ENTER PURGANAX. by Percy Bysshe Shelley: Summary, Meaning & Analysis
This scene from Shelley's political satire *Swellfoot the Tyrant* features a self-important government minister named Purganax addressing a crowd of pigs, representing the British public.
The poem
PURGANAX: Grant me your patience, Gentlemen and Boars, Ye, by whose patience under public burthens The glorious constitution of these sties Subsists, and shall subsist. The Lean-Pig rates Grow with the growing populace of Swine, _5 The taxes, that true source of Piggishness (How can I find a more appropriate term To include religion, morals, peace, and plenty, And all that fit Boeotia as a nation To teach the other nations how to live?), _10 Increase with Piggishness itself; and still Does the revenue, that great spring of all The patronage, and pensions, and by-payments, Which free-born Pigs regard with jealous eyes, Diminish, till at length, by glorious steps, _15 All the land’s produce will be merged in taxes, And the revenue will amount to—nothing! The failure of a foreign market for Sausages, bristles, and blood-puddings, And such home manufactures, is but partial; _20 And, that the population of the Pigs, Instead of hog-wash, has been fed on straw And water, is a fact which is—you know— That is—it is a state-necessity— Temporary, of course. Those impious Pigs, _25 Who, by frequent squeaks, have dared impugn The settled Swellfoot system, or to make Irreverent mockery of the genuflexions Inculcated by the arch-priest, have been whipped Into a loyal and an orthodox whine. _30 Things being in this happy state, the Queen Iona— NOTE: _16 land’s]lands edition 1820. A LOUD CRY FROM THE PIGS: She is innocent! most innocent! PURGANAX: That is the very thing that I was saying, Gentlemen Swine; the Queen Iona being Most innocent, no doubt, returns to Thebes, _35 And the lean Sows and Bears collect about her, Wishing to make her think that WE believe (I mean those more substantial Pigs, who swill Rich hog-wash, while the others mouth damp straw) That she is guilty; thus, the Lean-Pig faction _40 Seeks to obtain that hog-wash, which has been Your immemorial right, and which I will Maintain you in to the last drop of— A BOAR (INTERRUPTING HIM): What Does any one accuse her of? PURGANAX: Why, no one Makes ANY positive accusation;—but _45 There were hints dropped, and so the privy wizards Conceived that it became them to advise His Majesty to investigate their truth;— Not for his own sake; he could be content To let his wife play any pranks she pleased, _50 If, by that sufferance, HE could please the Pigs; But then he fears the morals of the Swine, The Sows especially, and what effect It might produce upon the purity and Religion of the rising generation _55 Of Sucking-Pigs, if it could be suspected That Queen Iona— [A PAUSE.] FIRST BOAR: Well, go on; we long To hear what she can possibly have done. PURGANAX: Why, it is hinted, that a certain Bull— Thus much is KNOWN:—the milk-white Bulls that feed _60 Beside Clitumnus and the crystal lakes Of the Cisalpine mountains, in fresh dews Of lotus-grass and blossoming asphodel Sleeking their silken hair, and with sweet breath Loading the morning winds until they faint _65 With living fragrance, are so beautiful!— Well, _I_ say nothing;—but Europa rode On such a one from Asia into Crete, And the enamoured sea grew calm beneath His gliding beauty. And Pasiphae, _70 Iona’s grandmother,—but SHE is innocent! And that both you and I, and all assert. FIRST BOAR: Most innocent! PURGANAX: Behold this BAG; a bag— SECOND BOAR: Oh! no GREEN BAGS!! Jealousy’s eyes are green, Scorpions are green, and water-snakes, and efts, _75 And verdigris, and— PURGANAX: Honourable Swine, In Piggish souls can prepossessions reign? Allow me to remind you, grass is green— All flesh is grass;—no bacon but is flesh— Ye are but bacon. This divining BAG _80 (Which is not green, but only bacon colour) Is filled with liquor, which if sprinkled o’er A woman guilty of—we all know what— Makes her so hideous, till she finds one blind She never can commit the like again. _85 If innocent, she will turn into an angel, And rain down blessings in the shape of comfits As she flies up to heaven. Now, my proposal Is to convert her sacred Majesty Into an angel (as I am sure we shall