The Cenci - Act I summary -PB Shelly 's tragedy

                                                                         The Cenci

 

The Cenci, a tragedy in five acts (1819) is a verse drama in five acts by Percy Bysshe Shelly.

The play was not cnsidered stageable in its day due to its themes of incest and parricideand was not performed in pubic in England untill 1922, when it was staged in London.

It was included in the Harvard Classics as one of the most important and representative works of the Western Canon.

Context of Plot:

         The horrific tragedy, set in 1599 in Rome , of a young woman executed for pre-medited murder of her tyrannical father, was a well known true story in Italy.

         Documented in the Annali d'Italia a twelve volume chronicle of Italian history written by Ludoivico Antonio Muratori in 1749.

Act I :

     The play opens with Cardinal Camilo discussing with Count Francesco Cenci, a murder in which Cenci is implicated Camilo tells Cenci tha the matter will be hushed up if  Cenci will relinquish a third of his possessions, his property beyond the Pincian gate, to the church.  

     Count Cenci has sent two of his sons.  Rocco and Cristofano to Salamanca, Spain in the expectation that they will die of starvation.  

     The Count's virtuous daughter, Beatrice and Orsino a prelate in love with Beatrice, disscuss petitioning the Pope to relieve the Cenci family from the Count's brutal rule.

     Orsino with holds the petition however revealing himself to be disingenous lustful for Beatrice and greedy.

     After he has the news that his sons have been brutallly killed in Salamanca, the Count holds a feast in celebration of their deaths comma ding his guests to reveal with him.

     Cenci drinks wine which he imagines as " my children's blood" which he "did thirst to drink".

      During the feast, Beatrice pleads with the guests to protect her family from her sadistic father, but the guests refuse, in fear of Cenci's brutality and retribution.

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