Compare Percy Shelley's main purpose in Alastor to William Wordsworth's in Resolution and Independence - Essay Example

Compare Percy Bysshe Shelley’s main purpose in ‘Alastor’ with that of William Wordsworth’s ‘Resolusion and Independence’ A quest for intimate truths about nature is at the center of Percy Bysshe Shelley’s poem Alastor, first published in 1816. This 720 line long poem has strong allusions to Roman mythology, starting with its title Alastor. The poem is about the adventure in search of truth of a poet, whose actions are inspired by the mythological Alastor’s evil sorcery. The poem narrates the life and adventures of a Poet, who travels far and wide so as to discern unknown “truths in undiscovered lands”.

The Poet encounters various distractions and temptation on his way, including attractive maidens from various lands. He rejects the ‘Arab maiden’ due to imperfections he perceives in her. When a “vieled maid” visits him in his dreams one night, he gets an illumination into the world beyond the merely physical. In this supernatural world human love is regarded highly. The rest of the poem is about the Poet’s perseverance at gaining an understanding of the supernatural through natural experiences.

The metaphor of a free-floating boat is perused to depict the Poet’s journey further into the depths of the natural. The swift currents of the river take him further into the realm of the infinite, where he attains a renewed understanding of man, nature and the supernatural. The poem by William Wordsworth, Resolution and Independence, addresses a different theme compared to that in Alastor. The poem is based on the poet’s encounter with a leech-gatherer upon the beautiful terrain of Barton Fell on a morning after overnight rain.

Less metaphysical than Alastor, Resolution and Independence is about placing the travails of poets in perspective. The early stanzas of the poem allude to poets from the past who perished prematurely, perhaps due to the demands placed on their health by the task of writing poetry. These eminent poets include Robert Burns, Thomas Chatterton, etc. Wordsworth fears if their fate might visit him as well. But his gloomy mood is dispelled by the encounter with the leech-gatherer, who, despite poverty and old age, confronts the challenges of life with courage and perseverance.

This changes the poet’s mood from one of melancholy to one of inspiration. Having thus gathered strength by the leech-gatherer’s example, Wordsworth resumes life with optimism and enthusiasm.