do), _90 By pouring on her head this mystic water. [SHOWING THE BAG.] I know that she is innocent; I wish Only to prove her so to all the world. FIRST BOAR: Excellent, just, and noble Purganax. SECOND BOAR: How glorious it will be to see her Majesty _95 Flying above our heads, her petticoats Streaming like—like—like— THIRD BOAR: Anything. PURGANAX: Oh no! But like a standard of an admiral’s ship, Or like the banner of a conquering host, Or like a cloud dyed in the dying day, _100 Unravelled on the blast from a white mountain; Or like a meteor, or a war-steed’s mane, Or waterfall from a dizzy precipice Scattered upon the wind. FIRST BOAR: Or a cow’s tail. SECOND BOAR: Or ANYTHING, as the learned Boar observed. _105 PURGANAX: Gentlemen Boars, I move a resolution, That her most sacred Majesty should be Invited to attend the feast of Famine, And to receive upon her chaste white body Dews of Apotheosis from this BAG. _110 [A GREAT CONFUSION IS HEARD OF THE PIGS OUT OF DOORS, WHICH
This scene from Shelley's political satire *Swellfoot the Tyrant* features a self-important government minister named Purganax addressing a crowd of pigs, representing the British public. He attempts to sway them into accepting a fixed trial against their queen. Using elaborate language, he dresses up corruption, poverty, and political persecution and suggests dunking the queen in a mysterious bag of liquid to "prove" her innocence—something everyone knows is a farce. The entire scenario is a sharp critique of how governments employ ceremony and rhetoric to mask injustice.
Line-by-line
Grant me your patience, Gentlemen and Boars, / Ye, by whose patience under public burthens
The Lean-Pig rates / Grow with the growing populace of Swine,
The failure of a foreign market for / Sausages, bristles, and blood-puddings,
Those impious Pigs, / Who, by frequent squeaks, have dared impugn / The settled Swellfoot system,
Things being in this happy state, the Queen / Iona—
Why, no one / Makes ANY positive accusation;—but / There were hints dropped,
Why, it is hinted, that a certain Bull— / Thus much is KNOWN:—the milk-white Bulls that feed / Beside Clitumnus
Behold this BAG; a bag— / Oh! no GREEN BAGS!!
This divining BAG / (Which is not green, but only bacon colour) / Is filled with liquor,
How glorious it will be to see her Majesty / Flying above our heads, her petticoats / Streaming like—like—like—
Gentlemen Boars, I move a resolution, / That her most sacred Majesty should be / Invited to attend the feast of Famine,
Tone & mood
The tone is fiercely comedic—imagine a political cartoon that has somehow learned to speak in verse. Purganax's speeches are pompous and self-satisfied, packed with rhetorical flourishes that ultimately fall flat. The Boars are gullible and easily swayed. Shelley varies the register: one moment you encounter authentic lyrical beauty (like the description of the Italian bulls), and the next, a punchline about cow tails. The overall effect is of a man who sees the political class as both absurd and genuinely threatening, grappling with which feeling overwhelms him more.
Symbols & metaphors
- The Pigs — The pigs symbolize the British public, particularly the working poor who face taxation, starvation, and manipulation by their government. Shelley categorizes them as "lean" and "fat" pigs to highlight class divisions within this oppressed group: some receive hog-wash, while most only get straw.
- The Green Bag — A direct reference to the actual green bags used to carry secret evidence against Queen Caroline in 1820. In the poem, it transforms into a symbol of false accusations—a vessel for innuendo masquerading as legal proceedings. The pigs' fear of the color green illustrates just how deeply this symbol has been corrupted.
- The Milk-White Bulls — The bulls, inspired by the myths of Europa and Pasiphae, symbolize the sexual accusations aimed at the queen — alluring, timeless, and utterly unfounded. Shelley employs the beauty of these images to illustrate how slander can be crafted to resemble poetry.
- Hog-wash — Literally pig food, but it also refers to nonsense. The fat pigs enjoy it while the lean pigs go hungry — it represents the material benefits (patronage, pensions, "by-payments") that keep the ruling class loyal and the poor submissive.
