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Shakespeare by Percy Bysshe Shelley

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This short poem by Shelley honors Shakespeare, expressing awe at the immense scale and diversity of his creative genius.

Poet
Percy Bysshe Shelley
Core theme
Art
The PoemFull text

Shakespeare

Percy Bysshe Shelley

[Composed at Florence, October, 1819, and forwarded to Hunt (November 2) to be published by C. & J. Ollier without the author’s name; ultimately printed by Mrs. Shelley in the second edition of the “Poetical Works”, 1839. A skit by John Hamilton Reynolds, “Peter Bell, a Lyrical Ballad”, had already appeared (April, 1819), a few days before the publication of Wordsworth’s “Peter Bell, a Tale”. These productions were reviewed in Leigh Hunt’s “Examiner” (April 26, May 3, 1819); and to the entertainment derived from his perusal of Hunt’s criticisms the composition of Shelley’s “Peter Bell the Third” is chiefly owing.]

Public domain

Sourced from Project Gutenberg

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§01Quick summary

What this poem is about

This short poem by Shelley honors Shakespeare, expressing awe at the immense scale and diversity of his creative genius. Shelley essentially suggests that Shakespeare's imagination was so expansive it could encompass all forms of human experience simultaneously. It's a poet paying respect to the greatest poet he admired.

§02Themes

Recurring themes

§03Line by line

Stanza by stanza, with notes

  1. SHAKESPEARE

    Editor's note

    The poem is a focused tribute. By mentioning Shakespeare, Shelley sets the stage for a reflection on the significance of that name. The title encapsulates the entire theme — there’s no story here, just an ongoing contemplation of one monumental figure.

§04Tone & mood

How this poem feels

Reverent and awestruck, but not obsequious. Shelley admires Shakespeare like one admires a force of nature — with genuine wonder, not sentimentality, at something that transcends ordinary human scale.

§05Symbols & metaphors

Symbols & metaphors

Shakespeare's name
The name itself represents the vast scope of human imagination. Shelley doesn't have to go into detail about Shakespeare's works — the name itself holds all the significance.
The act of naming
By making the title the entire subject, Shelley implies that mentioning Shakespeare evokes something nearly mythic, transcending typical poetic description.
Silence / brevity
The poem's tight structure reflects the notion that Shakespeare transcends the limits of language — the briefer the tribute, the more it suggests that no tribute could ever suffice.

§06Historical context

Historical context

Shelley wrote this in Florence in October 1819, during one of the most creative phases of his life — the same year he completed *Prometheus Unbound*, *The Mask of Anarchy*, and *Ode to the West Wind*. This piece emerged from the vibrant atmosphere surrounding *Peter Bell the Third*, a satirical poem targeting Wordsworth, and was sent to Leigh Hunt for anonymous publication. It fits into a tradition of Romantic-era tributes to Shakespeare, who had become a sort of secular deity for the Romantics. Keats, Coleridge, and Hazlitt all explored Shakespeare's brilliance in depth. For Shelley, Shakespeare embodied the ideal poet — someone capable of embracing all of humanity's contradictions within a single imaginative vision, a goal Shelley himself was pursuing in his own major works of 1819.

§07FAQ

Questions readers ask

Why is this poem so short?

The brevity is likely intentional. Shelley was a poet who recognized that often the strongest statement is one that doesn’t elaborate unnecessarily. By keeping the tribute short, he suggests that Shakespeare's greatness is beyond what any poem could fully express.

Was Shelley and Shakespeare friends or contemporaries?

No — Shakespeare died in 1616, almost 200 years before Shelley was born in 1792. This is a tribute across time, with a younger poet reflecting on a predecessor he regarded as the greatest writer in the English language.

Why did Shelley publish this anonymously?

Shelley published much of his work anonymously or under pseudonyms during this time. This was partly for political safety, as he was a radical and some of his writing posed real risks if published under his own name. Additionally, he had a complicated relationship with literary fame.

What does this poem have to do with Peter Bell the Third?

The editorial note links the two works since they were written around the same time and submitted to the same publisher. Peter Bell the Third serves as a satirical critique of Wordsworth, making it all the more interesting that Shelley was simultaneously crafting this quiet, respectful homage to Shakespeare. This contrast highlights the diversity of his creative mindset in late 1819.

How does Shelley's view of Shakespeare compare to other Romantic poets?

The Romantics held Shakespeare in high regard, almost to the point of worship. Keats talked about 'negative capability' — the talent for embracing contradictions without seeking resolution — and considered this trait to be Shakespeare's hallmark. Coleridge delivered well-known lectures on Shakespeare's psychological depth. Shelley's homage aligns perfectly with this view of Shakespeare, seeing him not merely as an exceptional writer but as a blueprint for what poetry could aspire to be.

Is this poem considered one of Shelley's major works?

No, it's more of a fragment or an occasional poem than a significant statement. Its primary value lies in its biographical and contextual aspects—it offers insights into Shelley's literary heroes and his creative interests in 1819, a year noted for his truly remarkable works.

What themes does this poem touch on?

At its core, this is about art and what makes creative genius tick. It also explores memory and time — how a great artist's work can outlive them and continue to resonate through the ages.

Citation

Cite this poem

MLA

Shelley, Percy Bysshe. "Shakespeare." Storgy, https://storgy.com/poems/shakespeare-percy-bysshe-shelley/.

APA

Shelley, P. B. (n.d.). Shakespeare. Storgy. https://storgy.com/poems/shakespeare-percy-bysshe-shelley/

TeacherAP Lit Q1 scaffold — preview

Row A — Thesis

1 pt

Shelley's 'SHAKESPEARE.' weaponizes Romantic hero-worship against Wordsworth by constructing Shakespeare as the implicit standard of authentic genius against which Wordsworth's commercial self-betrayal is measured. The poem's single …

  • Row B — Evidence + Commentary4 pts
  • Row C — Sophistication1 pt
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