'Breaking Bad': Is a Shelley reference a hint about future plot developments?
With 鈥�Breaking Bad,鈥� his wildly successful cable TV series about Walter White, a dying high school teacher who begins selling crystal meth to build a family nest egg, producer Vince Gilligan has been giving some poetry classics a heightened profile in the popular culture.
Gilligan鈥檚 affection for Walt Whitman鈥檚 鈥淟eaves of Grass鈥� was the subject of an earlier 鈥淐hapter and Verse鈥� post here.
The 19th-century bard鈥檚 masterwork figured into a major plot development when Walter鈥檚 brother-in-law Hank, played by Dean Norris, realized that Walt鈥檚 copy of 鈥淟eaves of Grass鈥澛� was evidence of Walt鈥檚 crimes.聽聽聽
Now, with Sunday鈥檚 upcoming 鈥淏reaking Bad,鈥� episode, titled 鈥淥zymandias,鈥� Gilligan has given the nod to another great poet, Percy Bysshe Shelley.
Sunday鈥檚 episode takes its name from one of the most famous poems by Shelley, the celebrated English poet who lived between 1792-1822.
In 鈥淥zymandias,鈥� a desert adventurer recalls coming across a deteriorated and long-neglected statue of a once-great ruler named Ozymandias. The statue bears a chilling message relayed in the poem鈥檚 last stanza:
鈥淢y name is Ozymandias, King of Kings
Look on my Works, ye Mighty, and despair!
Nothing beside remains. Round the decay
Of that colossal Wreck, boundless and bare
The lone and level sands stretch far away."
You can read the full poem and some biographical information about Shelley .
Shelley鈥檚 poem is widely revered as a compelling reflection on the fleeting nature of power and glory. The poem got renewed attention after the 2003 invasion of Iraq that ousted Saddam Hussein from power, which prompted the tearing down of Saddam鈥檚 huge statue in Firdos Square. Video footage of the incident inspired lots of comparisons between Saddam and Shelley鈥檚 fictional Ozymandias.
In naming Sunday鈥檚 episode of 鈥淏reaking Bad鈥� after Shelley鈥檚 doomed ruler, Gilligan has hinted that Walt, too, is going to continue to see his empire collapse before his eyes.
Although Gilligan has been tight-lipped about crucial plot developments for the final episodes of the show, fans of the series can watch this featuring Bryan Cranston, who plays Walt, performing a dramatic reading of Shelley鈥檚 poem.
What would Shelley think of his hipster status as a creative element in 鈥淏reaking Bad鈥�?
We can only speculate, although Shelley, described by 鈥淭he Norton Anthology of English Literature鈥� as 鈥渁 radical conformist in every aspect of his life and thought,鈥� might have gotten a kick out of keeping company with Walter White.
Danny Heitman, a columnist for The Advocate newspaper, is the author of 鈥淎 Summer of Birds: John James Audubon at Oakley House.鈥�
