Shelley’s “Ode to the West Wind” was first published in 1820 in his poetry collection titled Prometheus Unbound, With Other Poems.
📌 Key source details:
Written in 1819 while Shelley was in Florence, Italy.
Published in 1820 as part of the volume that included Prometheus Unbound, “Ode to Liberty,” and other poems.
It is one of Shelley’s most famous odes, influenced by both Romantic ideals and his personal revolutionary spirit.
I. Line by Line Explanation (Stanza-wise)
Canto I
O wild West Wind, thou breath of Autumn's being,
→ Shelley addresses the West Wind directly (apostrophe). It is called “breath of Autumn’s being,” meaning it represents the very spirit of the autumn season.
Thou, from whose unseen presence the leaves dead
→ The wind is invisible but powerful, blowing away dead leaves.
Are driven, like ghosts from an enchanter fleeing,
→ Dead leaves scatter like ghosts fleeing a magician. Simile suggests both fear and inevitability.
Yellow, and black, and pale, and hectic red,
→ The colors of dying autumn leaves are listed, resembling stages of sickness and death.
Pestilence-stricken multitudes: O thou,
→ The leaves are like a diseased crowd—death imagery continues.
Who chariotest to their dark wintry bed
→ The wind carries them like a chariot to their grave (the ground), preparing for winter.
The wingèd seeds, where they lie cold and low,
→ Seeds are buried by the wind, lying dormant in the soil.
Each like a corpse within its grave, until
→ Seeds resemble corpses in graves.
Thine azure sister of the Spring shall blow
→ “Azure sister” = spring wind, bringing life again.
Her clarion o’er the dreaming earth, and fill
→ Spring wind blows a trumpet (“clarion”) awakening the earth.
(Driving sweet buds like flocks to feed in air)
→ New buds are compared to sheep driven to pasture by the spring wind.
With living hues and odours plain and hill:
→ Spring revives nature with colors and fragrances.
Wild Spirit, which art moving everywhere;
→ The wind is wild, omnipresent.
Destroyer and Preserver; hear, oh hear!
→ Paradox: Wind both destroys (dead leaves) and preserves (spreads seeds for new life).
Canto I – The Power of the West Wind on Land
Shelley invokes the West Wind, calling it the “breath of Autumn.”
The wind drives away dead leaves, compared to ghosts fleeing.
Leaves are described in yellow, black, pale, and red, like a “pestilence-stricken multitude.”
The wind carries winged seeds to lie dormant in the soil until spring revives them.
The wind is both destroyer (sweeping away dead leaves) and preserver (spreading seeds).
Key idea: the West Wind as a symbol of natural power, life-death-rebirth cycle.
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Canto II
Thou on whose stream, ’mid the steep sky’s commotion,
→ The wind moves through the turbulent sky.
Loose clouds like earth’s decaying leaves are shed,
→ Clouds are compared to fallen leaves scattered by the wind.
Shook from the tangled boughs of Heaven and Ocean,
→ Clouds are shaken loose like leaves from a tree (sky and sea as cosmic tree).
Angels of rain and lightning: there are spread
→ Clouds are “angels” that bring storm and lightning.
On the blue surface of thine airy surge,
→ They ride the air-waves of the stormy wind.
Like the bright hair uplifted from the head
→ Clouds are compared to hair flying upward.
Of some fierce Maenad, even from the dim verge
→ Maenad = wild female follower of Dionysus. Clouds resemble her flying hair.
Of the horizon to the zenith’s height,
→ The storm stretches from horizon to sky’s peak.
The locks of the approaching storm. Thou dirge
→ “Locks” = hair of storm clouds; “dirge” = funeral song.
Of the dying year, to which this closing night
→ The storm wind sings the funeral song of the dying year (autumn → winter).
Will be the dome of a vast sepulchre,
→ The stormy sky is like a giant tomb.
Vaulted with all thy congregated might
→ The storm-clouds form the arched roof of this tomb.
Of vapours, from whose solid atmosphere
→ Clouds are heavy, solid-looking masses.
Black rain, and fire, and hail will burst: oh hear!
→ The storm releases rain, lightning (fire), and hail.
Canto II – The Power of the West Wind in the Sky
Shelley describes the wind in the clouds and sky.
Clouds are like earth’s decaying leaves, “angels of rain and lightning.”
Clouds are shaken loose, forming stormy, violent skies.
Wind’s action here is mighty and destructive, like a “dirge of the dying year.”
The storm symbolizes death, change, and natural turbulence.
