P.B. Shelley wrote great poetry, but fame bypassed him during his lifetime.
Shelley was born on August 4, 1792 in Sussex. He was the first born of Timothy and Elizabeth Pilfold. He attended Syon House Academy in 1802. Shelley had to face physical and mental bullying as a student at Eton in 1804. The poet coped by escaping into the world of imagination, and by resorting to literary pranks.
Shelley wrote many poems which have stood the test of time, and are masterpieces. Some among them are ‘Ode to the West Wind’, ‘To a Skylark’, and ‘The Masque of Anarchy’. ‘Prometheus Unbound’, a long visionary poem, is regarded as his magnum opus. This book was published in 1820.
He also wrote an innovative verse drama titled ‘The Cenci’. ‘Hellas: A Lyrical Drama’, was published in 1822. ‘The Triumph of Life’, was cut short by his death. On July 8, 1822, shortly before his thirtieth birthday, Shelley was drowned in a storm while attempting to sail from Leghorn to La Spezia, Italy, in his schooner, the Don Juan.
Today, Shelley is regarded as one of the great lyric poets in the English language.