Skip to content
Storgy

The Annotated Edition

An Apartment in the Castle by Percy Bysshe Shelley

Summary, meaning, line-by-line analysis & FAQ.

Read aloud in ~5 minOpen reading mode →

This intense moment from Shelley's verse play *The Cenci* depicts Beatrice Cenci as she plots to kill her abusive father, Count Cenci.

Poet
Percy Bysshe Shelley
Core theme
Fear
The PoemFull text

An Apartment in the Castle

Percy Bysshe Shelley

ENTER BEATRICE AND LUCRETIA. LUCRETIA: They are about it now. BEATRICE: Nay, it is done. LUCRETIA: I have not heard him groan. BEATRICE: He will not groan. LUCRETIA: What sound is that? BEATRICE: List! ’tis the tread of feet About his bed. LUCRETIA: My God! If he be now a cold, stiff corpse... BEATRICE: O, fear not _5 What may be done, but what is left undone: The act seals all. [ENTER OLIMPIO AND MARZIO.] Is it accomplished? MARZIO: What? OLIMPIO: Did you not call? BEATRICE: When? OLIMPIO: Now. BEATRICE: I ask if all is over? OLIMPIO: We dare not kill an old and sleeping man; His thin gray hair, his stern and reverend brow, _10 His veined hands crossed on his heaving breast, And the calm innocent sleep in which he lay, Quelled me. Indeed, indeed, I cannot do it. NOTE: _10 reverend]reverent all editions. MARZIO: But I was bolder; for I chid Olimpio, And bade him bear his wrongs to his own grave _15 And leave me the reward. And now my knife Touched the loose wrinkled throat, when the old man Stirred in his sleep, and said, ‘God! hear, O, hear, A father’s curse! What, art Thou not our Father?’ And then he laughed. I knew it was the ghost _20 Of my dead father speaking through his lips, And could not kill him. BEATRICE: Miserable slaves! Where, if ye dare not kill a sleeping man, Found ye the boldness to return to me With such a deed undone? Base palterers! _25 Cowards and traitors! Why, the very conscience Which ye would sell for gold and for revenge Is an equivocation: it sleeps over A thousand daily acts disgracing men; And when a deed where mercy insults Heaven... _30 Why do I talk? [SNATCHING A DAGGER FROM ONE OF THEM, AND RAISING IT.] Hadst thou a tongue to say, ‘She murdered her own father!’—I must do it! But never dream ye shall outlive him long! OLIMPIO: Stop, for God’s sake! MARZIO: I will go back and kill him. OLIMPIO: Give me the weapon, we must do thy will. _35 BEATRICE: Take it! Depart! Return! [EXEUNT OLIMPIO AND MARZIO.] How pale thou art! We do but that which ’twere a deadly crime To leave undone. LUCRETIA: Would it were done! BEATRICE: Even whilst That doubt is passing through your mind, the world Is conscious of a change. Darkness and Hell _40 Have swallowed up the vapour they sent forth To blacken the sweet light of life. My breath Comes, methinks, lighter, and the jellied blood Runs freely through my veins. Hark! [ENTER OLIMPIO AND MARZIO.] He is... OLIMPIO: Dead! MARZIO: We strangled him that there might be no blood; _45 And then we threw his heavy corpse i’ the garden Under the balcony; ‘twill seem it fell. BEATRICE [GIVING THEM A BAG OF COIN]: Here, take this gold, and hasten to your homes. And, Marzio, because thou wast only awed By that which made me tremble, wear thou this! _50 [CLOTHES HIM IN A RICH MANTLE.] It was the mantle which my grandfather Wore in his high prosperity, and men Envied his state: so may they envy thine. Thou wert a weapon in the hand of God To a just use. Live long and thrive! And, mark, _55 If thou hast crimes, repent: this deed is none. [A HORN IS SOUNDED.] LUCRETIA: Hark, ’tis the castle horn: my God! it sounds Like the last trump. BEATRICE: Some tedious guest is coming. LUCRETIA: The drawbridge is let down; there is a tramp Of horses in the court; fly, hide yourselves! _60 [EXEUNT OLIMPIO AND MARZIO.] BEATRICE: Let us retire to counterfeit deep rest; I scarcely need to counterfeit it now: The spirit which doth reign within these limbs Seems strangely undisturbed. I could even sleep Fearless and calm: all ill is surely past. _65 [EXEUNT.] SCENE 4.4:

