This line describes a profound state of suffering that feels unending and beyond the reach of hope. It means experiencing a depth of pain and despair so vast that even the most optimistic thoughts cannot conceive of its conclusion, reflecting deep, seemingly boundless agony.
Quote by Percy Bysshe Shelley: “To suffer woes which hope thinks infinite.”
To suffer woes which hope thinks infinite.
Insight
Historical Context
From "Prometheus Unbound", a lyrical drama published in 1820, this line captures the epic suffering of the titan Prometheus. Shelley, a political radical, often explored themes of tyranny, suffering, and the eventual triumph of freedom and love.
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English Romantic poet and radical political thinker whose major works include Prometheus Unbound, Adonais, and Ozymandias. He was expelled from Oxford for atheism and spent much of his adult life in exile from England, dying by drowning in Italy at age twenty-nine.
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