Literary Figures:
* William Wordsworth: A major influence on Shelley's early work, Wordsworth's Romanticism emphasized the power of nature, personal experience, and imagination.
* John Keats: Shelley was a close friend and admirer of Keats, sharing a similar sensibility and focus on beauty, love, and mortality.
* Lord Byron: While they were often rivals, Shelley and Byron were also close friends, and Byron's rebellious spirit and passionate verse undoubtedly influenced Shelley's own work.
* Plato: Shelley was deeply interested in Plato's philosophy, particularly his concept of ideal forms and the search for truth and beauty.
* Edmund Burke: Shelley was critical of Burke's conservative views, but he was also influenced by Burke's eloquent prose and his ideas about the role of imagination in politics.
Philosophical Ideas:
* Enlightenment Rationalism: Shelley was influenced by Enlightenment ideas about individual freedom, reason, and progress. However, he also saw the limitations of Enlightenment rationalism, arguing for the importance of imagination and emotion.
* Romanticism: Shelley was a key figure in the Romantic movement, emphasizing the importance of individual experience, intuition, and the power of the imagination.
* Idealism: Shelley's belief in the perfectibility of humanity and the potential for social and political change was deeply rooted in idealism.
Personal Experiences:
* His own life: Shelley's own experiences of love, loss, and rebellion are reflected in his poetry, particularly his early works like "Hymn to Intellectual Beauty" and "Ozymandias."
* His political convictions: Shelley was a passionate advocate for social justice and political reform, and his poetry often reflects his commitment to these ideals.
Other Sources:
* Nature: Shelley was deeply inspired by the beauty and power of nature, which he saw as a source of inspiration and a reflection of the divine.
* Classical literature: Shelley drew on Greek mythology and literature, particularly the works of Homer and Sophocles, to explore themes of love, loss, and the human condition.
Ultimately, Shelley's diverse influences combined to create his unique voice and vision. He was a poet of great passion, imagination, and intellectual depth, who used his art to explore the deepest questions of human existence.