Poetry and Creative Writing for All

The Romantic Poets

By Kit Moreton

One of the most evocative eras in the history of poetry must surely be that of the Romantic movement. During the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries a group of poets created a new mood in literary objectives, casting off their predecessors' styles in favour of a gripping and forceful art which endures with us to this day.

Five poets emerged as the main constituents of this movement - William Wordsworth, Samuel Taylor Coleridge, George Gordon Byron, Percy Bysse Shelley and Keats.

The strength of their works lies undoubtedly in the power of their imagination. Indeed, imagination was the most critical attribute of the Romantic poets. Each poet had the ability to portray remarkable images and visions, although differing to a certain degree in their intensity and presentation. Nature, mythology and emotion were of great importance and were used to explore the feelings of the poet himself.

The lives of the poets often overlapped and tragedy was typical in most of them. Scandal and social outrage frequently accompanied the inevitable public lust for contact with such notorious characters, especially for Byron and Shelley.

Byron was born in London in 1788. The family moved to Aberdeen soon after, where Byron was brought up until he inherited the family seat of Newstead Abbey in Nottinghamshire from his great uncle. He graduated from Cambridge University in 1808 and left England the following year to embark on a tour of the Mediterranean. During this tour, he developed a passion for Greece which would later lead to his death in 1824. However, on his return to England he produced some excellent verse inspired by the experience of his journey.

His social adventures became somewhat infamous and scandal followed scandal. After the breakdown of his short-lived marriage he left for Switzerland in 1816 where he was introduced to Shelley. The two poets became friends and found each other's company rewarding and stimulating. It was at this time that Shelley wrote his Hymn to Intellectual Beauty. After Shelley returned to England, Byron left for Italy but was destined to meet up with his new friend at a later date.

Shelley was born to a wealthy family in 1792. He was educated at Eton and then went on to Oxford but was cast out after publishing what was then considered to be subversive literature.

In 1811 Shelley eloped to Scotland to marry his sixteen-year-old sweetheart Harriet Westbrook. This was to be the beginning of a nomadic lifestyle for Shelley as he did not live long in any one place. The marriage itself was short-lived. Shelley soon left Harriet for Mary Godwin and married her in 1816 after Harriet committed suicide.

Shelley was not happy in England where his colourful lifestyle and unorthodox beliefs made him unpopular with the establishment. In 1818 he left for Italy where he was reunited with Byron.

The two poets again inspired each other to pen some outstanding verse including Byron's Don Juan and Shelley's Julian and Maddalo. However, the friendship was tragically brought to an end in July 1822 when Shelley was drowned in a boating accident off the Italian coast. In somewhat dramatic form, Shelley's body was cremated on the beach witnessed by a small group of friends, including Byron.

Byron himself was to experience an equally tragic end. In 1823 he left for Greece to help the Greeks in their fight against Turkish rule. Many artists and writers were sympathetic to the Greek cause; portraying the struggle in their work as well as offering more practical help. The heroic Byron, however, was taken ill in the spring of 1824 and, within a couple of weeks, he died.

Historically, Shelley and Byron are considered to have been the most outspoken and radical of the Romantic poets. By contrast, Wordsworth appears to have been of a pleasant and acceptable personality, even receiving the status of Poet Laureate in 1843. However, his early life did not always reflect such a sober image.

He was born in 1770 at Cockermouth, Cumbria. By the time he entered his early teens, both his parents had died. As he grew older, Wordsworth developed a passion for writing, though little attention was paid to him in the early part of his career. He adopted radical political beliefs which many people found undesirable.

In 1798 Wordsworth published a collection of poems entitled Lyrical Ballads with his great friend Coleridge whom he had met, a few years earlier, when he settled in Somerset with his sister Dorothy. Indeed, most of the poems in the collection had been written by Wordsworth including his famed Tintern Abbey. At that time, however, minimal interest was shown in the collection.

Following a trip to Germany, Wordsworth and sister Dorothy returned to the Lake District to reside at Dove Cottage where much of the poet's popular work was created. He married in 1802 and, as time passed, he mellowed considerably. He deserted his former political viewpoints and, in doing so, became increasingly acceptable to popular society. Indeed, at the time of his death in the spring of 1850, he had become one of the most sought-after poets of his time.

Wordsworth shared some of the years at Dove Cottage with his great friend and poetical contemporary, Coleridge.

Coleridge was born in Devon in 1772. He was a bright young scholar but never achieved the same prolific output of his fellow Romantic poets. It is widely believed that for much of his life Coleridge was addicted to opium. Possibly this helped enhance the surreal atmosphere that is so forceful in his works such as the outstanding poem The Rime of the Ancient Mariner (which was one of his few poems to appear in Lyrical Ballads). Kubla Khan is also reputed to have been a drug-inspired verse.

In 1804 he left for a position in Malta for three years. On his return he separated from his wife and went to live with the Wordsworths at Dove Cottage where he produced a regular periodical.

With failing health, he later moved to London. In 1816 he went to stay with a doctor and his family. He remained with them until his death in 1834. During these latter years his poetry was abandoned for other forms of writing equally outstanding in their own right.

Perhaps the most tragic of the Romantic poets was Keats. There is no doubt that this young poet was truly outstanding. He achieved a high output of beautiful verse during his short life.

Keats was born in London in 1795. Similar to Wordsworth, both his parents had died by his early teens. He studied as a surgeon and apothecary, qualifying in 1816. However, poetry was his great passion and he decided to devote himself to writing.

Writer, Leigh Hunt introduced Keats to fellow poets, including Shelley. Such a connection, however, did not promote a popular image for Keats and his first collection of poems published in the spring of 1817 was not greeted with any public enthusiasm. Indeed, the critics were unkind about much of his work despite such masterpieces as Endymion, Hyperion, Ode to Autumn and many other outstanding poems.

For much of his adult life Keats was in poor health and fell gravely ill in early 1820. He knew he was dying and in the September of that year he left for Rome accompanied by his dear friend, artist Joseph Severn, hoping that the more agreeable climate might ease his suffering.

Keats died of consumption in February 1821 at the age of twenty-five. The tragedy of such a loss to literature moved Shelley to compose his elegy Adonais. Shelley was convinced that Keats had died of a broken heart following his unjust treatment at the hands of the critics. Shelley had always been a great admirer of Keats. Indeed, at his own death a copy of Keats' poems was found in his pocket and later cremated with him.

It is sad that such tragedy often accompanies those of outstanding artistic genius. We can only wonder at the possible outcome had they all lived to an old age. Perhaps even Byron and Shelley would have mellowed with the years, like Wordsworth.

However, the contribution to poetry by all five writers is immeasurable. They introduced the concept of individualism and imagination, allowing us to explore our own visions of beauty without retribution. We are not now required to restrain our thoughts and poetry to that of the socially acceptable.

Our minds can ramble and our poetry can shine.

This article was taken from an issue of Poetry Now Magazine. 

Top