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Kneels on the Steps of the Altar, and Speaks in Tones at First Faint by Percy Bysshe Shelley

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A cloaked figure kneels at an altar, calling out to Famine — a fearsome, death-like presence — pleading with her not to push starving individuals toward violence and bloodshed.

Poet
Percy Bysshe Shelley
Core theme
Anger
The PoemFull text

Kneels on the Steps of the Altar, and Speaks in Tones at First Faint

Percy Bysshe Shelley

AND LOW, BUT WHICH EVER BECOME LOUDER AND LOUDER.] Mighty Empress! Death’s white wife! Ghastly mother-in-law of Life! _85 By the God who made thee such, By the magic of thy touch, By the starving and the cramming Of fasts and feasts! by thy dread self, O Famine! I charge thee! when thou wake the multitude, _90 Thou lead them not upon the paths of blood. The earth did never mean her foison For those who crown life’s cup with poison Of fanatic rage and meaningless revenge— But for those radiant spirits, who are still _95 The standard-bearers in the van of Change. Be they th’ appointed stewards, to fill The lap of Pain, and Toil, and Age!— Remit, O Queen! thy accustomed rage! Be what thou art not! In voice faint and low _100 FREEDOM calls “Famine”,—her eternal foe, To brief alliance, hollow truce.—Rise now! [WHILST THE VEILED FIGURE HAS BEEN CHANTING THIS STROPHE, MAMMON,

Public domain

Sourced from Project Gutenberg

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§01Quick summary

What this poem is about

A cloaked figure kneels at an altar, calling out to Famine — a fearsome, death-like presence — pleading with her not to push starving individuals toward violence and bloodshed. Instead, the speaker urges Famine to collaborate with Freedom, despite their natural opposition, so that those who are suffering can be guided by those truly committed to improving the world. It's a fraught, urgent appeal: channel hunger into a means for peaceful revolution, not slaughter.

§02Themes

Recurring themes

§03Line by line

Stanza by stanza, with notes

  1. Mighty Empress! Death's white wife! / Ghastly mother-in-law of Life!

    Editor's note

    The speaker begins by confronting Famine, using grotesque titles like 'Death's white wife' and 'mother-in-law of Life.' This framing presents Famine as a figure closely linked to both death and life; she may not kill directly, but she creates unbearable conditions that lead to death. The theatrical and somewhat mocking tone of these titles indicates that the speaker is attempting to both flatter and assert control over a frightening force.

  2. By the God who made thee such, / By the magic of thy touch,

    Editor's note

    This language resembles that of a spell or a formal oath. The speaker uses a series of 'by' clauses — a classical rhetorical device known as an adjuration — to compel Famine to heed the request that follows. The phrase 'the starving and the cramming / Of fasts and feasts' highlights the cruel paradox of Famine's realm: some individuals suffer from hunger while others indulge excessively.

  3. I charge thee! when thou wake the multitude, / Thou lead them not upon the paths of blood.

    Editor's note

    Here is the core of the plea. The speaker recognizes that Famine *will* awaken the hungry masses — that's unavoidable — but insists she should not direct their desperation toward violent revenge. Shelley was writing during a time of actual food riots and political oppression in Britain, and this line reflects his concern that starvation, without a moral compass, leads only to chaos and slaughter instead of meaningful change.

  4. The earth did never mean her foison / For those who crown life's cup with poison

    Editor's note

    'Foison' is an old term that means abundance or harvest. The point being made here resembles a natural-law argument: the earth's bounty wasn't meant for those who disrupt society with 'fanatic rage and meaningless revenge.' Instead, it was intended for the 'radiant spirits' — the idealistic reformers and visionaries — who lead the charge for Change. Shelley is highlighting a moral difference between righteous revolution and simple mob violence.

  5. Be they th' appointed stewards, to fill / The lap of Pain, and Toil, and Age!—

    Editor's note

    The speaker urges that the real agents of change — those principled 'standard-bearers' — should be the ones to provide relief to those in need: Pain, Toil, and Age represented as figures in need of assistance. It's a vision of reform driven by the morally upright instead of the most furious.

  6. Remit, O Queen! thy accustomed rage! / Be what thou art not! In voice faint and low

    Editor's note

    The speaker asks Famine to do something nearly impossible for her nature: to restrain her destructive fury. "Be what thou art not" is a powerful command—it acknowledges that the request contradicts Famine's very essence. The stage direction in the text ('In voice faint and low') reflects the poem's title, reminding us that this is a dramatic performance, a chant building in intensity.

  7. FREEDOM calls 'Famine',—her eternal foe, / To brief alliance, hollow truce.—Rise now!

    Editor's note

    The closing lines are charged with energy. Freedom and Famine stand as natural opposites—one offers liberation, while the other brings destruction—yet Freedom is so desperate that she reaches out to her enemy for assistance. The alliance is labeled as 'brief' and 'hollow,' which feels accurate: it’s not a friendship, but rather a temporary and uneasy necessity. The strophe concludes with the command 'Rise now!'—a call to action that is both exhilarating and profoundly unsettling.

§04Tone & mood

How this poem feels

The tone feels urgent and incantatory — like a spell being cast under immense pressure. There's a sense of grandeur in the address to Famine, but it’s undercut by a raw desperation. The speaker isn’t calm or confident; they’re negotiating with a force they realize is perilous, attempting to navigate catastrophe instead of preventing it. By the final line, the tone shifts into something nearly reckless, a final gamble.

