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Storgy

The Annotated Edition

LINES WRITTEN DURING THE CASTLEREAGH ADMINISTRATION. by Percy Bysshe Shelley

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Shelley penned this intense, brief poem as a sharp critique of the British government led by Viscount Castlereagh, whose policies he believed were suffocating the freedom of everyday people.

Poet
Percy Bysshe Shelley
Themes
anger, death, freedom
The PoemFull text

LINES WRITTEN DURING THE CASTLEREAGH ADMINISTRATION.

Percy Bysshe Shelley

[Published by Medwin, “The Athenaeum”, December 8, 1832; reprinted, “Poetical Works”, 1839. There is a transcript amongst the Harvard manuscripts, and another in the possession of Mr. C.W. Frederickson of Brooklyn. Variants from these two sources are given by Professor Woodberry, “Complete Poetical Works of P. B. S.”, Centenary Edition, 1893, volume 3 pages 225, 226. The transcripts are referred to in our footnotes as Harvard and Fred. respectively.] 1. Corpses are cold in the tomb; Stones on the pavement are dumb; Abortions are dead in the womb, And their mothers look pale—like the death-white shore Of Albion, free no more. _5 2. Her sons are as stones in the way— They are masses of senseless clay— They are trodden, and move not away,— The abortion with which SHE travaileth Is Liberty, smitten to death. _10 3. Then trample and dance, thou Oppressor! For thy victim is no redresser; Thou art sole lord and possessor Of her corpses, and clods, and abortions—they pave Thy path to the grave. _15 4. Hearest thou the festival din Of Death, and Destruction, and Sin, And Wealth crying “Havoc!” within? ’Tis the bacchanal triumph that makes Truth dumb, Thine Epithalamium. _20 5. Ay, marry thy ghastly wife! Let Fear and Disquiet and Strife Spread thy couch in the chamber of Life! Marry Ruin, thou Tyrant! and Hell be thy guide To the bed of the bride! _25 NOTES: _4 death-white Harvard, Fred.; white 1832, 1839. _16 festival Harvard, Fred., 1839; festal 1832. _19 that Fred.; which Harvard 1832. _22 Disquiet Harvard, Fred., 1839; Disgust 1832. _24 Hell Fred.; God Harvard, 1832, 1839. _25 the bride Harvard, Fred., 1839; thy bride 1832. ***

Public domain

Sourced from Project Gutenberg

§01Quick summary

What this poem is about

Shelley penned this intense, brief poem as a sharp critique of the British government led by Viscount Castlereagh, whose policies he believed were suffocating the freedom of everyday people. He uses vivid imagery of corpses, stones, and stillborn babies to depict a country where liberty has been snuffed out before it could ever come to life. The poem concludes by "congratulating" the tyrant on his marriage — to Ruin itself.

§02Themes

Recurring themes

§03Line by line

Stanza by stanza, with notes

  1. Corpses are cold in the tomb; / Stones on the pavement are dumb;

    Editor's note

    Shelley begins with three parallel images of lifelessness — corpses, stones, and abortions — each one colder and more inert than the last. The triple rhyme (tomb / dumb / womb) reinforces the message with a rhythmic emphasis. England, referred to as **Albion**, is depicted as a "death-white shore," a nation stripped of its freedom, resembling a pale, washed-out coastline.

  2. Her sons are as stones in the way— / They are masses of senseless clay—

    Editor's note

    The English people now resemble the stones from the first stanza—trampled underfoot and unable to resist. The term "abortion" is used here in its older meaning: something that failed to come to life. England is grappling with the birth of **Liberty**, which has been stifled in the process. The capitalization of SHE and Liberty lends them the significance of personified figures.

  3. Then trample and dance, thou Oppressor! / For thy victim is no redresser;

    Editor's note

    Shelley directly confronts the oppressor — Castlereagh and the government he embodies. The tone becomes sharply sarcastic: *go ahead and celebrate*, as your victims are powerless to resist. The concluding image, where the path the oppressor is creating with corpses leads to **his own grave**, suggests for the first time that tyranny ultimately destroys itself.