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Canto III
Thou who didst waken from his summer dreams
→ The wind awakens the Mediterranean Sea from calm summer.
The blue Mediterranean, where he lay,
→ Personification: Mediterranean is imagined as sleeping.
Lull’d by the coil of his crystalline streams,
→ Gentle waves lulled the sea like music.
Beside a pumice isle in Baiae’s bay,
→ Refers to Bay of Naples (Italy).
And saw in sleep old palaces and towers
→ Sea dreams of sunken ruins beneath its surface.
Quivering within the wave’s intenser day,
→ Sunlight intensifies beneath water, making ruins shimmer.
All overgrown with azure moss and flowers
→ Ruins are covered with blue sea-plants.
So sweet, the sense faints picturing them! Thou
→ Their beauty is overwhelming.
For whose path the Atlantic’s level powers
→ Wind also stirs the Atlantic Ocean.
Cleaves itself into chasms, while far below
→ Wind makes deep sea chasms.
The sea-blooms and the oozy woods which wear
→ Plants at sea-bottom wave in motion.
The sapless foliage of the ocean, know
→ “Sapless foliage” = lifeless marine plants.
Thy voice, and suddenly grow gray with fear,
→ Even ocean plants tremble at the wind’s power.
And tremble and despoil themselves: O hear!
→ The sea too is shaken by the wind.
Canto III – The Power of the West Wind over the Sea
The wind awakens the Mediterranean Sea from calm summer sleep.
Sea is personified; ruins and submerged palaces shimmer under its power.
The Atlantic Ocean is stirred: waves, seaweed, and marine plants tremble at the wind.
Shows that the wind rules not only land and sky but also water, emphasizing its omnipresence and unstoppable force.
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Canto IV
If I were a dead leaf thou mightest bear;
→ The poet wishes he were a leaf carried by the wind.
If I were a swift cloud to fly with thee;
→ Or a cloud driven by it.
A wave to pant beneath thy power, and share
→ Or a wave moved by the wind.
The impulse of thy strength, only less free
→ He envies the freedom of nature’s elements.
Than thou, O uncontrollable! If even
→ If he could only be free like the wind.
I were as in my boyhood, and could be
→ He recalls his youthful days.
The comrade of thy wanderings over Heaven,
→ In youth he felt free and strong like the wind.
As then, when to outstrip thy skiey speed
→ He used to feel as if he could race the wind.
Scarce seemed a vision; I would ne’er have striven
→ Then, he would not need to beg for power.
As thus with thee in prayer in my sore need.
→ Now, weakened, he prays to the wind for strength.
Oh, lift me as a wave, a leaf, a cloud!
→ Plea to be carried by the wind like natural elements.
I fall upon the thorns of life! I bleed!
→ Life has wounded him deeply.
A heavy weight of hours has chain’d and bow’d
→ Time and suffering have crushed him.
One too like thee: tameless, and swift, and proud.
→ He compares himself to the wind (in spirit), but feels weakened physically.
Canto IV – Shelley’s Personal Plea
Shelley speaks personally, asking the wind to lift him like a leaf, cloud, or wave.
He feels weighed down by life, unable to act freely like the wind.
Arises the theme of human weakness versus nature’s power.
Shelley recalls youthful freedom, seeking the wind’s inspiration and energy to overcome despair.
This canto moves from nature’s description to personal invocation, showing the poet’s desire to be one with the wind.
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Canto V
Make me thy lyre, even as the forest is:
→ He asks the wind to use him as an instrument, like the forest trees.
What if my leaves are falling like its own!
→ His “leaves” = fading thoughts, powers.
The tumult of thy mighty harmonies
→ The wind makes wild music through trees.
Will take from both a deep, autumnal tone,
→ Both poet and forest create autumnal, mournful music.
Sweet though in sadness. Be thou, Spirit fierce,
→ Even sad music can be sweet.
My spirit! Be thou me, impetuous one!
→ He asks the wind to become his spirit.
Drive my dead thoughts over the universe
→ Let the wind scatter his ideas like dead leaves.
Like wither’d leaves to quicken a new birth!
→ His ideas may inspire future generations (new birth).
And, by the incantation of this verse,
→ His poetry is like magic.
Scatter, as from an unextinguish’d hearth
→ His words are like sparks from a fire that never dies.
Ashes and sparks, my words among mankind!
→ His words will ignite people’s minds.
Be through my lips to unawaken’d earth
→ Let him be a mouthpiece for truth.
The trumpet of a prophecy! O Wind,
→ His poetry should be like a trumpet announcing change.
