What is Shelley's philosophy about life in “Adonais”?

"Adonais" written by Percy Bysshe Shelley is a pastoral elegy poem. The poet on this poem has mourned over the death of John Keats. In the first 37 stanzas of the poem, Shelley talks about the death of Keats and how the nature and human emotions, thoughts and ideas came to see Keats and cried. He also attacks the critics, whom he believed to have caused early death of Keats. In the last eighteen stanzas, he turns to philosophical consolation. In this part, Shelley represents his philosophy about life.

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Shelley was a romantic poet. Romanticists believed in Pantheism. Pantheism is the belief that everything is God, and God is everything. The universe, “Nature” and God are thus interchangeable terms.

Shelley talks about John Milton, the great English poet who composed the epic “Paradise Lost”. Milton suffered a lot in his life and died old, blind and lonely but Shelley believed that even after his death his spirit remains in earth.

Similarly, Shelley said that Keats did not die. He tells the readers not to cry over Keats’ death rather they should be happy that Keats has gone to a place where savage reviewers would not be able to touch him. He now wakes up and sleeps with great people. Keats or Adonais came from that great eternal spirit and would now become one with it.

Shelley further says that Keats’ life in this world was not a life but a sleep; a dream. After his death, Keats or Adonais has woken up from that dream. It is the ordinary people who lead a meaningless life on this earth by fighting meaningless illusions. Keats has gone to a place where there is no jealousy, slander, hate and pain.

Once again Shelley personifies the nature and tells it not to mourn Adonais or Keats’ death. He tells “Young Dawn” to turn all his dew into something glittering and glorious. A great spirit like that of Keats can never die. It is death who has died.

Finally, Shelley declares-

He is made one with Nature. There is heard

His voice in all her music, from the moan

Of thunder to the song of night's sweet bird.

He is a presence to be felt and known

In darkness and in light, from herb and stone,

These lines clearly express Shelley’s pantheistic views. He believes that Keats has now become one with the nature. He has not died. His voice can be heard in all the sounds of natures- thunder’s moan and birds’ music. He has become part of the Spirit of beauty to which he once contributed to during his life on earth.

Many believe that by switching to his philosophy on life and death, Shelley destroyed the unity in Adonais which is true considering structure of the poem but I believe that by giving his own philosophy he made this poem unique. No poet in this world is complete, every poet has their weaknesses and strengths but this weaknesses and strengths made their works more unique and enjoyable to the readers.