The Cloud and the Romantic Theme of Divinity in Nature by Percy Bysshe ShelleyPercy Bysshe Shelley was born in 1792, the eldest of seven children. Shelley was very hostile to organized religion, declaring that religion must perish. Furthermore, Shelley read a lot, including the Bible, and therefore knew his opponents. “The Cloud,” written in 1820, is a short poem written in abcb rhyme scheme (in contrast to the heroic couplets of previous generations), but this feature is the least of its norm-breaking properties. In “The Cloud,” Shelley expresses the romantic theme of man finding divinity in nature. In the first stanza, Shelley reveals the divinity of the cloud by expressing the multiple functions of the cloud. In the same way that the Christian God has multiple functions as Creator, Redeemer, and Comforter, the cloud has many functions. First, Shelley portrays the cloud as a gardener. Bring water to thirsty flowers. This is a photo of a nurse. Secondly, Shelley personifies leaves as children of Mother Nature. The cloud brings shade to the leaves taking an afternoon nap. Furthermore, Shelley personifies sprouts as children of Mother Nature. Every night Mother Nature cradles the buds so that they rest at her breast, a symbol of nourishment. Furthermore, Shelley attributes human characteristics to Mother Nature by saying that she dances around the moon. This is simply Shelley's symbolism for the rotation of the Earth. Furthermore, the wind throws hail as a sign of judgment. He then demonstrates his power over hail by melting it into rain. Finally, Shelley gives the cloud the ability to laugh like a human. The cloud's laughter is its thunder. This is the laughter of an arrogant and boastful deity as he displays his power. Shelley believes that nature is more of a being...... middle of paper......ase after an immortal Spirit. This is a highly figurative expression of science with a double meaning. Furthermore, Shelley continues to describe the cloud in terms of bird imagery. Like a bird, the cloud flies in the wind. Furthermore, the cloud proudly exclaims its divinity. He does this by deducing that he is not mortal. In this same stanza Shelley offers an intense reflection on the activity of the cloud during the night. Then Shelley shows a luminous representation of nature alluding to biblical images. The devout Anglican would easily pick up on this reflection and recount the similarity in his head. Finally, the last stanza shows the life cycle of a cloud. Shelley does this by describing the cycle of precipitation in poetic language. Works Cited: MacEachen, Dougald. Cliffs Notes on Keats and Shelley. Lincoln, Nebraska: Cliffs Notes Incorporated, 1996.