If Winter comes, can Spring be far behind?
→ Famous hopeful ending: even dark times (winter) lead to renewal (spring).
Canto V – Poetry as Prophecy and Hope
Shelley asks the wind to make him its lyre so his words may spread like sparks among mankind.
His dead thoughts (ideas) are compared to withered leaves, hoping they inspire a new birth.
The poem ends with the famous line:
> “If Winter comes, can Spring be far behind?”
Meaning: after destruction or despair, renewal and hope are inevitable.
Shows that poetry can spread change, just as the wind spreads seeds.
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Summary
Shelley invokes the West Wind as both a destroyer (of dead leaves) and preserver (sower of seeds). He describes its power over land, sky, and sea. Then he turns personal, lamenting his weakened state but pleading with the wind to carry his spirit and spread his revolutionary thoughts. The poem ends with a hopeful prophecy: after suffering (winter), rebirth (spring) must come.
Themes
1. Power of Nature – Wind is uncontrollable, both destructive and creative.
2. Death and Rebirth – Autumn → Winter → Spring as cycle of decay and renewal.
3. Human vs. Nature – Poet feels weak but wants nature’s power.
4. Poetry as Prophecy – Shelley sees his words as sparks to inspire revolution.
5. Hope and Renewal – Final line is an eternal symbol of optimism.
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Poetic Devices
Simile: leaves “like ghosts,” clouds “like Maenad’s hair.”
Personification: Mediterranean asleep, seeds as corpses.
Apostrophe: direct address to the wind.
Alliteration: “Wild West Wind.”
Paradox: “Destroyer and Preserver.”
Imagery: vivid natural pictures (leaves, storms, seas).
Symbolism: wind = revolution, inspiration, change.
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Critical Analysis
“Ode to the West Wind” is both a personal lament and a political prophecy. Shelley, a revolutionary Romantic, feels crushed by life but sees poetry as a way to spark renewal in society. The West Wind symbolizes natural power, freedom, and change, while the poet longs to merge with it to spread his message. Its concluding question—“If Winter comes, can Spring be far behind?”—is among the most enduring lines in English poetry, symbolizing hope after despair, revolution after oppression, rebirth after death.
🔰 MCQ AND ANSWER 🔰
** MCQ are in 4 part - Each part contents 25 Question !!
📌 Ode to the West Wind – MCQs (Part 1)
Canto I (Stanza 1–2)
Q1. In the opening line, Shelley addresses the West Wind as the “breath of Autumn’s being.” What does this metaphor suggest?
a) The wind brings destruction only
b) The wind symbolizes the life-force of Autumn
c) The wind is gentle and nurturing
d) The wind signifies winter’s end
Answer: b) The wind symbolizes the life-force of Autumn
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Q2. What does the poet mean by “leaves dead / are driven like ghosts”?
a) The leaves symbolize wandering spirits of death
b) The leaves symbolize harvest crops
c) The leaves represent purity
d) The leaves symbolize eternal youth
Answer: a) The leaves symbolize wandering spirits of death
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Q3. The phrase “pestilence-stricken multitudes” refers to:
a) Birds flying south
b) Fallen autumn leaves
c) Dead soldiers
d) Seeds buried in the earth
Answer: b) Fallen autumn leaves
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Q4. The image of “black rain and fire and hail” is an example of:
a) Simile
b) Personification
c) Imagery of destruction (apocalyptic imagery)
d) Hyperbole
Answer: c) Imagery of destruction (apocalyptic imagery)
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Q5. What does “chariotest to their dark wintry bed” suggest?
a) Leaves are carried to a grave-like resting place
b) The sun is setting
c) Birds are migrating
d) Seeds are germinating
Answer: a) Leaves are carried to a grave-like resting place
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Canto I (Stanza 3–4)
Q6. Shelley calls the West Wind “Destroyer and Preserver.” This paradox means:
a) The wind destroys life but also protects people
b) The wind destroys old forms but preserves new beginnings
c) The wind is harmless but strong
d) The wind only preserves spiritual faith
Answer: b) The wind destroys old forms but preserves new beginnings
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Q7. In “winged seeds, where they lie cold and low,” what do the seeds symbolize?