  4. Hearest thou the festival din / Of Death, and Destruction, and Sin,

    Editor's note

    The oppressor's celebration is transformed into a grotesque festival — a bacchanal (a wild, drunken Roman feast) where the guests include Death, Destruction, Sin, and Wealth. The phrase "Wealth crying 'Havoc!'" stands out sharply: it's the wealthy who are instigating chaos. The term **Epithalamium** — a wedding song — ends the stanza with a bitter twist, paving the way for the final stanza's extended metaphor of a monstrous marriage.

  5. Ay, marry thy ghastly wife! / Let Fear and Disquiet and Strife

    Editor's note

    The poem concludes with a dark twist on a wedding blessing. Shelley urges the tyrant to wed **Ruin**, accompanied by Fear, Disquiet, and Strife as the guests. The "chamber of Life" transforms into a death-bed. The closing line — "Hell be thy guide / To the bed of the bride" — serves as a curse masquerading as a toast. The Frederickson manuscript's use of "Hell" (instead of "God" in previous versions) sharpens the sarcasm, leaving no room for misunderstanding.

§04Tone & mood

How this poem feels

The tone is both furious and satirical right from the start. Shelley employs the formal structures of elegy and epithalamium (a wedding poem) but fills them with corpses and curses—the stark contrast between the dignified form and the brutal content is key. There’s no grief or wistfulness present. The anger is cold and controlled, which makes it more piercing than a mere rant.

§05Symbols & metaphors

Symbols & metaphors

Abortion / stillbirth
In its original meaning of something that never came to be, the abortion serves as Shelley's main image for **Liberty** — a vibrant idea that the government has stifled before it could manifest in reality. It implies that England's chance for freedom is being actively undermined, rather than merely overlooked.
Stones and clay
The English people, turned to stones and "senseless clay," symbolize a population so crushed by oppression that they no longer have the will or ability to fight back. They are, in a very real sense, the very ground the oppressor treads upon.
Albion
The ancient poetic name for Britain is used here to highlight how far the country has strayed from its idealized image. Referring to it as a "death-white shore" transforms the romantic notion of England's white cliffs into a stark, lifeless image.
The Epithalamium / wedding to Ruin
A wedding song typically celebrates new beginnings and unity. Shelley turns this idea on its head: the tyrant's real marriage is with Ruin, Fear, and Strife. This metaphor implies that oppression isn't just malicious; it's self-destructive — the tyrant is committing to his own downfall.
The grave (line 15)
The road built by the oppressor with the bodies of his victims ultimately leads to his own downfall. This is Shelley's warning: tyranny is bound to fail, as the violence used to hold onto power paves the way for the tyrant's demise.
The bacchanal
A Roman festival linked to excess, chaos, and a surrender of reason. By describing the government's triumph as a bacchanal, Shelley portrays political power not as a source of order but as a wild, destructive riot — one that drowns out Truth along the way.

§06Historical context

Historical context

Robert Stewart, Viscount Castlereagh, held the positions of British Foreign Secretary and Leader of the House of Commons from 1812 until his death in 1822. For radicals like Shelley, he symbolized the oppressive measures following the Napoleonic Wars. He supported the suspension of habeas corpus, endorsed the Six Acts of 1819 that restricted public gatherings and free press, and was largely blamed for the political atmosphere that led to the Peterloo Massacre in 1819, where cavalry charged into a crowd of peaceful reformers in Manchester, resulting in the deaths of fifteen individuals. While in exile in Italy, Shelley penned a series of passionate political poems in reaction to Peterloo and the wider crackdown, including *The Mask of Anarchy*. This poem is part of that same wave of anger. Castlereagh died by suicide in 1822, the same year as Shelley, and Byron's infamous epitaph for him — "Posterity will ne'er survey / A nobler grave than this: / Here lie the bones of Castlereagh: / Stop, traveller, and piss" — illustrates the extent of his unpopularity among the Romantic poets.

§07FAQ

Questions readers ask

The poem targets Viscount Castlereagh and the British government he represented. Castlereagh was the leading figure of political repression following the Napoleonic Wars, supporting laws that stifled free speech, public assembly, and political reform. By not naming him directly, Shelley makes the critique feel more universal—it can apply to any tyrant, not just a single individual.

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