Shelley, Percy Bysshe : To Mary Shelley

Literature Annotations

Genre	Poem
Keywords	Children, Death and Dying, Depression, Illness and the Family, Mental Illness, Sexuality, Society
Summary	There are two short poems by this name. Both are about Mary Shelley's reaction to the death of her son, William (see also To William Shelley in this database). Mary Shelley's depression is so intense that her husband feels as if she too has died. Her body is still there, but her real self has "gone down the dreary road / That leads to Sorrow's most obscure abode." Shelley knows he cannot follow her into depression for her own sake; he must be strong to pull her back.
Commentary	The Shelleys, at least in Percy's view, respond to their son's death in gender specific ways. Percy imagines his son's soul poetically skipping in the flowers (see To William Shelley). Mary gets depressed and tries to follow her son to the grave.
Source	Poetical Works
Publisher	Oxford Univ. Press
Edition	1988
Editors	Thomas Hutchinson
Place Published	New York
Alternate Source	The Complete Works of Percy Bysshe Shelley, Vol. 3
Alternate Publisher	Gordian
Alternate Edition	1965
Alternate Editors	Roger Ingpen & Walter E. Peck
Place Published	New York
Miscellaneous	First published: 1839
Annotated by	Moore, Pamela
Date of Entry	08/08/94