a) Lost opportunities
b) Future life and regeneration
c) Eternal sleep
d) Fallen heroes
Answer: b) Future life and regeneration
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Q8. “Like a corpse within its grave” is an example of:
a) Personification
b) Simile
c) Apostrophe
d) Alliteration
Answer: b) Simile
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Q9. The “azure sister of the Spring” refers to:
a) The North Wind
b) The gentle breeze of spring
c) The moon
d) The goddess of harvest
Answer: b) The gentle breeze of spring
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Q10. The role of the West Wind in nature is mainly:
a) To end life permanently
b) To cause destruction without renewal
c) To clear away the old and make way for the new
d) To remain passive
Answer: c) To clear away the old and make way for the new
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Canto II (Stanza 1–2)
Q11. Shelley compares the West Wind to which mythological figure?
a) Zeus
b) Enchanter
c) Apollo
d) Bacchus
Answer: b) Enchanter
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Q12. What does Shelley describe as being “loosed from the tangled boughs of Heaven and Ocean”?
a) Birds
b) Clouds
c) Angels
d) Leaves
Answer: b) Clouds
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Q13. The phrase “angels of rain and lightning” is an example of:
a) Allegory
b) Personification
c) Alliteration
d) Simile
Answer: b) Personification
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Q14. “The locks of the approaching storm” compare clouds to:
a) Locks of hair
b) Curtains of night
c) Chains of destiny
d) Doors of heaven
Answer: a) Locks of hair
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Q15. “The hair of some fierce Maenad” is a reference to:
a) Calm priestesses of Artemis
b) Followers of Bacchus, wild and frenzied
c) Soldiers of Zeus
d) Angels of heaven
Answer: b) Followers of Bacchus, wild and frenzied
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Canto II (Stanza 3–5)
Q16. Shelley likens the West Wind’s stormy power to:
a) A funeral procession
b) The funeral song of the dying year
c) A calm spring morning
d) A temple prayer
Answer: b) The funeral song of the dying year
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Q17. Which poetic device is used in “dirge of the dying year”?
a) Metaphor
b) Hyperbole
c) Personification
d) Irony
Answer: a) Metaphor
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Q18. “Vaulted with all thy congregated might” refers to:
a) The church bells
b) The dome of the storm-filled sky
c) The caves of the earth
d) The West Wind’s palace
Answer: b) The dome of the storm-filled sky
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Q19. The “closing night” of stanza II represents:
a) The death of Shelley
b) The end of time
c) The end of the year
d) The apocalypse
Answer: c) The end of the year
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Q20. What season is Shelley describing in Cantos I–II?
a) Summer
b) Winter
c) Spring
d) Autumn
Answer: d) Autumn
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Canto III (Stanza 1–2)
Q21. In Canto III, the West Wind is shown as powerful over:
a) Earth
b) Air
c) Sea
d) Fire
Answer: c) Sea
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Q22. “Thou who didst waken from his summer dreams” refers to:
a) The West Wind awakening the Mediterranean Sea
b) The West Wind waking birds
c) The West Wind waking seeds
d) The West Wind waking volcanoes
Answer: a) The West Wind awakening the Mediterranean Sea
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Q23. “In Baiae’s bay” refers to:
a) An ancient Roman coastal area in Italy
b) A Greek temple site
c) A desert oasis
d) A battlefield
Answer: a) An ancient Roman coastal area in Italy
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Q24. “The oozy woods which wear the sapless foliage of the ocean” refers to:
a) Desert trees
b) Seaweeds under the ocean
c) Dead forests
d) Clouds in the sky
Answer: b) Seaweeds under the ocean
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Q25. “Sapless foliage of the ocean” is an example of:
a) Personification
b) Alliteration
c) Metaphor
d) Simile
Answer: c) Metaphor
📌 Ode to the West Wind – MCQs (Part 2)
Canto III (Stanza 3–5)
Q26. Shelley compares the West Wind’s movement in the ocean to:
a) The sinking of a ship
b) The growth of a forest
c) The pulse of underwater plants swayed by currents
d) The rise of volcanoes
Answer: c) The pulse of underwater plants swayed by currents
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Q27. The phrase “sapless foliage of the ocean” most likely refers to:
a) Green jungles
b) Seaweeds lacking vitality
c) Fallen leaves on land
d) Clouds in the sky
Answer: b) Seaweeds lacking vitality
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Q28. “Caverns of the strife” refers to:
a) Caves of the mountains
