Who said “Tragedy delights by affording a shadow of the pleasure which exists in pain.”?

Verified

Percy Bysshe Shelley. A published source records them saying or writing it.

SourceA Defence of Poetry (1821)

Evidence: Wikiquote · How we check

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Cite this quote

For academic work, cite the original where you can: A Defence of Poetry (1821).

APA

Shelley, P. B. (n.d.). Tragedy delights by affording a shadow of the pleasure which exists in pain. [Quotation]. Famous Quotations Network. Retrieved October 24, 2026, from https://www.famous-quotations.com/quotes/28865-tragedy-delights-by-affording-a-shadow-of-the/

MLA

Shelley, Percy Bysshe. “Tragedy delights by affording a shadow of the pleasure which exists in pain.” Famous Quotations Network, https://www.famous-quotations.com/quotes/28865-tragedy-delights-by-affording-a-shadow-of-the/. Accessed 24 Oct. 2026.

Chicago

Shelley, Percy Bysshe. “Tragedy delights by affording a shadow of the pleasure which exists in pain.” Famous Quotations Network. Accessed October 24, 2026. https://www.famous-quotations.com/quotes/28865-tragedy-delights-by-affording-a-shadow-of-the/.