The Quest for Perfection: Shelley and the Poet-Hero

Throughout his brief, tumultuous life, Percy Bysshe Shelley, the self-proclaimed rebellious bad boy of the early 19th Century, sought perfection. Shelley desired perfection in government, in organized religion, in society, in himself, and in his wives. The idealism which guided him also blinded the young poet to the truth that perfection is perhaps the most impossible achievement for any human being. Shelley's reluctance to accept this truth caused him to suffer perpetual disappointment and frustration. This examination explores Shelley's search for perfection, the literary works influenced by this quest, and the effects on his beliefs and personal life.