BULLS, AND ARRANGE THEMSELVES QUIETLY BEHIND THE ALTAR. THE IMAGE OF by Percy Bysshe Shelley: Summary, Meaning & Analysis
This satirical scene from Shelley's political drama *Swellfoot the Tyrant* (1820) features mythological figures representing actual British political figures.
The poem
FAMINE SINKS THROUGH A CHASM IN THE EARTH, AND A MINOTAUR RISES.] MINOTAUR: I am the Ionian Minotaur, the mightiest Of all Europa’s taurine progeny— I am the old traditional Man-Bull; _105 And from my ancestors having been Ionian, I am called Ion, which, by interpretation, Is JOHN; in plain Theban, that is to say, My name’s JOHN BULL; I am a famous hunter, And can leaf any gate in all Boeotia, _110 Even the palings of the royal park, Or double ditch about the new enclosures; And if your Majesty will deign to mount me, At least till you have hunted down your game, I will not throw you. _115 IONA TAURINA [DURING THIS SPEECH SHE HAS BEEN PUTTING ON BOOTS AND
This satirical scene from Shelley's political drama *Swellfoot the Tyrant* (1820) features mythological figures representing actual British political figures. The Minotaur, who introduces himself as "John Bull" — a classic symbol of the English common people — proposes to take the queen on a hunt. It’s a sharp commentary on British politics, the monarchy, and national identity, cleverly wrapped in Greek myth.
Line-by-line
FAMINE SINKS THROUGH A CHASM IN THE EARTH, AND A MINOTAUR RISES.] MINOTAUR: I am the Ionian Minotaur, the mightiest / Of all Europa's taurine progeny—
I am the old traditional Man-Bull; / And from my ancestors having been Ionian,
I am called Ion, which, by interpretation, / Is JOHN; in plain Theban, that is to say,
My name's JOHN BULL; I am a famous hunter, / And can leaf any gate in all Boeotia,
Even the palings of the royal park, / Or double ditch about the new enclosures;
And if your Majesty will deign to mount me, / At least till you have hunted down your game, / I will not throw you.
Tone & mood
Gleefully savage. Shelley writes with the energy of someone who sees the entire political establishment as genuinely absurd and encourages you to laugh at it before feeling anger. The classical references — Minotaur, Europa, Boeotia — maintain a facade of high culture over what is really a brutal cartoon. Beneath the humor lies genuine fury, but the surface brims with theatrical flair and clever wordplay.
Symbols & metaphors
- The Minotaur / John Bull — The Minotaur represents the traditional English everyman figure, John Bull, but Shelley takes the bull aspect literally to reveal what he perceives as the brutish and unthinking side of English nationalism, along with the institutions that take advantage of it.
- Boeotia — Boeotia represents England in *Swellfoot the Tyrant*. In classical tradition, the Boeotians were often portrayed as dull and slow-witted, which Shelley used to criticize what he viewed as the political ignorance of the English ruling class.
- The new enclosures — A direct reference to the Enclosure Acts, which privatized common land and pushed rural workers into poverty. Their mention here connects the mythological satire to a very real and persistent injustice in Shelley's England.
- The hunt — Hunting was a pastime for the aristocracy, and depicting political conflict as a hunt highlights the power imbalance: those in authority chase their adversaries like they chase game — for enjoyment, with a significant advantage.
- Europa — Europa represents both the mythological figure whom Zeus seduced while disguised as a bull and a clever play on the name Europe, linking English political corruption to the wider European themes of monarchy and oppression.
Historical context
Shelley wrote *Swellfoot the Tyrant* in 1820 as a direct reaction to the trial of Queen Caroline, which George IV initiated by trying to divorce her through a Bill of Pains and Penalties, accusing her of adultery. The public largely supported Caroline, viewing the trial as a hypocritical move by a king infamous for his own affairs. From his vantage point in Italy, Shelley quickly penned this satirical drama in the style of Aristophanes. Although the play was published anonymously, the Society for the Suppression of Vice threatened legal action, leading the publisher to withdraw it almost immediately. The excerpt presented here is from Act I, where classical mythological figures—each a thinly veiled representation of real political figures—jostle in a grotesque theatrical setting. Shelley's critique extends beyond George IV to encompass the entire machinery of monarchy, aristocracy, and a press he viewed as complicit in the oppression of ordinary people.
FAQ
It's from a play: *Swellfoot the Tyrant* (1820), a satirical drama inspired by the comedies of the ancient Greek playwright Aristophanes. This passage features a speech by the character Minotaur, complete with stage directions. While it reads like verse due to Shelley’s use of blank verse for the dialogue, it is part of a theatrical script rather than a standalone poem.
John Bull was — and still is — the cartoon figure representing England, a stout, straightforward Englishman, similar to how Uncle Sam represents America. Shelley transforms that patriotic symbol into a literal bull-man, the Minotaur, implying that English nationalism is more monstrous and beast-like than something to take pride in.
Iona Taurina embodies Queen Caroline, the estranged spouse of King George IV. The name 'Taurina' translates to 'of the bull,' which connects her to the bull imagery present in the scene. 'Iona' is a clever reference to 'Ionia' as well as a pun on 'I own her' — a commentary on the king's efforts to dominate and shame her during the divorce trial.
The Enclosure Acts were laws enacted during the 18th and early 19th centuries that changed common land — the land that rural communities had farmed and grazed for generations — into private property. As a result, hundreds of thousands of poor people lost their livelihoods. Shelley includes this reference to remind the audience that behind the theatrical farce is a harsh reality of ordinary people being dispossessed.
Using a classical setting allowed Shelley to maintain some distance and deniability—it's tougher to go after someone for seditious libel when they're supposedly writing about Boeotia instead of England. This approach also enabled him to tap into the tradition of Aristophanes, whose comedies mocked Athenian politicians in a similar fashion. The clash between the lofty mythological backdrop and the messy political reality adds to the humor.
It was published anonymously in 1820, but the Society for the Suppression of Vice quickly threatened the publisher with legal action. As a result, the publisher pulled the entire print run, leaving only a few copies that survived. During Shelley's lifetime, the play was hardly recognized and didn't gain widespread readership until many years after his death.
'Leaf' here refers to 'leap' — it's either a dialectal variation or a playful misspelling meant to portray the bull-creature as somewhat clumsy and boastful. The Minotaur is claiming he can jump over any fence or gate in the land, which serves as both a literal boast typical of a bull and a metaphor for how powerful institutions often bypass legal and social boundaries at will.
Both, and that's what makes it effective. Shelley was outraged by how Queen Caroline was treated, by the Enclosure Acts, and by the Peterloo Massacre that had happened just a year earlier. He was appalled by a government that oppressed the poor while the wealthy enjoyed their privileges. The humor serves as a vehicle for that anger — he understood that a straightforward political pamphlet would resonate with fewer people and create less impact than something that first brought them laughter.