Queen Mab: A Philosophical Poem

This section explores themes of time, death, and the immortality of the soul. Although “Time was the king of earth” (Line 34), in the paradisal future Queen Mab predicts, time will no longer cause decay. The poem returns to the imagery with which it began: Once more, we see the ruins of temples, pyramids, and palaces, but instead of being records of human cruelty, they erode into play spaces. Here too, time ceases to have meaning—after the ruins degrade to their most basic elements, no new structures will be built to replace them. The most significant effect of defeating time is immortality: In Shelley’s vision, people will live forever happily. Knowing that this is the end-point of human progress, Queen Mab tells Ianthe’s spirit not to fear death, which is just a “voyage of a darksome hour / The transient gulf-dream of a startling sleep” (Line 9.175-76). Physical death will not destroy Ianthe’s spirit, and virtue will strengthen her bravery.

The cycle of birth, life, and death—the “wheel of being” (Line 9.152) whose spokes turn driving life forward—as humanity reaches universal perfection. The spinning wheel is a metaphor for gradual progress—something Queen Mab argues is preferable to sudden revolution. The radical change Shelley advocates should occur slowly as people use reason to understand natural law and create a society in accordance with it. Ianthe’s soul returns to her body, and the poem ends as it began with the scene of Henry admiring his sleeping beloved. However, Ianthe now carries the knowledge of the future that Queen Mab shared—a vision Queen Mab hopes will inspire Ianthe to pursue Shelley’s idea of virtue. The completion of a cycle concludes the dream-vision of utopia.