b) The hollow ocean depths where storms rage
c) The battlefield of gods
d) Volcanic craters
Answer: b) The hollow ocean depths where storms rage
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Q29. The destructive power of the West Wind over the sea shows its dominance over:
a) Earth and sky
b) Both living and non-living elements of nature
c) Only vegetation
d) Human society
Answer: b) Both living and non-living elements of nature
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Q30. The mention of “Atlantic’s level powers” indicates:
a) Calmness of Atlantic Ocean
b) The stillness before the storm
c) The depth and strength of the ocean controlled by the wind
d) The trade routes of Atlantic
Answer: c) The depth and strength of the ocean controlled by the wind
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Canto IV (Stanza 1–2)
Q31. In Canto IV, Shelley shifts the focus from external nature to:
a) Greek mythology
b) His own personal condition
c) The lives of farmers
d) The life of birds
Answer: b) His own personal condition
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Q32. Shelley wishes to be treated by the wind like:
a) A tree shaken in autumn
b) A wave lifted in the ocean
c) A dead leaf driven away
d) A bird migrating
Answer: c) A dead leaf driven away
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Q33. “I fall upon the thorns of life, I bleed” suggests:
a) Shelley’s joy in nature
b) Shelley’s suffering and despair in life
c) Shelley’s physical illness
d) Shelley’s romantic love pain
Answer: b) Shelley’s suffering and despair in life
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Q34. The simile “A swift cloud to fly with thee” conveys:
a) Shelley’s longing to share the West Wind’s power and speed
b) Shelley’s desire to dissolve in rain
c) Shelley’s weakness
d) Shelley’s connection with divinity
Answer: a) Shelley’s longing to share the West Wind’s power and speed
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Q35. “Lift me as a wave, a leaf, a cloud!” is an example of:
a) Alliteration
b) Anaphora (repetition at beginning of lines)
c) Hyperbole
d) Allegory
Answer: b) Anaphora
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Canto IV (Stanza 3–5)
Q36. Why does Shelley call the West Wind “uncontrollable”?
a) Because humans can’t resist its force
b) Because it rules over heaven, earth, and sea
c) Because it only brings chaos
d) Because it listens to no god
Answer: b) Because it rules over heaven, earth, and sea
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Q37. Shelley’s request “Make me thy lyre” symbolizes:
a) His desire to be destroyed
b) His wish to be an instrument of poetic expression moved by the wind
c) His weakness
d) His love of music
Answer: b) His wish to be an instrument of poetic expression moved by the wind
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Q38. What does Shelley compare the forest to in “The forest is my instrument”?
a) An orchestra
b) A harp
c) A drum
d) A trumpet
Answer: b) A harp
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Q39. “A heavy weight of hours has chained and bowed / One too like thee: tameless, swift, and proud.” Who is described here?
a) The West Wind
b) The poet himself (Shelley)
c) The Mediterranean Sea
d) The Maenads
Answer: b) The poet himself (Shelley)
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Q40. What poetic device is present in “tameless, swift, and proud”?
a) Simile
b) Tricolon (threefold parallelism)
c) Irony
d) Oxymoron
Answer: b) Tricolon
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Deeper Conceptual Questions (Canto IV)
Q41. Shelley’s cry to be lifted like a leaf, wave, or cloud reflects:
a) A desire for destruction
b) His yearning for freedom and inspiration
c) His wish to escape responsibility
d) His longing for immortality
Answer: b) His yearning for freedom and inspiration
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Q42. The imagery of “fall upon the thorns of life” recalls which theme in Romantic poetry?
a) The industrial revolution
b) The burden of human suffering
c) Eternal glory
d) Political freedom
Answer: b) The burden of human suffering
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Q43. “Drive my dead thoughts over the universe” means:
a) Shelley wants his poetry to spread like leaves in the wind
b) Shelley wants to die
c) Shelley rejects his ideas
d) Shelley is addressing politicians
Answer: a) Shelley wants his poetry to spread like leaves in the wind
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Q44. Shelley’s identification with the West Wind shows which Romantic trait?
a) Classical restraint
b) Unity of human spirit with nature
c) Scientific observation
d) Religious devotion
Answer: b) Unity of human spirit with nature
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Q45. Which of the following best describes Shelley’s emotional tone in Canto IV?
