Ode to the West Wind part 2 - COMPLETE

Shelley

‘Loose clouds like earth’s decaying leaves are shed’

Introduction of the earth being connected to nature, reflecting Shelley’s own pantheistic values.

The poem also begins to build up to a storm by comparing the clouds to ‘decaying leaves’. A storm could arguably be interpreted as a hardship, such as a child dying.

‘Shook from the tangled boughs of Ocean and Heaven’

Shelley was an atheist, who embraced pantheistic ideals. This depiction of a storm being from ‘Ocean’ and ‘Heaven’ suggests a pantheistic viewpoint. However, since Shelley hated established religion, the idea of a storm created by God/’Heaven’, he could be mocking established religion by challenging an omnibenevolent God.

‘Angels of rain and lightning’

Angels are typically associated with goodness. Further evidence of Shelley’s pantheistic ideas, as well as the criticism of a British God.

‘Of some fierce Maenad’

Maenads were the followers of the Greek God Dionysus, and were often labelled as the mad women due to their strange rituals and drinking, as well as drunkenness. Shelley likely does this to comment and criticise established religion.

Wild women could allude to Shelley’s attitude being that women should have social equality.

Humanising nature

‘the locks of the approaching storm’

‘locks’ is a reference to hair, suggesting the oncoming storm is a person. Humanising it.

‘thou dirge of the dying year’

‘dirge’ is a mournful song, expanding upon William’s death seeming to haunt the poem, as a dirge is also a funeral song.

when a year ‘{dies}’, it typically means a new year will begin. allusion to regrowth.

Comparing a storm to a song.

‘this closing night will be the dome of a vast sepulchre’

Storms associated with death.

This part is a vast contrast to the first part, with a melancholy tone being created through the overwhelming influence of death over this part.

John.

‘Vaulted with all thy congregated might!’

might of nature, reflecting pantheistic ideals.

The storm presented as powerful and deadly. ‘Might’ could also be an allusion to the sublime.

‘Black rain, and fire, and hail will burst!’

‘Black’ connotes death, and ‘burst’ implies strength.

Allusions to hell created through ‘fire’.

Similar pronunciation to Hell. Further allusion.