England in 1819 (AQA GCSE English Literature)
Revision Note
'England in 1819'
Each poetry anthology at GCSE contains 15 poems, and in your exam question you will be given one poem – printed in full – and asked to compare this printed poem to another. As this is a closed-book exam, you will not have access to the second poem, so you will have to know it from memory. Fifteen poems is a lot to revise. However, understanding four things will enable you to produce a top-grade response:
The meaning of the poem
The ideas and messages of the poet
How the poet conveys these ideas through their methods
How these ideas compare and contrast with the ideas of other poets in the anthology
Below is a guide to Percy Bysshe Shelley’s 'England in 1819', from the Worlds and Lives anthology. It includes:
Overview: a breakdown of the poem, including its possible meanings and interpretations
Writer’s methods: an exploration of the poet’s techniques and methods
Context: an exploration of the context of the poem, relevant to its themes
What to compare it to: ideas about which poems to compare it to in the exam
Overview
In order to answer an essay question on any poem it is vital that you understand what it is about. This section includes:
The poem in a nutshell
A “translation” of the poem, section-by-section
A commentary of each of these sections, outlining Percy Bysshe Shelley’s intention and message
'England in 1819' in a nutshell
'England in 1819', written by the Romantic poet Percy Bysshe Shelley, examines the state of England during the reign of King George III. The speaker’s critical observations as he describes his world comments on the corruption and despair he observed in the country.
'England in 1819' breakdown
Lines 1–3
“An old, mad, blind, despised, and dying King;
Princes, the dregs of their dull race, who flow
Through public scorn, — mud from a muddy spring;”
Translation
The poem begins describing King George III, who was mentally and physically ill
Shelley goes on to describe the princes, who he believes are the worst kind of human
He says that the citizens of the country “scorn” or despise the monarchy
He describes the “Princes”, the heirs to the throne, as dirty or polluted (corrupted) as mud
Shelley’s intention
The first lines of Shelley’s polemic poem criticise the disconnected relationship between the monarchy and the people of England
The poet attacks the characteristics of the King, who he believes is too weak to rule the country:
The reference to blindness could symbolise ignorance as well as his physical blindness
He goes on to criticise the King’s sons as corrupt and “dull”
Lines 4–7
“Rulers who neither see nor feel nor know,
But leechlike to their fainting country cling
Till they drop, blind in blood, without a blow.”
Translation
The speaker clarifies his position on the monarchy:
England’s leaders are ignorant and desperate
They “suck the blood” from a weakened (“fainting”) country
Shelley anticipates the death of the king (and, perhaps, the entire aristocracy
)
He explains they will die in blood without ever being involved in actual conflict
Shelley’s intention
Shelley expands on his critique of the monarchy and aristocracy:
He compares England’s rulers to a parasitic animal (“leech-like”)
Shelley’s controversial attack suggests the monarchy causes blood to spill
He goes further, suggesting they are blinded by blood
He suggests that while causing conflict, they simultaneously avoid personal involvement, implying their privileged status protects them
Line 7
“A people starved and stabbed in th' untilled field;”
Translation
The speaker describes England’s citizens as one mass of suffering
The line refers to the people dying as a result of starvation or conflict
The speaker describes the fields (possibly referring to farmland) as neglected
Shelley’s intention
Shelley refers to the suffering of the people in England in 1819:
He draws attention to the way the country cannot feed itself as farms have been neglected
He refers to violent protests that occurred between the peasants and the military in 1819 (the Peterloo Massacre)
Lines 8–10
“An army, whom liberticide and prey
Makes as a two-edged sword to all who wield;
Golden and sanguine laws which tempt and slay;”
Translation
The speaker states that the military (“army”) destroys freedom (“liberticide”) and preys upon vulnerable people
The reference to a “two-edged sword” implies the laws are hypocritical, and punish people while pretending to protect them:
Shelley suggests the laws that are presented as valuable (“golden”) and positive (“sanguine”) are, in fact, destructive as they “tempt” and “slay”
Shelley’s intention
Shelley criticises the military institution of England
He refers to propaganda that presents the army and the justice system as good
He implies that England’s systems are corrupted and harm people rather than protect them
Lines 11–12
“Religion Christless, Godless — a book sealed;
A senate, Time's worst statute unrepealed —”
Translation
The speaker now refers to England as without morality and religious values
The speaker considers England’s “Senate” or parliament the worst law of all time
Shelley says the parliament has never been removed (“unrepealed”)
Shelley’s intention
Shelley draws attention to the outrage and frustration felt by the speaker as they criticise the government
Shelley suggests England’s government is old-fashioned (“Time’s worst statute”) and its effectiveness has never been reflected upon or altered
Lines 13–14
“Are graves from which a glorious Phantom may
Burst, to illumine our tempestuous day.”
