Queen Mab: A Philosophical Poem

Shelley’s utopian vision is just as radical as his earlier condemnation of monarchical rule and organized religion. In the poem’s paradisiacal future, the relationship between humans, the planet, and animal life has been completely transformed. Rather than assuming ownership over the natural world as Christian doctrine commands, future humans live by what Queen Mab describes as the natural law, in harmony with all other living beings. Shelley’s imagery heightens the sense of unity and peace: In the future, nature is filled with music, humans no longer consume animals, animals no longer kill each other, and the planet’s climate extremes become habitable and fertile. The world once more becomes the Garden of Eden from the story of Genesis: Nature no longer poses a threat to humans, but instead provides generously to them without labor. The planet has become so bountiful that no one experiences starvation or scarcity.

Shelley’s utopia ends the cyclical nature of existence that the poem has been describing until now. Humans no longer experience death, Nature no longer goes through stormy convulsions, and decay and rebirth no longer happen. Now that humanity no longer honors the angry God of their religion, every human has a “virtuous mind” (Line 8.204), a transformation of the human spirit that ends fear and terror everywhere. Equality between humans, animals, and nature becomes the foundation for a harmonious, unchanging earth.