In many of his poems, Percy Bysshe Shelley celebrates mutability and takes comfort in the fact that change is inevitable. In "Mutability" , Shelley suggests that constant change is positive because it means that no discomfort can last too long. Although one cannot be certain of most things, one can count on the inevitability of change and hope. that change will bring good. Shelley is reassured by the fact that change is inevitable, because it ensures that tyrants cannot retain their power forever No matter how horrible they are – all tyrants eventually fall in. the annals of history However, although Shelley seems to accept that change is inevitable, he rejects those who change their opinions. In "To Wordsworth", Shelley suggests that because Wordsworth changes his character and values, he ceases. to exist, even though Shelley claims to know that change is inevitable when it occurs. to change his beliefs or opinions, he considers that this person no longer exists. Additionally, although Shelley feels comforted by change, he is not ready to actively create it. In “The Mask of Anarchy,” Shelley advocates passive resistance, essentially telling the people to allow themselves to be trampled by tyrants. However, this approach seems far too passive to actually generate change. Even though Shelley seems to celebrate mutability, many of his works suggest that he is not willing to actively create change and that he rejects change when it comes to opinions and beliefs. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an original essay In “Mutability,” Shelley celebrates the inevitability of change. The poem's first two similes align change with the wind, comparing human existence to clouds and lyres, both at the mercy of the mind. Wind is unpredictable and uncontrollable, but also inevitable. The speaker discusses the various changes in the clouds' existence, as at one point they "speed, shine, and quiver, / streaking the darkness radiantly!" — yet soon/The night ends, and they are lost forever” (Shelley 2-4). The clouds are controlled by the wind, which itself is uncontrollable, and inevitably they are blown away. Likewise, the “forgotten lyres”, or harps which are no longer played, are left to the control of the wind (5). The changes are always constant, whether it's removing clouds or streaking the sky, playing pleasant or not pleasant melodies. Just as you cannot stop or control the wind, you cannot stop or control change. Furthermore, the lyres “give diverse responses to each variable explosion” (6) and to this “fragile framework, no second movement brings/A mood or modulation like the previous one” (7-8). Every gust of wind creates something new, just as every change will bring something different. The speaker encourages everyone to “accept misfortune or to get rid of [one’s] worries,” because “it’s the same thing!” — For whether it be joy or sorrow,/The path of his departure is still free” (12-14). The speaker argues that, whether good or bad, all of this will inevitably pass, and so one must accept change as it comes. The speaker takes comfort in mutability and the fact that nothing lasts forever. There is comfort in the constancy of change, for “man’s yesterday will perhaps never be like his tomorrow; Nothing can last except mutability” (15-16). There is much hope and comfort in the factthat you only have to endure something for a while before change inevitably occurs. Mutability is very important to Shelley; it gives him hope that change will come and that nothing can stay this bad for too long. Clearly, Shelley not only recognizes the inevitability of change, but also celebrates and takes comfort in it. Ironically, even though Shelley knows that change is inevitable, he completely rejects Wordsworth's change in character. "To Wordsworth" not only laments change, but suggests that Wordsworth ceases to exist because of his change. Shelley suggests that change is celebrated, but is opposed to changes in character, emphasizing his belief that it is important to remain true to oneself. However, Shelley mourns Wordsworth as if he “should cease to exist,” essentially rejecting change instead of simply lamenting it (14). While Shelley is "very disappointed" by William Wordsworth's "increasing political and religious conservatism" (92 note 1), claiming that he is dead while still alive rejects the change in Wordsworth's beliefs. It is ironic that Shelley knows that change is inevitable, but feels that he has been left "to mourn/Thus having been," rejecting Wordsworth's altered and still living version (13-14). While earlier Shelley encourages people to embrace change, good or bad, "To Wordsworth" presents a contradictory message that rejecting changes and proclaiming someone dead when they are not is also a way acceptable to face change. Shelley takes comfort in mutability because it gives her hope that things can and will change. Shelley's political stance was anti-monarchical, proclaiming himself a democrat. King George III reigned for Shelley's entire lifetime and at the time had the country's longest reign in history. The political climate of the time inspired many of Shelley's poems, and his hope for ending tyranny was the inevitability of change. A popular example is "Ozymandias", which is the Greek name of Ramesses II, pharaoh of Egypt during the Exodus. Pharaoh's totalitarian reign can be compared to that of King George III, as the speaker notes that "passions are read...and yet survive" (6-7). On the sculpture of Ramesses there is an inscription that reads: “My name is Ozymandias, King of kings,/Look upon my works, ye mighty, and despair!” » (10-11). The speaker mocks Ozymandias by juxtaposing this inscription with reality: “There is nothing else left. Around the decay of this colossal wreck, boundless and bare, the solitary and level sands stretch far away” (12-14). The sands of time have literally erased the work of Ramses II, whatever his greatness and power in his time. Shelley reiterates the impermanence of power in “the England of 1918,” which speaks more clearly to its current political situation. The speaker expresses his displeasure with the “mad, blind, despised, dying old king” (1) and the current situation of a “people starving and stabbed in the unplowed fields” (7). The speaker looks to time and hopes that “a glorious Ghost may burst forth to brighten our tumultuous day” (13-14). The fact that things will inevitably change, no matter how long or great they were in their time, is comforting to Shelley. Mutability consoles his frustration with the tyranny of his time. However, although Shelley takes comfort in mutability, he is unwilling to actively generate it. In “The Mask of Anarchy,” Shelley advocates passive resistance against oppressors: “Let the horsemen's scimitars turn and shine, like sphereless stars, thirsting..