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AN APARTMENT IN THE CENCI PALACE. by Percy Bysshe Shelley

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This is the opening scene of Shelley's verse drama *The Cenci*, where we meet Count Cenci, a ruthless Roman nobleman who has just bribed the Pope to hide a murder.

Poet
Percy Bysshe Shelley
Themes
betrayal, fear, identity
The PoemFull text

AN APARTMENT IN THE CENCI PALACE.

Percy Bysshe Shelley

ENTER COUNT CENCI AND CARDINAL CAMILLO. CAMILLO: That matter of the murder is hushed up If you consent to yield his Holiness Your fief that lies beyond the Pincian gate.— It needed all my interest in the conclave To bend him to this point; he said that you _5 Bought perilous impunity with your gold; That crimes like yours if once or twice compounded Enriched the Church, and respited from hell An erring soul which might repent and live: — But that the glory and the interest _10 Of the high throne he fills, little consist With making it a daily mart of guilt As manifold and hideous as the deeds Which you scarce hide from men’s revolted eyes. CENCI: The third of my possessions—let it go! _15 Ay, I once heard the nephew of the Pope Had sent his architect to view the ground, Meaning to build a villa on my vines The next time I compounded with his uncle: I little thought he should outwit me so! _20 Henceforth no witness—not the lamp—shall see That which the vassal threatened to divulge Whose throat is choked with dust for his reward. The deed he saw could not have rated higher Than his most worthless life:—it angers me! _25 Respited me from Hell! So may the Devil Respite their souls from Heaven! No doubt Pope Clement, And his most charitable nephews, pray That the Apostle Peter and the Saints Will grant for their sake that I long enjoy _30 Strength, wealth, and pride, and lust, and length of days Wherein to act the deeds which are the stewards Of their revenue.—But much yet remains To which they show no title. CAMILLO: Oh, Count Cenci! So much that thou mightst honourably live _35 And reconcile thyself with thine own heart And with thy God, and with the offended world. How hideously look deeds of lust and blood Through those snow white and venerable hairs!— Your children should be sitting round you now, _40 But that you fear to read upon their looks The shame and misery you have written there. Where is your wife? Where is your gentle daughter? Methinks her sweet looks, which make all things else Beauteous and glad, might kill the fiend within you. _45 Why is she barred from all society But her own strange and uncomplaining wrongs? Talk with me, Count,—you know I mean you well. I stood beside your dark and fiery youth Watching its bold and bad career, as men _50 Watch meteors, but it vanished not—I marked Your desperate and remorseless manhood; now Do I behold you in dishonoured age Charged with a thousand unrepented crimes. Yet I have ever hoped you would amend, _55 And in that hope have saved your life three times. CENCI: For which Aldobrandino owes you now My fief beyond the Pincian.—Cardinal, One thing, I pray you, recollect henceforth, And so we shall converse with less restraint. _60 A man you knew spoke of my wife and daughter— He was accustomed to frequent my house; So the next day HIS wife and daughter came And asked if I had seen him; and I smiled: I think they never saw him any more. _65 CAMILLO: Thou execrable man, beware!— CENCI: Of thee? Nay, this is idle: —We should know each other. As to my character for what men call crime Seeing I please my senses as I list, And vindicate that right with force or guile, _70 It is a public matter, and I care not If I discuss it with you. I may speak Alike to you and my own conscious heart— For you give out that you have half reformed me, Therefore strong vanity will keep you silent _75 If fear should not; both will, I do not doubt. All men delight in sensual luxury, All men enjoy revenge; and most exult Over the tortures they can never feel— Flattering their secret peace with others’ pain. _80 But I delight in nothing else. I love The sight of agony, and the sense of joy, When this shall be another’s, and that mine. And I have no remorse and little fear, Which are, I think, the checks of other men. _85 This mood has grown upon me, until now Any design my captious fancy makes The picture of its wish, and it forms none But such as men like you would start to know, Is as my natural food and rest debarred _90 Until it be accomplished. CAMILLO: Art thou not Most miserable? CENCI: Why miserable?— No.—I am what your theologians call Hardened;—which they must be in impudence, So to revile a man’s peculiar taste. _95 True, I was happier than I am, while yet Manhood remained to act the thing I thought; While lust was sweeter than revenge; and now Invention palls:—Ay, we must all grow old— And but that there remains a deed to act _100 Whose horror might make sharp an appetite Duller than mine—I’d do,—I know not what. When I was young I thought of nothing else But pleasure; and I fed on honey sweets: Men, by St. Thomas! cannot live like bees, _105 And I grew tired:—yet, till I killed a foe, And heard his groans, and heard his children’s groans, Knew I not what delight was else on earth, Which now delights me little. I the rather Look on such pangs as terror ill conceals, _110 The dry fixed eyeball; the pale, quivering lip, Which tell me that the spirit weeps within Tears bitterer than the bloody sweat of Christ. I rarely kill the body, which preserves, Like a strong prison, the soul within my power, _115 Wherein I feed it with the breath of fear For hourly pain. NOTE: _100 And but that edition 1821; But that editions 1819, 1839. CAMILLO: Hell’s most abandoned fiend Did never, in the drunkenness of guilt, Speak to his heart as now you speak to me; I thank my God that I believe you not. _120 [ENTER ANDREA.] ANDREA: My Lord, a gentleman from Salamanca Would speak with you. CENCI: Bid him attend me In the grand saloon. [EXIT ANDREA.] CAMILLO: Farewell; and I will pray Almighty God that thy false, impious words Tempt not his spirit to abandon thee. _125 [EXIT CAMILLO.] CENCI: The third of my possessions! I must use Close husbandry, or gold, the old man’s sword, Falls from my withered hand. But yesterday There came an order from the Pope to make Fourfold provision for my cursed sons; _130 Whom I had sent from Rome to Salamanca, Hoping some accident might cut them off; And meaning if I could to starve them there. I pray thee, God, send some quick death upon them! Bernardo and my wife could not be worse _135 If dead and damned:—then, as to Beatrice— [LOOKING AROUND HIM SUSPICIOUSLY.] I think they cannot hear me at that door; What if they should? And yet I need not speak Though the heart triumphs with itself in words. O, thou most silent air, that shalt not hear _140 What now I think! Thou, pavement, which I tread Towards her chamber,—let your echoes talk Of my imperious step scorning surprise, But not of my intent!—Andrea! NOTES: _131 Whom I had edition 1821; Whom I have editions 1819, 1839. _140 that shalt edition 1821; that shall editions 1819, 1839. [ENTER ANDREA.] ANDREA: My lord? CENCI: Bid Beatrice attend me in her chamber _145 This evening:—no, at midnight and alone. [EXEUNT.] SCENE 1.2:

