The Mask of Anarchy by Percy Bysshe Shelley
Asleep in Italy, the narrator dreams of Murder, Fraud, Hypocrisy and crowned Anarchy passing through England to London. Hope lies before their horses; a luminous Shape appears, and Anarchy is found dead while Hope walks calmly. A voice likened to England's wounded earth defines freedom through food, shelter and justice, then urges the people to assemble peacefully and endure attacks without retaliation.
By Percy Bysshe Shelley · Genre: Political Poetry, Allegorical Poetry, Protest Literature · 3,510 words
First lines
As I lay asleep in Italy / There came a voice from over the Sea, / And with great power it forth led me / To walk in the visions of Poesy.
I met Murder on the way- / He had a mask like Castlereagh- / Very smooth he looked, yet grim; / Seven blood-hounds followed him:
Genres
- Political Poetry — Rhymed stanzas condemn rulers, poverty and violence, then address England's people with a call for collective resistance.
- Allegorical Poetry — Murder, Fraud, Hypocrisy, Anarchy and Hope appear as figures in the narrator's dream procession.
- Protest Literature — The closing address urges a vast assembly to declare its freedom and face armed repression without retaliation.
Tags
nonviolent resistance · political oppression · public assembly · labor and poverty · liberty · allegory
What this Textopian page supports
The Mask of Anarchy 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: Political Poetry, Allegorical Poetry, Protest Literature
- Length: 3,510 words
- Structure: 1 section, 91 paragraphs
- Reading fit: Fairly Easy (7th Grade)
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- Work identity for The Mask of Anarchy by Percy Bysshe Shelley
- Canonical title URL and first readable passage URL
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