Public domain

Sourced from Project Gutenberg

Study actions

Take the quizStudy sheet (PDF)

§01Quick summary

What this poem is about

This intense moment from Shelley's verse play *The Cenci* depicts Beatrice Cenci as she plots to kill her abusive father, Count Cenci. Just before the act, two hired assassins hesitate, but Beatrice — filled with anger and determination — pushes them to go through with it. By the end of the scene, Count Cenci lies dead, and rather than feeling guilt, Beatrice experiences an unexpected, almost tangible sense of relief.

§02Themes

Recurring themes

§03Line by line

Stanza by stanza, with notes

  1. LUCRETIA: They are about it now. / BEATRICE: Nay, it is done.

    Editor's note

    The scene begins in the thick of action, with Lucretia and Beatrice caught in a tense silence. Their clipped, overlapping dialogue—each finishing the other's thoughts—creates an atmosphere of barely contained panic. Beatrice's assertion ('Nay, it is done') reveals her effort to view the murder as a done deal, a mental strategy to steady her nerves.

  2. LUCRETIA: I have not heard him groan. / BEATRICE: He will not groan.

    Editor's note

    The exchange maintains its staccato rhythm. Beatrice's flat certainty ("He will not groan") sends a chill down the spine—she's thought this through enough to ensure the method will be silent. The victim's silence takes on a horror of its own.

  3. BEATRICE: O, fear not / What may be done, but what is left undone: / The act seals all.

    Editor's note

    Beatrice reframes fear itself: the real danger lies not in committing the act but in leaving it unfinished. "The act seals all" is a pivotal line in the scene—it presents murder as a necessary legal or moral closure, the only thing capable of ending years of abuse. This line also hints at how Beatrice will rationalize the killing throughout the play.

  4. OLIMPIO: We dare not kill an old and sleeping man; / His thin gray hair, his stern and reverend brow,

    Editor's note

    Olimpio's speech serves as a moral counterbalance to Beatrice's determination. He portrays Count Cenci with a surprisingly gentle touch—gray hair, hands crossed, and a peaceful sleep—and this vivid image of frail old age undermines the resolve of his hired assassin. Shelley intentionally draws the audience into this moment of doubt, even while we are aware of Cenci's actions toward Beatrice.

  5. MARZIO: But I was bolder; for I chid Olimpio, / And bade him bear his wrongs to his own grave

    Editor's note

    Marzio pushes past Olimpio but is halted by something even more bizarre: the sleeping count mumbles a father's curse, and Marzio recognizes the voice of his deceased father within it. This moment blurs the lines between the two men — the abuser and the hired killer — leaving Marzio unable to distinguish between them. It stands out as one of Shelley's most insightful psychological nuances.

  6. BEATRICE: Miserable slaves! / Where, if ye dare not kill a sleeping man,

    Editor's note

    Beatrice erupts. Her rage goes beyond mere impatience — it embodies the fury of someone who has lived through what the men have only fleetingly imagined. She flips their moral scruple on its head: the conscience that prevents them from killing has remained quiet amid "a thousand daily acts disgracing men." She seizes a dagger, making it clear she will take action alone if necessary. This moment marks the emotional climax of the scene.

  7. BEATRICE: Even whilst / That doubt is passing through your mind, the world / Is conscious of a change.

    Editor's note

    After the killers leave to finish their task, Beatrice talks to Lucretia in a way that feels almost prophetic. She describes the world changing — darkness being pulled back into hell, her own blood flowing freely. The language blends the physical and the cosmic. Shelley gives Beatrice a form of ecstatic relief that is profoundly unclear: is this the tranquility of justice, or the dullness of someone who has crossed a line they can't return from?