- The Feast of Famine — The oxymoron highlights the poem's core cruelty: a celebration rooted in scarcity, a ritual that pays tribute to the deprivation it causes. It's a place where the queen faces public humiliation disguised as ceremony.
- Piggishness — Purganax uses this term to refer to national virtue, encompassing religion, morals, peace, and abundance. In contrast, Shelley uses it to convey the opposite: the degradation of a populace brought down to animal status by its own government. The word serves as both flattery and insult at the same time.
Historical context
Shelley wrote *Swellfoot the Tyrant* in 1820, inspired by the trial of Queen Caroline. When George IV became king, he quickly sought to divorce his estranged wife, Caroline of Brunswick, claiming she had an affair with her Italian servant, Bartolomeo Pergami. The government introduced a Bill of Pains and Penalties in the House of Lords, which amounted to a public trial by Parliament, based on evidence carried in infamous green bags. The public mostly supported Caroline, viewing the proceedings as a cruel attack by an unpopular king. From his home in Italy, Shelley observed the situation unfold and quickly wrote this verse drama as a political satire. It was published anonymously in 1820 but was suppressed almost right away. The characters are thinly disguised: Swellfoot represents George IV, Iona stands for Caroline, and Purganax refers to either the government minister Lord Castlereagh or Sidmouth, depending on interpretation.
FAQ
Purganax is often interpreted as a representation of either Lord Castlereagh or Viscount Sidmouth, who were both high-ranking ministers during George IV's reign. The queen, Iona, symbolizes Queen Caroline. The pigs represent the British public. Shelley maintains a sufficiently loose allegory so that the figures are identifiable without crossing legal boundaries — although the poem was ultimately suppressed.
The green bags were indeed real: the government used them to deliver secret evidence against Queen Caroline to Parliament in 1820, making them infamous symbols of the entire affair. In the poem, the pigs link green with jealousy, poison, and danger—showing that even the public recognized the "evidence" was corrupt. Purganax's claim that the bag is "bacon colour" is both ridiculous and telling.
The bag of liquid that transforms guilty women into hideous creatures and innocent women into angels parodies the medieval trial by ordeal, where guilt or innocence was decided through physical tests instead of actual evidence. Shelley draws a parallel between the parliamentary proceedings against Caroline and this form of pre-rational justice — a process that appears official but is really set up to ensure a specific outcome.
Pigs were frequently depicted as a symbol of the British lower classes in political cartoons of the time, often used in a derogatory way by the ruling elite. Shelley turns this insult on its head: by making the pigs the target of Purganax's manipulation, he illustrates how the government views ordinary citizens as mere livestock to be controlled. The contrast between lean pigs (the poor) and fat pigs (those who reap the benefits of patronage) introduces a class perspective that transcends mere caricature.
It's the ceremony where the queen is meant to be "invited" so the bag can be utilized on her. The name is a purposeful oxymoron — a feast founded on starvation — reflecting the twisted logic of the entire event: a celebration ritual that is, in reality, an act of punishment. It also echoes the earlier revelation that the pigs have been given straw instead of actual food.
*Swellfoot the Tyrant* is a closet drama — written in a dramatic format but not truly meant for performance. Shelley was part of a tradition of political verse drama that included Aristophanes, whom he specifically cited as an influence. The stage directions (like the interruptions and the chaotic pigs outside) contribute to the comedy, yet the work is just as effective, if not more so, as a reading experience.
It's Purganax's most deceitful moment. He shifts from a bland political argument to genuine lyrical beauty — lotus-grass, asphodel, morning winds — to sneak in the claim that the queen was unfaithful. The stories of Europa and Pasiphae both feature women and bulls in sexually suggestive ways. Shelley illustrates how rhetoric can turn beauty into a weapon: the more beautiful the language, the more perilous the suggestion.
The publisher quickly destroyed most of the print run, likely out of fear of being prosecuted for seditious libel. Shelley opted for anonymity, but it was clear who the targets were, which made the poem a legal risk. The trial of Queen Caroline was still underway when it was released, adding to the sharpness of the satire. Only a few copies survived, and the poem stayed obscure for many years.