Translation
The speaker ends the poem hopeful for change
Shelley hopes the systems he criticises are “graves”
Shelley concludes with a wish that the death of the old systems brings a ghost (a “Phantom”)
He hopes these systems are replaced with something that brightens the dark, “stormy” situation in England in 1819 (“tempestuous day”)
Shelley’s intention
Shelley ends on a morbid, yet hopeful note:
The poem ends hoping for the death of old systems in England
Shelley implies that from the death illumination and enlightenment can be born
Writer’s methods
Although this section is organised into three separate sections – form, structure and language – it is always best to move from what the poet is presenting (the techniques they use; the overall form of the poem; what comes at the beginning, middle and end of a poem) to how and why they have made the choices they have, especially in relation to the theme or message.
Focusing on the poet’s overarching ideas and patterns of language, rather than individual poetic techniques, will gain you more marks. Crucially, in the below sections, all analysis is arranged by theme, and includes Percy Bysshe Shelley’s intentions behind his choices in terms of:
Form
Structure
Language
Form
The poem is in the form of an ironic sonnet that conveys England’s hatred towards its monarchy and aristocracy. Shelley manipulates the form, leaving out the traditional stanza break in order to convey outrage.
Theme | Evidence | Poet’s intention |
|---|---|---|
Home and heritage | Shelley’s use of a sonnet is ironic; traditionally a sonnet was a poem about courtly love, written for the aristocracy | Shelley subverts the form by turning it against the establishment |
There is a clear absence of break in the poem’s form:
| Shelley allows no pause in the form of the poem, in order to convey intense emotion | |
Shelley subverts the form of a traditional love poem in order to present an angry critique on England | ||
Structure
Shelley’s sonnet, 'England in 1819', manipulates rhyme and rhythm to present a dramatic and emotional attack on traditional systems, which Shelley suggests result in an angered and desperate people.
Theme | Evidence | Poet’s intention |
|---|---|---|
Disconnected relationships | Shelley subverts the traditional rhyme scheme of a sonnet by creating a sestet followed by an octave:
| Shelley’s rhyme scheme appears to present his main criticism as against the rulers of his country:
|
Iambic pentameter contributes to a repetitive, unchanging rhythm:
| Shelley’s speaker sounds resentful and angry about their world | |
Shelley uses caesura and abrupt punctuation to create a broken voice: “Through public scorn,—mud from a muddy spring,—”
| Shelley’s speaker conveys bitterness as they reflect on their disrupted world | |
Shelley’s speaker conveys the disruptions and conflicts in their environment through a carefully considered yet angry challenge to their world | ||
Language
'England in 1819' is a critical commentary on nineteenth-century England. The poem’s sinister imagery draws attention to the corruption of the systems in place and the suffering of those under them.
Theme | Evidence | Poet’s intention |
|---|---|---|
Relationships and lives | Shelley draws attention to the suffering of the people with sibilance : “A people starved and stabbed” | Shelley’s stark description of the way his compatriots are murdered on their “untilled fields” portrays the citizens as innocent victims |
Shelley uses vivid imagery to convey the corruption and desperation of England’s leaders:
| Shelley’s alliteration draws attention to the images he presents:
| |
Shelley contrasts dark and light imagery to present a hopeful message:
| Shelley ends the poem suggesting a positive outcome from the death and destruction of monarchy, parliament and military institutions | |
Shelley’s criticism of nineteenth-century London hopes for the end of England’s corrupt leadership, under which the inhabitants are oppressed by equally corrupt authorities | ||
Context
Examiners repeatedly state that context should not be considered as additional factual information: in this case, it is not random biographical information about Percy Bysshe Shelley that is unrelated to the ideas in “England in 1819”. The best way to understand context is as the ideas and perspectives explored by Shelley in the poem, which relate to worlds and lives. This section has therefore been divided into two relevant themes that Shelley explores:
Home and heritage
Relationships and lives
Home and heritage
Although Percy Bysshe Shelley wrote the poem for a radical English magazine, it was never published for fear of the legal and political response:
It was finally published in 1839 after his death by Shelley's wife, Mary Shelley
The polemic expresses anger towards King George III's leadership:
The king’s mental and physical decline led to the advancement of the Prince of Wales, or the Prince Regent, who took his place
Shelley particularly challenges what he considers to be the special protection afforded to the elite:
The Prince Regent was known to be weak and self-indulgent
Shelley refers in the poem to the murder of citizens, particularly farmers on the “field”:
This could allude to the Peterloo Massacre, a military attack on protesters in St. Peter's Field in Manchester in 1819