a) Joyful and relaxed
b) Humble and pleading
c) Angry and rebellious
d) Calm and neutral
Answer: b) Humble and pleading
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Canto IV (Final Stanzas)
Q46. “The tumult of thy mighty harmonies” refers to:
a) The music of Shelley’s poetry
b) The sound of the storm created by the West Wind
c) The noise of soldiers
d) The whisper of spring breeze
Answer: b) The sound of the storm created by the West Wind
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Q47. By wishing to be made the lyre of the West Wind, Shelley implies:
a) He has lost creativity
b) He wants his poetry to carry the same power as nature
c) He dislikes music
d) He is a musician
Answer: b) He wants his poetry to carry the same power as nature
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Q48. Shelley’s tone when he pleads with the West Wind is best described as:
a) Arrogant
b) Desperate and submissive
c) Playful
d) Detached
Answer: b) Desperate and submissive
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Q49. The “dead thoughts” Shelley mentions are:
a) The ruined nations of Europe
b) His outdated poetic ideas waiting for renewal
c) Human corpses in war
d) Myths of the past
Answer: b) His outdated poetic ideas waiting for renewal
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Q50. Which central Romantic idea is most clearly expressed in Canto IV?
a) The supremacy of religion
b) The fusion of nature’s power with poetic imagination
c) The rejection of art
d) The celebration of monarchy
Answer: b) The fusion of nature’s power with poetic imagination
📌 Ode to the West Wind – MCQs (Part 3, Q51–Q75)
Canto V (Stanza 1–2)
Q51. In Canto V, Shelley asks the West Wind to be:
a) His master
b) His spirit and inspiration
c) His destroyer
d) His silence
Answer: b) His spirit and inspiration
Correction Note: He prays, “Be thou, Spirit fierce, / My spirit!” meaning he wants to unite with its energy.
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Q52. “Drive my dead thoughts over the universe” primarily symbolizes:
a) The spread of Shelley’s revolutionary ideas through poetry
b) Destruction of human civilization
c) Religious salvation
d) The return of spring
Answer: a) The spread of Shelley’s revolutionary ideas through poetry
Correction Note: “Dead thoughts” = stale, stagnant ideas that he wants to be scattered and renewed like leaves.
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Q53. What does “ashes and sparks” refer to?
a) Fire left after a camp
b) Shelley’s old writings and new inspirations
c) Dead bodies in war
d) Stars of heaven
Answer: b) Shelley’s old writings and new inspirations
Correction Note: Sparks = the potential of his poetry to ignite change; ashes = what remains of the past.
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Q54. “Scatter my words among mankind” reveals Shelley’s belief in:
a) The immortality of art and poetry
b) Destruction of literature
c) Personal silence
d) Religious dominance
Answer: a) The immortality of art and poetry
Correction Note: Romantic poets believed poetry carried truth beyond the poet’s life span.
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Q55. “To quicken a new birth” implies Shelley’s desire to:
a) Cause a natural disaster
b) Revive humanity with new hope and freedom
c) Be reborn himself
d) Celebrate spring festivals
Answer: b) Revive humanity with new hope and freedom
Correction Note: This is both political (revolutionary hope) and spiritual (renewal of mankind).
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Canto V (Stanza 3–5)
Q56. The famous line “If Winter comes, can Spring be far behind?” symbolizes:
a) Death and eternal despair
b) Hope that suffering will be followed by renewal
c) A warning about nature’s cycles
d) The end of Shelley’s poetry
Answer: b) Hope that suffering will be followed by renewal
Correction Note: This closing couplet is the essence of the poem: optimism.
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Q57. In the final canto, Shelley uses the metaphor of the West Wind as:
a) A destroyer of kingdoms
b) A trumpet of prophecy
c) A silent teacher
d) A goddess of harvest
Answer: b) A trumpet of prophecy
Correction Note: He wants his poetry to sound like a trumpet announcing change.
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Q58. What poetic device is present in “trumpet of a prophecy”?
a) Hyperbole
b) Metaphor
c) Simile
d) Alliteration
Answer: b) Metaphor
Correction Note: The wind = prophetic voice of revolution and rebirth.
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Q59. What does Shelley want his poetry to achieve?
a) Mere artistic beauty
b) Political and spiritual awakening
c) Eternal silence
d) Fame for himself
Answer: b) Political and spiritual awakening
Correction Note: Shelley saw poetry as a revolutionary force.
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Q60. Which of the following best sums up Canto V?
a) A lament for lost youth
b) A prayer for poetic inspiration and social change
c) A hymn to death
d) A praise of Greek gods
Answer: b) A prayer for poetic inspiration and social change
Correction Note: He moves from despair to hope, blending personal and universal renewal.
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Analytical Questions on Whole Poem
Q61. Which structure does Shelley use in Ode to the West Wind?
a) Ballad with rhyme couplets
b) Terza Rima (interlocking three-line rhyme)
c) Blank verse
d) Heroic couplets
Answer: b) Terza Rima (interlocking three-line rhyme)
Correction Note: ABA BCB CDC DED EE — borrowed from Dante.
