Attitudes toward Nature as Expressed by Wordsworth and Shelley

In "Tintern Abbey", Wordsworth is also speaking to his sister Dorothy instead of to the landscape. Shelley, however, focuses on a "dizzy ravine" whose grandeur puts him in a trance, not at all a comforting force, but a force not to be reckoned with. The setting of each poem has to do a great deal with each poet's opinion of the relationship of nature to the human world. depicted in Shelley's poem is much more untamed and cruel than in Wordsworth's. While appreciating nature's aesthetic majesty, Shelley warns man not to equate beauty with tranquility. 122-123) He shows nature to be a gentle, nurturing force that teaches and soothes humanity. He warns the human world not to take beauty as serenity or placidity, but to respect the power that nature holds. On the other hand "Plots of cottage ground" (ll. He says this was similar to how he reacted to the natural setting around him in his adolescence, though at this stage in his life Wordsworth seems to experience a more emotional response filled with passion and "aching joys". 12-15)

In "Mont Blanc", Shelley portrays nature as a mighty and powerful entity that feels utter indifference for man.

The attitudes toward nature and its relationship to the human world expressed by both Wordsworth and Shelley are both complementary and contrasting. Shelley views it as something to be seen and appreciated but not to be fooled with.