After a public outcry (“public scorn”) the government (“Senate”) restricted the press and handed out harsher punishment for protesters
Another of his poems, called 'The Masque of Anarchy', calls for violent protest in response to the Peterloo Massacre
The poem refers to the economic problems in England after the Napoleonic wars in 1815:
The “untilled fields” referenced in the poem may allude to the poor harvest and food shortages
Relationships and lives
Percy Bysshe Shelley (1792–1822) is considered one of the most radical Romantic poets
His poetry focuses on the corruption of established systems in England
Shelley was an atheist, a socialist and an active critic of the monarchy and aristocracy
Shelley wrote the sonnet in Italy, having left England in 1818 amid much controversy:
Shelley’s attack on religion in an essay written in 1811, titled 'On the Necessity of Atheism' brought much criticism
Thus, 'England in 1819' challenges Shelley’s homeland from afar
Notably, the poem was not published in England
Shelley’s poetry often encourages revolutionary rebellion against the establishment:
He is said to have been influenced by the rebellion against the monarchy and aristocracy during the French Revolution in 1789
The “glorious Phantom” bursting from the graves of dead systems and kings could allude to the democracy France gained as a result of the violent revolution
What to compare it to
The essay you are required to write in your exam is a comparison of the ideas and themes explored in two of your anthology poems. It is therefore essential that you revise the poems together, in pairs, to understand how each poet presents ideas about worlds and lives in comparison to other poets in the anthology. Given that 'England in 1819' explores the ideas of disconnected relationships between human beings and their worlds, the following comparisons are the most appropriate:
'England in 1819' and 'In a London Drawing Room'
'England in 1819' and 'A Portable Paradise'
'England in 1819' and 'Thirteen'
For each pair of poems, you will find:
The comparison in a nutshell
Similarities between the ideas presented in each poem
Differences between the ideas presented in each poem
Evidence and analysis of these similarities and differences
'England in 1819' and 'In a London Drawing Room'
Comparison in a nutshell:
Both Percy Bysshe Shelley’s 'England in 1819' and George Eliot’s 'In a London Drawing Room' employ speakers who explore their feelings about their place in the world, especially in relation to their environment. Both poems criticise their homeland and comment on the suffering they observe. However, while Shelley’s poem is a political attack, Eliot describes a dreary urban environment.
Similarities:
Topic sentence | Both poems offer a critique of their environment | |
|---|---|---|
Evidence and analysis | 'England in 1819' | 'In a London Drawing Room' |
Shelley uses natural imagery to describe England as “tempestuous” or stormy:
| Eliot describes a miserable and dreary London, commenting on the “cloudy” sky and the wall of buildings like “solid fog” | |
Shelley describes his world as full of suffering:
| Eliot’s speaker describes their home, London, similarly:
| |
The speakers’ description of their environments suggest their unease and concern as they imply their homeland is a place of punishment and despair | ||
Topic sentence | Both poems comment on the disconnected relationships of those who inhabit their homeland | |
|---|---|---|
Evidence and analysis | 'England in 1819' | 'In a London Drawing Room' |
Shelley comments on the way the people of England are led by rulers who do not see them as individuals:
| Eliot draws attention to the way the citizens of London seem blind to the joy of life or individuality:
| |
Shelley’s criticism of England is that it is punitive and without justice:
| Eliot criticises her world by describing London as without compassion or joy:
| |
Both poems describe their homeland as places of pain and punishment, which in turn corrupt their people as they become embittered | ||
Differences:
Topic sentence | Percy Bysshe Shelley’s poem describes a country made desperate as a result of poor leadership, while George Eliot’s poem describes the urbanisation of London that she suggests brings suffering to its inhabitants | |
|---|---|---|
Evidence and analysis | 'England in 1819' | 'In a London Drawing Room' |
Shelley’s description uses dark imagery to comment on corrupt institutions in the country:
| Eliot offers a gloomy description of London using natural imagery:
| |
Shelley presents a dramatic and urgent message about his world, using metaphorical language relating to death:
| Eliot, however, describes urban London’s mundane and dreary environment as restrictive:
| |
Shelley’s poem is a harsh criticism of corrupted systems that bring death and destruction, while Eliot’s poem is a critique of the way industrialisation and urbanisation have made her world bleak and depressing | ||
'England in 1819' and 'A Portable Paradise'
Comparison in a nutshell:
This is an effective comparative choice to explore individuals’ responses to their changing worlds. Both poets describe their concern as they observe their environment and recognise a disconnected relationship between the individuals and their world. While Percy Bysshe Shelley focuses his poem on a corrupted England, Roger Robinson considers the personal perspective of an individual experiencing daily pressures.