  8. BEATRICE [GIVING THEM A BAG OF COIN]: Here, take this gold, and hasten to your homes.

    Editor's note

    The act of paying the killers brings the scene back to a stark reality after Beatrice's inspiring speech. However, Shelley introduces a notable gesture: she hands Marzio her grandfather's mantle, the clothing of a man who was envied for his success. It's an unusual gift — both a reward and a symbolic transfer of status — and her last words to him, "This deed is none," declare that the murder isn't a crime, but rather a righteous act.

  9. LUCRETIA: Hark, 'tis the castle horn: my God! it sounds / Like the last trump.

    Editor's note

    The horn announcing a visitor hits Lucretia like a thunderclap. Her comparison to the last trump — the trumpet of Judgment Day — suggests that the world of consequences is already tightening around her. The murder is complete, but the reckoning is just starting.

  10. BEATRICE: Let us retire to counterfeit deep rest; / I scarcely need to counterfeit it now:

    Editor's note

    The scene ends with Beatrice's most haunting line. She intended to pretend to sleep as an alibi, but discovers she hardly needs to act — she truly feels at ease. Shelley leaves the audience pondering rather than providing a conclusion: is this the tranquility of someone who has done what was necessary and just, or the unsettling calm of someone who has turned off their own conscience?

§04Tone & mood

How this poem feels

The tone remains tight, urgent, and filled with moral weight. Shelley uses compressed, dramatic language — quick exchanges that buzz with tension — before shifting to longer, more lyrical speeches as Beatrice takes charge. Her voice carries a chilling clarity that feels uncomfortable against the backdrop of the unfolding horror. The scene prevents any easy feelings of sympathy or straightforward condemnation.

§05Symbols & metaphors

Symbols & metaphors

The sleeping old man
Count Cenci asleep serves as the scene's key moral image. His vulnerability while sleeping — with gray hair, crossed hands, and an innocent expression — is what unsettles the killers. Shelley employs this moment to compel the audience to grapple with two conflicting truths: this man is utterly helpless at this moment, and he has committed horrific acts.
The dagger
When Beatrice grabs the dagger from one of the hired men, it symbolizes her reclaiming agency. Throughout the play, she has been a victim, but this moment marks her refusal to accept that role. It also shows that she is ready to take full moral responsibility for her actions.
The grandfather's mantle
The rich mantle Beatrice gives Marzio carries deep significance. It symbolizes inherited status and wealth, yet it also serves as a reminder of a family history marred by the very abuse she is working to end. Putting it on a hired killer could either be a true gesture of honor or an indication that the Cenci legacy of violence merely shifts from one person to another.
The castle horn
The horn that sounds after the murder is heard by Lucretia as the final trump — a call for divine judgment. It signals the moment when the world of consequences emerges, transforming the private act of killing into something that will be witnessed, examined, and evaluated.
Darkness and Hell swallowed up
Beatrice's vision of darkness and hell pulling back into themselves portrays the murder as a cosmic correction instead of just a crime. In her eyes, Cenci represented the evil that tainted the world, and his death brings back a sense of natural order. Shelley presents this idea with empathy, while still allowing room for doubt about its truth.

§06Form & structure

Form & structure

Meter
blank verse

§07Historical context

Historical context

Shelley wrote *The Cenci* in 1819, inspired by the true story of Beatrice Cenci, a Roman noblewoman who was executed in 1599 for murdering her father, Francesco Cenci, after suffering years of abuse at his hands. The case gained notoriety throughout Europe, and a portrait thought to be of Beatrice—one that Shelley saw in Rome—profoundly affected him. Although he envisioned the play for the stage, he was aware it would be banned in England because of its themes (patricide and implied incest). This scene, Act 4 Scene 3, is the turning point of the entire drama: the moment when the plan comes to fruition. Shelley was living in Italy during a time of significant political and personal turmoil, and the play's exploration of tyranny, justice, and power corruption mirrors his broader radical views. *The Cenci* is often regarded as his greatest dramatic work.

§08FAQ

Questions readers ask

Is this a poem or a play?

It’s a scene from The Cenci, a verse drama—a play composed entirely in verse. Shelley intended it for stage performance, but it wasn’t produced in England while he was alive because of censorship. The language is poetic, while the structure includes theatrical elements like stage directions, dialogue, and entrances and exits.

