The Mask of Anarchy - Percy Bysshe Shelley
A Rallying Cry Against Oppression and for Nonviolent Resistance
Excerpt from “The Mask of Anarchy”
Written on the Occasion of the Massacre at Manchester
I
As I lay asleep in Italy
There came a voice from over the Sea,
And with great power it forth led me
To walk in the visions of Poesy.
II
I met Murder on the way—
He had a mask like Castlereagh—
Very smooth he looked, yet grim;
Seven bloodhounds followed him.
III
All were fat; and well they might
Be in admirable plight,
For one by one, and two by two,
He tossed them human hearts to chew
[Shelley proceeds to depict figures symbolizing oppression, such as Fraud, Hypocrisy, and Anarchy, each wearing a “mask.” The poem’s later stanzas appeal to the people’s moral force and the power of nonviolent resistance. It concludes with an uplifting call for justice, urging the oppressed to “Rise, like lions after slumber.” Due to length, only selected portions are shown; consult a public domain text for the full poem of 91 stanzas.]
Percy Bysshe Shelley wrote “The Mask of Anarchy” (also spelled “The Masque of Anarchy”) in 1819 in direct response to the infamous Peterloo Massacre in Manchester, where peaceful pro-democracy demonstrators were attacked by armed cavalry. The poem’s title references the “mask” worn by figures representing political power gone awry—Murder, Fraud, Hypocrisy, and Anarchy—thus symbolizing oppressive and corrupt leadership.
In dramatic, allegorical form, Shelley exposes how tyranny cloaks itself in respectable appearances while committing violent acts against the populace. Early stanzas personify the political villains, painting them as grotesque caricatures. By showing their inhumanity, Shelley calls attention to how rulers can enforce policies that maintain privilege at the cost of citizens’ well-being.
Yet the poem’s lasting significance arises in its final sections. Rather than advocate violent revolt, Shelley urges the people to stand firm in nonviolent protest. By appealing to readers’ moral conscience, he posits that virtue, unity, and peaceful resistance can topple the worst oppressions. The poem’s famous rallying lines—“Rise, like lions after slumber… Ye are many—they are few”—have become watchwords for social and political movements, demonstrating how mass, peaceful perseverance can overcome despotic power.
“The Mask of Anarchy” thus foreshadows many modern theories of civil disobedience, decades before figures such as Mahatma Gandhi and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. elaborated similar principles. Shelley’s searing imagery and resolute faith in humanity’s capacity for justice make the poem an enduring emblem of protest literature. It stands not only as a condemnation of state-sponsored violence at Peterloo but as a timeless affirmation that determined, collective nonviolence can expose “anarchy” behind the masks of corrupt rulers and pave the way for social progress.
Key points
• Written in response to the 1819 Peterloo Massacre, condemning violence against peaceful demonstrators.
• Personifies oppressive forces (Murder, Fraud, Hypocrisy) wearing ‘masks’ as symbols of corrupt power.
• Advocates nonviolent resistance, appealing to moral power and collective unity.
• Famous rallying cry: “Rise, like lions after slumber…Ye are many—they are few.”
• Influential in shaping modern ideas of civil disobedience and protest.