Who are the 'Pigs' or 'Swine' Shelley keeps referring to?

They represent everyday British citizens. The phrase 'swinish multitude' was coined by conservative thinker Edmund Burke to belittle the common people as unworthy of political involvement. Shelley intentionally reclaims this insult, transforming it into a symbol of collective strength.

What is the 'Green Bag' mentioned in the stage direction?

It refers to a genuine political scandal. In 1820, George IV's government presented Parliament with a sealed green bag that allegedly held evidence of Queen Caroline's adultery, aiming to support a bill to take away her title. The bag turned into a symbol of political maneuvering and faced heavy ridicule in contemporary cartoons and pamphlets.

Why does Shelley use a fox hunt as the central image?

Fox hunting defined leisure for the English aristocracy — it symbolized their wealth, land ownership, and dominance over others. By targeting the rulers in his depiction of the hunt, Shelley turns the entire class structure on its head in a single image.

What does 'Give them no law but such as they gave you' mean?

It's a call for reciprocal justice: treat the oppressors just as they treated you. Since the ruling class offered the people no legal protection or mercy, the people owe them none in return. This is the most straightforward political message in the passage.

Is this poem serious or is Shelley making fun of something?

Both happen simultaneously. The tone is intentionally exaggerated and boisterous—it feels almost like a comic opera chorus—but the underlying anger is genuine. Shelley wields absurdist humor like a weapon, much like political cartoonists. This comedic approach makes the critique more difficult to ignore.

Why was the play suppressed after publication?

The Society for the Suppression of Vice warned the publisher of possible legal action. The play openly criticized the reigning king and his government, which was risky business in 1820. Nearly the entire print run was destroyed.

How does this connect to Shelley's other political poems?

It sits right alongside *The Masque of Anarchy* (1819), which Shelley wrote in response to the Peterloo Massacre, and *England in 1819*, a sonnet criticizing George III and his government. All three works emerged from the same wave of political outrage in 1819–1820, a time when Shelley believed Britain was teetering on the brink of either revolution or complete repression.

The Annotated Edition

SPURS, AND A HUNTING-CAP, BUCKISHLY COCKED ON ONE SIDE, AND TUCKING UP by Percy Bysshe Shelley

Summary, meaning, line-by-line analysis & FAQ.

Read aloud in ~2 minOpen reading mode →

This scene from Shelley's political drama *Swellfoot the Tyrant* is a wild and satirical hunting episode.

Poet: Percy Bysshe Shelley
Themes: anger, freedom, identity

The PoemFull text

SPURS, AND A HUNTING-CAP, BUCKISHLY COCKED ON ONE SIDE, AND TUCKING UP

Percy Bysshe Shelley

HER HAIR, SHE LEAPS NIMBLY ON HIS BACK]: Hoa! hoa! tallyho! tallyho! ho! ho! Come, let us hunt these ugly badgers down, These stinking foxes, these devouring otters, These hares, these wolves, these anything but men. Hey, for a whipper-in! my loyal Pigs Now let your noses be as keen as beagles’, _120 Your steps as swift as greyhounds’, and your cries More dulcet and symphonious than the bells Of village-towers, on sunshine holiday; Wake all the dewy woods with jangling music. Give them no law (are they not beasts of blood?) _125 But such as they gave you. Tallyho! ho! Through forest, furze, and bog, and den, and desert, Pursue the ugly beasts! tallyho! ho! FULL CHORUS OF IONA AND THE SWINE: Tallyho! tallyho! Through rain, hail, and snow, _130 Through brake, gorse, and briar, Through fen, flood, and mire, We go! we go! Tallyho! tallyho! Through pond, ditch, and slough, _135 Wind them, and find them, Like the Devil behind them, Tallyho! tallyho! [EXEUNT, IN FULL CRY; IONA DRIVING ON THE SWINE, WITH THE EMPTY GEEEN BAG.]

§01Quick summary

What this poem is about

This scene from Shelley's political drama *Swellfoot the Tyrant* is a wild and satirical hunting episode. Here, a character named Iona rallies a crowd of "Swine" (the common folk) to hunt down corrupt rulers and their allies like prey. The twist is that the hunters were the ones treated like animals all along, and now they're flipping the script. It's loud, chaotic, and intentionally absurd — Shelley employs farce to convey a serious message about political revenge and the power of popular uprising.

