“Queen Mab” is an <a data-internal-link data-link-type="Literary Device" href="https://www.supersummary.com/epic/">epic</a> poem with its <a data-internal-link data-link-type="Literary Device" href="https://www.supersummary.com/narrative/">narrative</a> divided into nine books. The poem is <a data-internal-link data-link-type="Literary Device" href="https://www.supersummary.com/blank-verse/">blank verse</a>, which means that it has no <a data-internal-link data-link-type="Literary Device" href="https://www.supersummary.com/rhyme/">rhyme</a> pattern. Its lines are frequently written in iambic pentameter (which means that there are five groups of iambs per line; an <a data-internal-link data-link-type="Literary Device" href="https://www.supersummary.com/iamb-in-literature-definition-examples/">iamb</a> is a grouping of two syllables: one stressed and one unstressed). While the framing narrative of the poem consists of a narrator-speaker describing a sleeping Ianthe in the material world, the middle sections of the poem are largely composed of a dialogue between Queen Mab, the fairy who can see the past, present, and future, and Ianthe’s disembodied spirit. This structure creates a teacher-student relationship between the two characters, and allows Shelley to express his idealistic political and social views through Queen Mab.

Form and Meter

Shelley draws on folklore, religious texts, poetry, and political philosophy. The poem’s main character, Queen Mab, is a figure invented by Shakespeare. In Romeo and Juliet, Mercutio’s <a data-internal-link data-link-type="Literary Device" href="https://www.supersummary.com/monologue-in-literature-definition-examples/">monologue</a> about the ways dreams and fantasies can lead one astray refers to Queen Mab as the midwife of the fairies—the one who helps birth visions.

Allusion

Imagery

Literary Area of Study

British Literature

Values & Ideas

Challenging Authority

Christian Literature

Book Events

Earth Day

Nonfiction

Essays & Speeches

Fiction

Fantasy

Health & Wellness

Health & Medicine

Memorial Day Reads

History: World

Military Reads

Life & Time

Mortality & Death

Mythology

Humanities

Philosophy, Logic, & Ethics

Government & Business

Politics & Government

Power

Religion & Spirituality

Literary Movement

Romanticism / Romantic Period

Poetry

Romantic Poetry

Natural World

Science & Nature

The Future

Society

Percy Bysshe Shelley

Adult

Poem

Guide

Study Guide

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Overview

Get ready to explore Queen Mab and its meaning. Our full analysis and study guide provides an even deeper dive with character analysis and quotes explained to help you discover the complexity and beauty of this book.

Queen Mab Summary and Study Guide

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Background

Queen Mab Background

chapter

chapterType

section

Book Summaries & Analyses

Book I

Queen Mab Book I Summary & Analysis

Book II

Queen Mab Book II Summary & Analysis

Book III

Queen Mab Book III Summary & Analysis

Book IV

Queen Mab Book IV Summary & Analysis

Book V

Queen Mab Book V Summary & Analysis

Book VI

Queen Mab Book VI Summary & Analysis

Book VII

Queen Mab Book VII Summary & Analysis

Book VIII

Queen Mab Book VIII Summary & Analysis

Book IX

Queen Mab Book IX Summary & Analysis

Chapter Summaries & Analyses

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Themes

Queen Mab Themes

Symbols & Motifs

Queen Mab Symbols & Motifs

Literary Devices

Queen Mab Literary Devices

Queen Mab Further Reading & Resources

Queen Mab: A Philosophical Poem

Literary Devices

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