Similarities:
Topic sentence | Both speakers convey emotional pleas within their criticisms on their environment | |
|---|---|---|
Evidence and analysis | 'England in 1819' | 'A Portable Paradise' |
Shelley gives his emotional speaker a disrupted yet persistent voice to convey the strong emotional response to their homeland:
| Robinson, too, conveys the response of his speaker through enjambment, which conveys a breathless expression of emotion | |
Shelley describes a hopeful outcome to his corrupted world using sensory imagery:
| Robinson uses imagery to convey hope against the challenges of their world:
| |
The speakers’ emotional responses to their worlds convey a sense of desperation as they attempt to find hope in their worlds | ||
Topic sentence | Both poems comment on the disconnected relationships of those who inhabit their homeland | |
|---|---|---|
Evidence and analysis | 'England in 1819' | 'A Portable Paradise' |
Shelley comments on rulers who do not see the people as individuals, and are ignorant to their suffering:
| Robinson, similarly, suggests the speaker feels part of a neglected, isolated group:
| |
Shelley criticises the challenges the people of England must face:
| Robinson criticises the “pressure” and the “stresses”, which the speaker implies must be “sustained and daily”:
| |
Both poems describe their homeland as corrupted, which in turn corrupts its people as they become embittered or isolated | ||
Differences:
Topic sentence | Percy Bysshe Shelley’s poem describes a country made desperate as a result of poor leadership, while Roger Robinson’s poem conveys how a sense of community can offer comfort in challenging times | |
|---|---|---|
Evidence and analysis | 'England in 1819' | 'A Portable Paradise' |
Shelley’s description focuses on the weak institutions in the country:
| Robinson, however, relates how advice from a grandparent can provide comfort in times of isolation:
| |
Shelley presents a dramatic and urgent message about his world, using metaphorical language relating to death:
| Robinson conveys a calmer, more peaceful message about finding one’s own paradise in life:
| |
Shelley’s poem is a harsh criticism of corrupted institutions that bring death and destruction, while Robinson’s poem describes a way of providing one's own comfort under such systems | ||
'England in 1819' and 'Thirteen'
Comparison in a nutshell:
Both Percy Bysshe Shelley’s 'England in 1819' and Caleb Femi’s 'Thirteen' explore disconnections between the speaker and their world. The poems criticise corrupted powerful authorities that cause suffering to the inhabitants. While Shelley’s polemic poem attacks England’s corrupt monarchy and aristocracy, Femi’s conversational poem comments on discrimination, specifically within the police service.
Similarities:
Topic sentence | Both poems highlight disconnected relationships under oppressive systems | |
|---|---|---|
Evidence and analysis | 'England in 1819' | 'Thirteen' |
Shelley describes the negative conditions and emotions of the people of England:
| Femi also describes the oppressive conditions and emotions experienced by his speaker in their environment:
| |
Shelley contrasts dark and light imagery to convey ideas about good and evil:
| Femi similarly contrasts vivid imagery to convey how hope is offered to children and then taken away:
| |
The poets both comment on issues they face in their world by using contrasting imagery that connotes to ideas related to good and evil and hope and suffering | ||
Differences:
Topic sentence | Shelley’s poem is a dramatic and bitter attack on England’s monarchy and aristocracy, while Femi’s poem is a conversational narrative that conveys a young child’s perspective on their environment | |
|---|---|---|
Evidence and analysis | 'England in 1819' | 'Thirteen' |
Shelley uses a sonnet ironically to convey the “public scorn” of the people under what Shelley describes as corrupt and powerful systems:
| The poem is written in free verse and is split into four irregular stanzas with an irregular rhythm:
| |
Shelley’s poem makes use of alliteration and assonance to create a resentful tone:
| Femi’s speaker speaks with irony about their relationships with others: “– You’ll laugh./Thirteen, you’ll tell him: you’re thirteen”:
| |
Both poems present embittered speakers; however, while Shelley’s poem is a sophisticated critique of England, Femi’s poem presents the way a child has normalised their powerlessness | ||
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