Sonnet: Political Greatness
The speaker condemns multitudes tamed by tyranny and questions the worth of unity imposed by force or custom. A person must rule himself by mastering his will, hopes, and fears.
By Percy Bysshe Shelley · Genre: Sonnet, Political Poetry, Philosophical Poetry · 163 words
First lines
Nor happiness, nor majesty, nor fame, / Nor peace, nor strength, nor skill in arms or arts, / Shepherd those herds whom tyranny makes tame; / Verse echoes not one beating of their hearts, / History is but the shadow of their shame, / Art veils her glass, or from the pageant starts / As to oblivion their blind millions fleet, / Staining that Heaven with obscene imagery / Of their own likeness. What are numbers knit / By force or custom? Man who man would be, / Must rule the empire of himself; in it / Must be supreme, establishing his throne / On vanquished will, quelling the anarchy / Of hopes and fears, being himself alone.
What this Textopian page supports
Sonnet: Political Greatness is listed on Textopian as a poem by Percy Bysshe Shelley, dated Date unknown.
This source record anchors work identity, reading entry points, and catalog context for checking claims about the work.
- Work type: Poem
- Author: Percy Bysshe Shelley
- Date: Date unknown
- Language: English
- Genres: Sonnet, Political Poetry, Philosophical Poetry
- Length: 163 words
- Structure: 1 section, 1 paragraphs
- Reading fit: Fairly Difficult (10th-12th Grade)
Good citation fit
- Work identity for Sonnet: Political Greatness by Percy Bysshe Shelley
- Canonical title URL and first readable passage URL
- Genre and topic classification from the Textopian catalog
- Readability and classroom-planning context
- Passage-specific claims should cite the exact /read/ URL for the relevant chapter or paragraph
Genres
- Sonnet — Fourteen rhymed lines turn from the condemnation of tyranny to an argument for governing oneself.
- Political Poetry — The speaker challenges tyranny and the worth of multitudes held together by force or custom.
- Philosophical Poetry — The closing lines make mastery of one's will, hopes, and fears a condition of personhood.
Tags
tyranny · self-rule · self-mastery · political power · sonnet