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Q62. The ode is divided into how many cantos?
a) 3
b) 4
c) 5
d) 6
Answer: c) 5
Correction Note: Each canto = 14 lines (a sonnet-like unit).
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Q63. The central paradox of the poem is:
a) The West Wind is both gentle and harsh
b) The West Wind is both destroyer and preserver
c) The West Wind is both silence and noise
d) The West Wind is both god and human
Answer: b) The West Wind is both destroyer and preserver
Correction Note: Destruction clears the way for rebirth.
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Q64. What aspect of Shelley’s philosophy is most reflected?
a) Pessimism
b) Atheism
c) Revolutionary optimism and renewal
d) Materialism
Answer: c) Revolutionary optimism and renewal
Correction Note: Despite despair, Shelley ends on hope.
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Q65. The imagery of ghosts, corpses, graves in Canto I conveys:
a) Romantic joy in nature
b) Death and decay preparing for regeneration
c) Human immortality
d) Mythological fantasy
Answer: b) Death and decay preparing for regeneration
Correction Note: Decay is necessary for new life.
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Q66. “Wild Spirit, which art moving everywhere” reflects:
a) Shelley’s atheism
b) Pantheism — belief that spirit pervades nature
c) Industrial revolution
d) Personal grief only
Answer: b) Pantheism — belief that spirit pervades nature
Correction Note: Shelley treats nature as a divine living force.
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Q67. The tone shift from Canto I to Canto V moves from:
a) Hope to despair
b) External description to personal prayer and prophecy
c) Joy to neutrality
d) Humor to tragedy
Answer: b) External description to personal prayer and prophecy
Correction Note: This structural progression mirrors a spiritual journey.
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Q68. The “azure sister of the spring” is an example of:
a) Metaphor for calm spring breeze
b) Mythological allusion to goddess of spring
c) Symbol of heaven
d) Alliteration
Answer: a) Metaphor for calm spring breeze
Correction Note: Personifying seasons.
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Q69. Shelley’s repeated direct address to the wind is an example of:
a) Apostrophe
b) Allegory
c) Simile
d) Irony
Answer: a) Apostrophe
Correction Note: Apostrophe = addressing a non-human power directly.
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Q70. Which Romantic feature is most dominant in this ode?
a) Religious devotion
b) Emphasis on imagination and nature’s power
c) Urban life realism
d) Classical order
Answer: b) Emphasis on imagination and nature’s power
Correction Note: Shelley blends natural imagery with revolutionary spirit.
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Exam-Level Interpretation
Q71. Shelley’s cry “Make me thy lyre” suggests:
a) A loss of individuality to nature
b) Collaboration between poet and nature’s spirit
c) Denial of poetic ability
d) Worship of the wind
Answer: b) Collaboration between poet and nature’s spirit
Correction Note: Poet = instrument, wind = musician.
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Q72. Which of these best describes the mood of the final stanza?
a) Pure despair
b) Triumph and hope for renewal
c) Calm detachment
d) Violent anger
Answer: b) Triumph and hope for renewal
Correction Note: Ending is highly optimistic.
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Q73. Shelley’s political context (post-French Revolution disillusionment) influenced the poem because:
a) He glorifies monarchies
b) He calls for poetic and social revolution
c) He rejects change
d) He ignores politics
Answer: b) He calls for poetic and social revolution
Correction Note: His poetry = revolutionary weapon.
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Q74. The “thorns of life” Shelley mentions may symbolize:
a) Everyday struggles and personal suffering
b) Roses in his garden
c) The crown of thorns of Christ
d) Nature’s cruelty alone
Answer: a) Everyday struggles and personal suffering
Correction Note: Universal metaphor for hardship.
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Q75. Shelley’s hope that his words will spread like the West Wind’s power shows his belief in:
a) The futility of art
b) The transforming power of poetry
c) The immortality of the soul
d) Science replacing art
Answer: b) The transforming power of poetry
Correction Note: Poetry as prophecy and social change tool.