Who is Count Cenci and why is he being killed?

Count Cenci is Beatrice's father, a wealthy and influential nobleman in Rome who has mistreated his family for years. The play suggests he has sexually abused Beatrice. Her decision to murder him is a desperate act of self-preservation and revenge after all her other attempts — appealing to the Pope and trying to escape — have failed.

Why do the hired killers hesitate?

Olimpio pauses at the sight of the sleeping man — old, gray-haired, hands resting on his chest, appearing innocent. Marzio pushes on but comes to a stop when Cenci murmurs a father's curse in his sleep, and Marzio recognizes his own deceased father's voice in it. Both men realize that the concept of killing is simpler than the actual act itself.

Is Beatrice meant to be a hero or a villain?

Shelley intentionally avoids giving a straightforward answer to that question. In the preface to the play, he explains that he aimed to portray Beatrice as neither entirely sympathetic nor purely monstrous. She endures real and horrific injustices, making her determination relatable. Yet, her chilling anger, the way she manipulates her killers, and her unsettling calmness at the end create a sense of discomfort. The play challenges you to embrace both aspects simultaneously.

What does Beatrice mean when she says 'The act seals all'?

She means that once the murder is done, it eliminates all other options and outcomes. It's a way for her — and Lucretia — to tell themselves to stop doubting their decisions. However, this line lingers throughout the play, as the act doesn’t close everything off; it actually starts the investigation that will result in Beatrice's own execution.

Why does Beatrice give Marzio her grandfather's mantle?

It serves as a reward and a symbolic gesture. The mantle signifies the wealth and status of the Cenci family. By giving it to Marzio — the man who committed the murder — Beatrice honors him as a tool of justice. She also conveys to him, 'This deed is none,' indicating that she doesn’t view the murder as a crime at all.

What is the significance of the castle horn at the end?

The horn signals the arrival of visitors — in the broader context of the play, this marks the start of the investigation into Cenci's death. Lucretia likens it to the last trump, the trumpet of Judgment Day, which perfectly conveys the sentiment: the private act has ended, and now the world is here to pass judgment on it.

Is the real Beatrice Cenci story true?

Yes. Beatrice Cenci was indeed a real person, executed in Rome in 1599 alongside her stepmother and brother for the murder of her father. Her case became well-known throughout Europe for centuries. There's ongoing debate about whether the abuse Shelley describes actually happened, but it was popularly believed back then and plays a key role in how the case was interpreted and recounted.

Citation

Cite this poem

MLA

Shelley, Percy Bysshe. "An Apartment in the Castle." Storgy, https://storgy.com/poems/an-apartment-in-the-castle-percy-bysshe-shelley/.

APA

Shelley, P. B. (n.d.). An apartment in the castle. Storgy. https://storgy.com/poems/an-apartment-in-the-castle-percy-bysshe-shelley/

TeacherAP Lit Q1 scaffold — preview

Row A — Thesis

1 pt

In this scene from Shelley's verse drama *The Cenci*, Beatrice orchestrates her father's murder not as an act of criminal passion but as an act of cosmic reckoning. Shelley uses the collision between Beatrice's visionary rhetoric and the …

  • Row B — Evidence + Commentary4 pts
  • Row C — Sophistication1 pt
  • Common student errors
Unlock the full scaffold

Available on any Storgy plan — model paragraphs, band callouts, and common student errors for every poem.

The study desk

Teaching materials and reference tools prepared for this poem.

InteractiveSelf-test

Take the quiz on this poem

Test your reading directly on the page — instant scoring, no signup, no printing.

ReferenceMLA · APA · Chicago

Cite this poem

A properly formatted citation for your essay or bibliography, typeset by deterministic rules — no AI involved.

Adjacent texts in the archive

More by Percy Bysshe Shelley

Browse all Percy Bysshe Shelley poems →

Themes in this poem

Poems about FearPoems about IdentityPoems about JusticePoems about Sorrow

Compared with

Compare this poem with any other →

Poetry tools

Analyze another poem →Rate your own poem →Check rhyme & meter →