''Hellas'' is a verse drama by

Percy Bysshe Shelley Percy Bysshe Shelley ( ; 4 August 17928 July 1822) was one of the major English Romantic poets. A radical in his poetry as well as in his political and social views, Shelley did not achieve fame during his lifetime, but recognition of his achie ...

, written in 1821 and published in 1822 by Charles and James Ollier in London. Shelley wrote it while living in

Pisa Pisa ( , or ) is a city and ''comune'' in Tuscany, central Italy, straddling the Arno just before it empties into the Ligurian Sea. It is the capital city of the Province of Pisa. Although Pisa is known worldwide for its leaning tower, the cit ...

, with a view to raising money for the

Greek War of Independence The Greek War of Independence, also known as the Greek Revolution or the Greek Revolution of 1821, was a successful war of independence by Greek revolutionaries against the Ottoman Empire between 1821 and 1829. The Greeks were later assisted by ...

. It was to be Shelley's last published poem during his lifetime.

Dedication

The dedication of the drama was : ''«To Ηis Εxcellency Prince Alexander Mavrocordato late secretary for foreign affairs to the Hospodar of Wallachia the drama of Hellas is inscribed as ''an imperfect token of the admiration, sympathy, and friendship of the author. Pisa, November 1, 1821»''. The Greek politician

Alexandros Mavrokordatos Alexandros Mavrokordatos ( el, Αλέξανδρος Μαυροκορδάτος; 11 February 179118 August 1865) was a Greece, Greek statesman, diplomat, politician and member of the Mavrocordatos family of Phanariotes. Biography In 1812, Mavroko ...

met Shelley during his stay in Pisa from 1818 to 1821.

Analysis

The drama is written from the point of view of the Ottoman Sultan, and was inspired by

Aeschylus Aeschylus (, ; grc-gre, Αἰσχύλος ; c. 525/524 – c. 456/455 BC) was an ancient Greek tragedian, and is often described as the father of tragedy. Academic knowledge of the genre begins with his work, and understanding of earlier Greek ...

' '' Persae''. The drama focuses on the Sultan, Mahmud, who controls the Turkish attacks on Greece. His sleep is restless and his mind worried by a recurring nightmare. He seeks help from the Wandering Jew, Ahasuerus, whom he believes has magic powers and can interpret his dream. During their conversation, Mahmud sinks more and more into despair as he, in spite of reports of Turkish victories, realizes that he has lost the war. Alternating between the three dialogue parts is a chorus of enslaved Greek women, who furnish the drama with hope and aspirations for freedom's victory. Their participation is not directly connected to the insurrection of Greece, but rather expresses a universalized view of the futility of war. The action is seen from the Turkish point of view, which makes it possible for Shelley to focus both on Turkish defeat, via Mahmud, and Greek victory, through the chorus. The last chorus from the drama contains the much-quoted stanzas: :The world's great age begins anew, ::The golden years return, :The earth doth like a snake renew ::Her winter weeds outworn: :Heaven smiles, and faiths and empires gleam, :Like wrecks of a dissolving dream. :... :Oh, cease! must hate and death return? ::Cease! must men kill and die? :Cease! drain not to its dregs the urn ::Of bitter prophecy. :The world is weary of the past, :Oh, might it die or rest at last!Shelley, P.B. ''Shelley: Poetical Works''. Ed. Thomas Hutchinson. London: Penguin Books, 1991

References

Sources

*McGann, Jerome J. "The Secrets of an Elder Day: Shelley after 'Hellas'." ''Keats-Shelley Journal'', Vol. 15, (Winter, 1966), pp. 25–41. *Løkse, Mariann
''In Defence of Hellas: An Analysis of Shelley's Hellas and Its Reception''
Tromsø, 1994. *Reiman, Donald H., and Michael J. Neth, eds. ''The Hellas Notebook: Vol.16: Bodleian Ms. Shelley Adds. e. 7 : Including False Starts and Canceled Passages for Hellas, Shelley's Research Notes for "Charles the First," and drafts for several lyrics ''. Garland, 1994. *Kipperman, Mark. "History and Ideality: The Politics of Shelley's 'Hellas'." ''Studies in Romanticism'', Vol. 30, No. 2 (Summer, 1991), pp. 147–168. *Ulmer, William A. "'Hellas' and the Historical Uncanny." ELH, Vol. 58, No. 3 (Autumn, 1991), pp. 611–632. *Erkelenz, Michael. "Inspecting the tragedy of empire: Shelley's 'Hellas' and Aeschylus' 'Persians'." ''Philological Quarterly'', Vol. 76, 1997. *Flagg, John Sewell. ''Prometheus Unbound and Hellas: An Approach to Shelley's Lyrical Dramas''. Institut fur Englische Sprache und Literatur, Universiteat, Salzburg, Austria, 1972. *Chaudhary, Mukhtar. "Shelley's Pickings in 'The Triumph of Life' and 'Hellas'." ''Umm Al-Qura University Journal for Languages & Literature'', January, 2009. *Havens, Raymond, D. "'Hellas' and 'Charles the First'." ''Studies in Philology'', Vol. 43, No. 3 (July, 1946), pp. 545–550. *Kooy, Dana Van. "Improvising on the Borders: Hellenism, History, and Tragedy in Shelley's 'Hellas'" in ''Transnational England: home and abroad, 1780-1860'', edited by Monika Class and Terry F. Robinson. Newcastle : Cambridge Scholars, 2009. *Crampton, Daniel Nicholas. "Shelley's Political Optimism: 'The Mask of Anarchy' to ''Hellas''." Ph.D. dissertation, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 1973.

External links

*Løkse, Mariann Cesille
"In defence of Hellas. An analysis of Shelley's Hellas and its reception", 1994.
{{Percy Bysshe Shelley Works about the Greek War of Independence 1822 poems Plays by Percy Bysshe Shelley