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📌 Ode to the West Wind – MCQs (Part 4, Q76–Q100)
Poetic Devices & Imagery
Q76. “Loose clouds like earth’s decaying leaves are shed” is an example of:
a) Simile
b) Metaphor
c) Apostrophe
d) Paradox
Answer: a) Simile
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Q77. The phrase “Destroyer and Preserver” is an example of:
a) Metaphor
b) Paradox
c) Personification
d) Irony
Answer: b) Paradox
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Q78. Which sound device is present in “Wild West Wind”?
a) Consonance
b) Alliteration
c) Assonance
d) Onomatopoeia
Answer: b) Alliteration
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Q79. “Make me thy lyre” is an example of:
a) Metaphor
b) Simile
c) Hyperbole
d) Irony
Answer: a) Metaphor
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Q80. The recurring “O hear!” in the poem is an example of:
a) Epistrophe
b) Apostrophe
c) Anaphora
d) Refrain
Answer: d) Refrain
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Themes & Symbolism
Q81. The West Wind symbolizes:
a) Only destruction
b) Political revolution, change, and renewal
c) Love and romance
d) Permanence of death
Answer: b) Political revolution, change, and renewal
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Q82. The “winged seeds” lying in the earth symbolize:
a) Fertility of soil
b) Future life waiting for spring
c) Eternal silence
d) Ghostly spirits
Answer: b) Future life waiting for spring
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Q83. The “dirge of the dying year” represents:
a) Celebration of harvest
b) Mourning for the year’s end
c) Shelley’s death
d) The rebirth of gods
Answer: b) Mourning for the year’s end
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Q84. Which element of nature is not directly addressed by the West Wind in the poem?
a) Earth
b) Air
c) Fire
d) Water
Answer: c) Fire
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Q85. The final line “If Winter comes, can Spring be far behind?” conveys:
a) Eternal despair
b) Cyclical hope and renewal
c) Scientific reasoning
d) Mythological prophecy
Answer: b) Cyclical hope and renewal
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Form & Structure
Q86. Each canto of the poem contains:
a) 12 lines
b) 14 lines
c) 16 lines
d) 18 lines
Answer: b) 14 lines
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Q87. The rhyme scheme of Ode to the West Wind follows:
a) ABAB CDCD
b) AABBCC
c) Terza rima (ABA BCB CDC DED EE)
d) Free verse
Answer: c) Terza rima (ABA BCB CDC DED EE)
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Q88. The ode combines the form of:
a) A sonnet and terza rima
b) A ballad and elegy
c) Blank verse and epic
d) Pastoral and satire
Answer: a) A sonnet and terza rima
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Q89. The poem is best categorized as:
a) Romantic elegy
b) Romantic ode
c) Classical satire
d) Pastoral eclogue
Answer: b) Romantic ode
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Q90. How many cantos does the poem contain?
a) 3
b) 4
c) 5
d) 6
Answer: c) 5
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Philosophical & Critical
Q91. Which Romantic belief does Shelley emphasize most?
a) The beauty of urban life
b) The power of nature and imagination
c) The glory of monarchy
d) The importance of science
Answer: b) The power of nature and imagination
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Q92. The poem reflects Shelley’s political hope for:
a) Tyranny to continue
b) Revolution and renewal of society
c) Return to medieval values
d) Industrial dominance
Answer: b) Revolution and renewal of society
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Q93. Shelley’s tone in the poem shifts from:
a) Despair to hope
b) Calm to anger
c) Joy to neutrality
d) Fear to indifference
Answer: a) Despair to hope
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Q94. Which phrase best summarizes Shelley’s role for poetry?
a) A mirror of beauty
b) A trumpet of prophecy
c) A silent meditation
d) A simple song
Answer: b) A trumpet of prophecy
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Q95. What does Shelley want the West Wind to scatter like withered leaves?
a) His wealth
b) His words and thoughts
c) His family
d) His enemies
Answer: b) His words and thoughts
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Exam-Tricky / Close Reading
Q96. “Locks of the approaching storm” refers to:
a) The hair of Maenad
b) The clouds in the sky
c) The thunder
d) The ocean waves
Answer: b) The clouds in the sky
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Q97. Which mythological image does Shelley use to describe the clouds?
a) Harpies
b) Maenads
c) Sirens
d) Centaurs
Answer: b) Maenads
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Q98. In which canto does Shelley speak most personally about his own suffering?
a) Canto I
b) Canto II
c) Canto III
d) Canto IV
Answer: d) Canto IV
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Q99. What literary device is used in “I fall upon the thorns of life, I bleed”?
a) Hyperbole
b) Metaphor
c) Simile
d) Personification
Answer: b) Metaphor
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Q100. The central theme of Ode to the West Wind is:
a) Despair at nature’s cruelty
b) The destructive power of storms
c) Renewal, transformation, and hope through nature’s power
d) A meditation on death alone
Answer: c) Renewal, transformation, and hope through nature’s power
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✅ Full 100 MCQs with answers from Ode to the West Wind Complete 😄 Revise as much you can !!
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