§02Themes

Recurring themes

§03Line by line

Stanza by stanza, with notes

Hoa! hoa! tallyho! tallyho! ho! ho! / Come, let us hunt these ugly badgers down,
Editor's note
Iona begins with the classic calls of a fox hunt, instantly turning the social dynamic upside down. The 'ugly badgers,' 'stinking foxes,' and 'devouring otters' aren't actual creatures — they're cleverly disguised representations of the corrupt ministers and royalists who have been holding the people down. Referring to them as 'anything but men' takes away the humanity that they denied to the common people.
Hey, for a whipper-in! my loyal Pigs / Now let your noses be as keen as beagles',
Editor's note
The 'Pigs' represent the oppressed people, a term Shelley takes from the political slang of his time (Edmund Burke referred to the masses as a 'swinish multitude'). Shelley reclaims this insult, transforming it into a call to action. Iona urges them to harness their animal traits — their keen noses and quick steps — as tools for resistance. The image of 'village-towers on sunshine holiday' offers a moment of pastoral beauty that highlights the stark contrast with the violent hunt that follows.
Give them no law (are they not beasts of blood?) / But such as they gave you.
Editor's note
This stanza hits at the moral heart of the message. The line 'Give them no law but such as they gave you' clearly demands reciprocal justice — it urges that the oppressors should be treated in the same way they treated others. The phrase 'Beasts of blood' turns the aristocrats' own language against them, which they once used to rationalize hunting and killing animals. The repeated 'Tallyho!' maintains a wild, carnival-like energy throughout.
Tallyho! tallyho! / Through rain, hail, and snow,
Editor's note
The Full Chorus joins in the hunt cry and charges forward. A litany of tough weather and rugged terrain — rain, hail, snow, brake, gorse, briar — illustrates how the Swine are relentless, ready to tackle any challenge. The rhythm transforms into a nearly melodic chant, uniting the crowd with one voice and one purpose.
Tallyho! tallyho! / Through pond, ditch, and slough,
Editor's note
The second chorus stanza reinforces the relentless pursuit. The phrase 'Wind them, and find them' uses hunting language related to tracking by scent, while 'Like the Devil behind them' introduces a hellish urgency — the hunted are now being chased by something truly terrifying. The subsequent stage direction, where Iona drives the Swine out with an empty 'Green Bag,' serves as a sharp satirical critique of a real political scandal from that era.

§04Tone & mood

How this poem feels

Raucous, carnivalesque, and wildly funny. Shelley delivers the entire scene at a shout — the exclamation marks stack up, the hunting cries echo like a drumbeat, and the energy stays at a gallop. Beneath the chaos, there’s genuine anger, but Shelley expresses it through farce instead of seriousness. The tone feels more like a political cartoon set to music than a serious protest poem.

§05Symbols & metaphors

Symbols & metaphors

The Hunt: The fox hunt was a popular pastime for the English aristocracy, reflecting their power and control over the land and lower classes. By directing the hunt against the rulers, Shelley flips the entire social hierarchy with just one image.
The Swine / Pigs: Edmund Burke's 1790 term 'swinish multitude' aimed to belittle ordinary people, suggesting they were unworthy of political power. Shelley takes this label and turns it into a symbol of pride and unity, reshaping an insult into a revolutionary identity.
The Animals (badgers, foxes, otters, wolves): Each animal represents a specific kind of corrupt political figure — predatory, verminous, or cowardly. By labeling them as 'anything but men,' Shelley suggests that it is the rulers, not the ruled, who have lost their humanity.
The Empty Green Bag: A direct reference to the 'Green Bag' affair of 1820, where George IV's government used a sealed green bag of alleged evidence to justify actions against Queen Caroline. This bag became the subject of ridicule, seen as a tool for political persecution, and Shelley employs it here as the ridiculous weapon of a farcical tyrant.
The Terrain (forest, furze, bog, fen, flood, mire): The rough terrain the hunt navigates reflects the turmoil of political upheaval. It also indicates that seeking justice won't be easy or straightforward — it involves facing all kinds of challenges.

§06Historical context

Historical context

This passage is from *Swellfoot the Tyrant* (1820), a short satirical drama by Shelley that responds to the trial of Queen Caroline, the estranged wife of King George IV. George IV sought to divorce Caroline through a Bill of Pains and Penalties, and the government's use of a sealed 'Green Bag' of evidence became a point of public mockery. Shelley wrote the play quickly, drawing inspiration from Aristophanes' *Plutus*, and published it anonymously. The play was suppressed almost right after it was released. In it, 'Swellfoot' represents George IV, 'Iona Taurina' stands for Queen Caroline, and the 'Swine' symbolize the British people. The excerpt presented here features the climactic moment when the oppressed masses rise against their oppressors. This play is often regarded alongside Shelley's *The Masque of Anarchy* as one of his most pointed works of political protest.

§07FAQ

Questions readers ask

It's an excerpt from *Swellfoot the Tyrant*, a short satirical play penned by Shelley in 1820. This piece isn't a standalone poem; rather, it features in the climactic scene where Iona Taurina, who symbolizes Queen Caroline, rallies the Swine (the people) to hunt down the corrupt rulers.

Best Poems About Love

Account

Site

SPURS, AND A HUNTING-CAP, BUCKISHLY COCKED ON ONE SIDE, AND TUCKING UP by Percy Bysshe Shelley

SPURS, AND A HUNTING-CAP, BUCKISHLY COCKED ON ONE SIDE, AND TUCKING UP

What this poem is about

Recurring themes

Stanza by stanza, with notes

How this poem feels

Symbols & metaphors

Historical context

Questions readers ask

Poems in the same key

London

ODE TO THE WEST WIND.

Similar poems

More by Percy Bysshe Shelley

Themes in this poem