Category: Culture/Art>> Literature
Problem description:
Cause of Shelley’s death
Analysis:
In 1822 Shelley was drowned while sailing in a *** all boat off the Italian beach, before he had reached the age of 30.
Shelley (1792-1822) and his friend Williams in 1822 At noon on July 8, he returned on the "Ariel" and was escorted by his friend Cronie on the sailing ship "Buliffer". However, when leaving the port, it was inspected by the official water patrol team and the "Bulifal" was detained because it did not bring the exit documents. Croney had no choice but to go back to get his documents. Williams was extremely restless and urged Shelley to return alone. At three o'clock that afternoon, the boat "Ariel" sailed towards La Spezia. At this time, the weather suddenly changed, the sea was covered with thick clouds, the air was suffocating, and a storm hit the sea. What followed was an earth-shattering thunderstorm. After a while, the rain cleared up and Ariel capsized in the storm. Shelley and Williams drowned. Shelley, a rebellious poet who was constantly being persecuted by society, unfortunately passed away in his prime when he was less than thirty years old.
When Trelawny learned that the "Ariel" had not arrived in La Spezia that day, he searched along the coast. He spent a lot of money and asked the police to pay attention.
On July 18, Chlouni received a report that a body was found on the coast of Ia Ricchio. Chilawney rushed to the scene and saw that the face, two hands and parts of the body that were not protected by clothing had been eaten by fish and were unrecognizable. But from the slender figure and the collection of Sophocles plays and Keats poems in his pocket, he confirmed that it was Shelley's body. Not far away, Williams' more mutilated body was found. To prevent the sea from washing them away, Chlorney buried them in the sand on the coast.
On August 14, Croney, Byron, and Hunter cremated Williams' body on the coast. The next day, the three cremated Shelley's body on the coast.
The cremation scene is extremely tragic. The coast was crowded with Italians watching. Just like the ancient Greek epic describing the cremation of Hector (the Trojan hero in the "Iliad"), Byron, Hunter, and Throne threw spices, oil, and salt into the fire, and also poured in large amounts of of wine. Byron then took off his clothes and walked toward the water to express his deepest condolences. Shelley's heart was so big that it was not burned out after three hours of burning. Croney quickly snatched it out of the flames and was almost seriously injured.
In December 1822, Shelley's heart and ashes were buried in the Roman Protestant Cemetery, between the graves of his son William and his close friend Edward Williams. The tombstone is engraved with the words "Percy Byshey Shelley--Heart of All Hearts."
Byron sadly wrote:
Shelley no longer exists, my gifted friend no longer exists. I couldn't help but feel cold as I looked at the ashes bowl. It only contained the bones of that noble soul. The death of England's best man was a most sad and irrevocable thing, and for England genius seemed to be its burden and its curse. ...
...Society's attitude towards him is extremely wrong, rude and hostile.
Shelley's tree of life withered prematurely, and he lived less than thirty years old. But the brilliance of his art is eternal. His immortal poems not only won the love of his compatriots, but also transcended national boundaries and eras, arousing excitement and igniting sparks in the hearts of hundreds of millions of people, building a towering monument to the art of poetry.