known for his authorship of various poems. However, he was not particularly popular with the masses until recently. “His poetry is autonomous, finely wrought, in highest degree imaginative, and has the spiritual form of vision stripped of all veils and ideological coverings, the vision that many readers justly seek in poetry, despite the admonitions of a multitude of churchwardenly critics” (Bloom 261).
Shelley was an atheist in a Catholic world and therefore, his poetry was not often received as being appropriate, regardless of his poetic genius and mastery of various poetic techniques.
In his poem, Stanzas Written in Dejection, Percy Shelley mellifluously describes the hardships and emotions that he had been suffering with at that point in his life. He does this by using a distinctively romantic contrast of the beauty of nature against his morbid and disheartening thoughts on his recent experiences. This rather extreme contrast along with Shelley’s strong diction and use of other romantic mechanisms makes Stanzas Written in Dejection one of his most deep and powerful experiences for the reader.
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The first stanza makes evident very early on the romantic nature of the piece. Percy Shelley was sitting on a beach watching the ocean and noting the beauty of his surroundings. With lines such as “The sun is warm, the sky is clear” and “The waves are dancing fast and bright,” Shelley romantically describes the purity of the waters and weather near Naples. In fact, each line of the first stanza sings praises of his current atmosphere. The last line even goes so far as to convey the romantic notion that being in nature is superior and more beneficial than to be in the city. “The City’s voice itself is soft, like solitude’s.”. To be in the city would have meant to have been surrounded by people and constant noise. Here, Shelley is stating that he is relishing quiet of his afternoon out away from the ruckus of crowds going about their daily lives.
In the second stanza, the theme of nature’s importance and the vivid descriptions of his surroundings continue. However, the emotions behind each of these next lines seem to be less of innocent enjoyment and more of nostalgia as Percy Shelley’s thoughts turned toward a darker and more depressing avenue. By beginning many of his next lines with the phrase “I see”, such as “I see the Deep’s untrampled floor,” Shelley seems to be stating that he is not a part of the nature that he is merely observing. This use repetition indicates that he longs for the peace and perfection of the natural world. However, he is a human and must face a life of human struggles and turmoil.
The second stanza also brings to the reader’s attention the fact Percy Shelly is alone. While moments of romantic solitude are often appreciated and sought after, this is not the case for Shelley. In the last line of the second stanza he states: “How sweet! did any heart now share my emotion.” The significance of this declaration is paramount to understanding the rest of Stanzas Written in Dejection. Percy Shelley is feeling alienated and dejected, hence the title of the poem. Even had he been in the city surrounded by people, he still would have felt utterly alone. The first stanza sets sharp contrast to the feelings that he experiencing and the hardships that he has suffered. This is to be continually noted as he goes on to describe his emotions and miserable situation.
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In the third stanza and throughout the rest of the poem, Percy Shelly explains his lack of any positive emotions or pleasures in life. At the point in time which this poem was penned, Percy Shelley was struggling with the loss of his first wife and baby daughter along with poor health and financial issues (Greenblatt 778).
This explains his unhappiness in the poem and provides a good explanation for Shelley’s statements later on in the piece. Another reason that he gives for being so saddened is that he can see the pleasures others are experiencing in life. With the lines “Smiling they live and call life pleasure: to me that cup has been dealt another measure,” Percy Shelley seems to be conveying his jealousy of those around him and a desire for a life akin to the peaceful beauty of the natural scene described in the first stanza. This form of alienation can be directly related to the romantic era and the styles of the time.
Another key romantic symbol is described and utilized in the fourth stanza when Percy Shelley discusses his desire to be like a child. By using childhood as a focus of desire and admiration, Shelley is glorifying the ordinary along with drawing attention to the beauty of innocence and purity. In the lines “I could lie down like a tired child/ And weep away the life of care,” Shelley is stating that he wishes he could romantically cast away the burden of his thoughts and experiences and once again enjoy the unknowing and uncaring nature of youth and childhood. He also discussed death and romantically stated that he would rather die than go on in this horrid and miserable life, the only thing that he would miss of the living world would be nature and his happy memories of the time that he spent enjoying its beauty.
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In the fifth and final stanza, something particularly interesting and unique takes place. After stating that he would rather be dead than living, Percy Shelly tells of how people will lament his passing. As stated earlier in this explication, Shelley was an atheist whose works were not well received by the public of his time. In the last stanza he recognizes this disheartening fact, “They might lament, for I am one/ Whom men love not, and yet regret.” How he could have actually thought or known that he would be dearly missed later on is curious. However, this hope for the lamentation of others romantically pulls emotion from the readers and almost seems to highlight the supernatural aspect of English romantic literature.
In ending his piece with an again hopeful description of nature, Percy Shelly makes circular his brilliant work of literature by relating back to the beauty of his surroundings. Although not thought highly of at the time, Shelly is likely one of the most brilliant and incredible poets of his time. In looking at the world from an unreligious standpoint of his time, he was able to stand apart and compose some of the most beautiful poetry to have come from the romantic era.
