Queen Mab: A Philosophical Poem

Romantic poetry is typically contemptuous of civilization, idealizes nature, and advocates for experiences of the sublime, or being psychologically or emotionally overwhelmed by the external world. Shelley’s work is very much in line with these values; moreover, he was deeply influenced by the philosopher Jean-Jacques Rousseau, a mid-18th century predecessor of Romanticism, and his father-in-law William Godwin, whose ideas he references in his poetry.

The idea of natural law that permeates “Queen Mab” comes directly from Rousseau’s concept of the natural state of man and his rejection of political power as the foundation of society. Shelley adds to Rousseau’s conclusions his ideal of freedom, arguing that what we call civilization is really a kind of enslavement. Like Rousseau, Shelley has an extremely favorable view of nature, strongly embracing the idea of harmony between humans, animals, and other living things—a view that is in direct conflict with the Christian dogma that God gave male humans power over the natural world.

“Queen Mab” provides an alternative eschatology to Christianity—it offers a vision of the final destiny of humanity that does away with the return of Jesus, the Last Judgment, and other apocalyptic myths. For his version of the coming