§05Symbols & metaphors

Symbols & metaphors

Famine
Famine isn't just about physical hunger here — it's a personified political force, representing the desperation of the poor that can drive significant reform or erupt into violent chaos. Shelley portrays Famine as a genuine power that requires negotiation, rather than mere condemnation.
Paths of blood
This image illustrates the path of violent revolution — the very outcome Shelley dreaded for the reform movement. It reflects the French Revolution's plunge into the Terror, a historical trauma that still resonated in the early 19th century.
The earth's foison (abundance)
The earth's harvest and abundance represent the rightful inheritance of everyone, especially the poor and those with integrity. When these resources are withheld by unfair social systems, it leads to the crisis that the poem discusses.
The Altar
The stage direction shows the speaker kneeling at an altar, presenting the appeal to Famine as a dark kind of religious ritual. It implies that political forces such as Famine carry the weight of deities — they need to be appeased rather than simply debated.
The hollow truce
The alliance between Freedom and Famine is seen as 'hollow'—a reflection of the moral compromises that political necessity imposes on idealists. It recognizes that even noble causes occasionally have to deal with harsh realities.

§06Form & structure

Form & structure

Rhyme
AABBCCDDEE FF GG HH II·

§07Historical context

Historical context

This passage is a strophe from Shelley's dramatic poem *Swellfoot the Tyrant* (1820), which serves as a political satire responding to the trial of Queen Caroline, the estranged wife of King George IV. During 1819–1820, Britain faced a social crisis marked by the recent Peterloo Massacre, rising food prices, and the suppression of radical reformers. Living in exile in Italy, Shelley poured his anger into this unique, operatic piece that combines Greek tragedy with biting political allegory. The drama features famine, Mammon, and various other allegorical figures. In this particular speech, a veiled figure—often interpreted as representing Liberty or Freedom—attempts to channel the destructive energy of mass starvation into a call for peaceful, principled revolution instead of mob violence. Shelley published the poem anonymously due to fears of prosecution.

§08FAQ

Questions readers ask

What poem or play is this passage from?

It originates from Swellfoot the Tyrant (1820), a satirical verse drama by Shelley. The complete title of the play is Oedipus Tyrannus; or, Swellfoot the Tyrant. It was published anonymously, and only a limited number of copies were printed before it faced suppression.

Who is the speaker in this passage?

The stage directions refer to the speaker as a 'Veiled Figure' kneeling at an altar. Many readers and scholars see this figure as an allegory for Liberty or Freedom, especially since the speech concludes with Freedom speaking in the first person.

Why is Famine called 'Death's white wife' and 'mother-in-law of Life'?

These titles are intentionally grotesque and carry a darkly comic tone. "Death's white wife" connects Famine to death through images of pallor and starvation—she is closely tied to death. "Mother-in-law of Life" has a stranger and more ironic twist: she isn't a direct enemy of life but rather an unwelcome, oppressive presence that makes life unbearable. Shelley employs black humor to emphasize the monstrous nature of Famine.

What does Shelley mean by 'paths of blood'?

He refers to violent revolution—the type of mass uprising that leads to massacre and chaos. Shelley was thinking of the Reign of Terror during the French Revolution, and he was also reacting to incidents like the Peterloo Massacre of 1819, where cavalry violently dispersed a peaceful reform rally. He believed that hunger could push people toward violence, and he wanted to advocate for an alternative approach.

What is 'foison' and why does Shelley use it?

'Foison' is an old English term that means abundance, particularly in relation to harvests. Shelley uses it to elevate the tone of the line, giving it a nearly biblical quality, which emphasizes that the earth's bounty is a sacred gift that has been unfairly denied to the poor.

Why does the speaker call the alliance between Freedom and Famine 'hollow'?

Because it isn't a true partnership — it's a desperate, short-term arrangement between two fundamentally opposing forces. Freedom seeks to liberate people, while Famine brings destruction. The speaker acknowledges this contradiction instead of ignoring it. This moment reflects political realism in an otherwise idealistic speech.

What was Shelley's political situation when he wrote this?

Shelley was in self-imposed exile in Italy, mainly due to financial issues and also because his radical politics made him unwelcome in England. From afar, he observed the British government suppressing reform movements, and Swellfoot the Tyrant emerged as his angry, satirical reaction. He chose to publish it anonymously out of fear of being legally prosecuted for seditious libel.

Is this poem relevant to anything happening today?

Absolutely. The core tension—between the rightful anger of those experiencing poverty and inequality and the danger that this anger could escalate into violence—is a relevant political issue in any time period. Shelley's argument that principled reformers, rather than the angriest voices, should guide social change is a topic of debate in every generation.

Citation

Cite this poem

MLA

Shelley, Percy Bysshe. "Kneels on the Steps of the Altar, and Speaks in Tones at First Faint." Storgy, https://storgy.com/poems/kneels-on-the-steps-of-the-altar-and-speaks-in-tones-at-first-faint-percy-bysshe-shelley/.

APA

Shelley, P. B. (n.d.). Kneels on the steps of the altar, and speaks in tones at first faint. Storgy. https://storgy.com/poems/kneels-on-the-steps-of-the-altar-and-speaks-in-tones-at-first-faint-percy-bysshe-shelley/

TeacherAP Lit Q1 scaffold — preview

Row A — Thesis

1 pt

In the dramatic monologue fragment from Shelley's verse-drama, the Veiled Figure's invocation of Famine as both destroyer and potential redeemer advances a central, tension-laden argument: that the most catastrophic forces of human …

  • Row B — Evidence + Commentary4 pts
  • Row C — Sophistication1 pt
  • Common student errors
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