Note on Realism & Romanticism in “The Moon” by P.B. Shelley

The Moon by P.B. Shelley

The poem “The Moon” by P.B. Shelley is rich in the notes of romanticism as rainbow is rich in colors. Shelley is one of the greatest romantic poets of his time. Tinged in romanticism from beginning to end, the poem is a romantic portrait of the moon with some realistic colors. In the imagination of the poet P.B. Shelley, the moon is ‘a dying lady, thin and pale’ who is in quest of a true lover across the blue domain of the sky. Imagination beyond measure is an inseparable part of romanticism. The weariness of the moon due to her daily monotonous affair of ‘climbing the heaven and gazing at the earth’ expresses her longing for escape that too is a romantic theme. So the poem “The Moon” is, no doubt, romantic to the core. Romanticism and realism have been harmoniously blended in the poetic treatment of the moon.   

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