Public domain

Sourced from Project Gutenberg

§01Quick summary

What this poem is about

This is the opening scene of Shelley's verse drama *The Cenci*, where we meet Count Cenci, a ruthless Roman nobleman who has just bribed the Pope to hide a murder. Cardinal Camillo attempts to reach out to any conscience Cenci might still have, but Cenci reacts by openly bragging about his cruelty, his enjoyment of others' pain, and his complete absence of remorse. The scene concludes with Cenci calling for his daughter Beatrice to come to his chamber at midnight, suggesting the horrific act he is planning against her.

§02Themes

Recurring themes

§03Line by line

Stanza by stanza, with notes

  1. CAMILLO: That matter of the murder is hushed up / If you consent to yield his Holiness

    Editor's note

    Camillo starts by informing Cenci that the Pope will drop the murder charge — but only if Cenci gives up a valuable piece of land. This establishes the play's central theme of corruption: the Church is not acting as a moral authority; rather, it's operating like a business. The Pope's 'interest' and 'glory' are already tainted by accepting Cenci's money.

  2. CENCI: The third of my possessions—let it go! / Ay, I once heard the nephew of the Pope

    Editor's note

    Cenci's initial reaction isn't guilt or relief — it's irritation over the cost. He cynically observes that the Pope's nephew had already been interested in his land, meaning the Church would profit from his crimes regardless. Then he adds a chilling detail: a servant who saw one of his actions has been killed, and Cenci is frustrated that the murder cost him so little compared to the savings it provided.

  3. CAMILLO: Oh, Count Cenci! / So much that thou mightst honourably live

    Editor's note

    Camillo makes a heartfelt moral appeal, highlighting Cenci's white hair, his missing wife, and his daughter Beatrice — whose 'sweet looks' he claims could 'kill the fiend' within Cenci. This is the first time Beatrice is mentioned in the play, and she is already portrayed as a symbol of beauty and goodness caught in a nightmare. Camillo shares that he has known Cenci since they were young and has saved his life three times, which deepens his own sense of despair.

  4. CENCI: For which Aldobrandino owes you now / My fief beyond the Pincian.—Cardinal,

    Editor's note

    Cenci dismisses Camillo's plea and instead shares a haunting story: a man who frequently visited his home vanished. When the man's wife and daughter came looking for him, Cenci just smiled. He never reveals what happened. This story serves as a warning to Camillo and shows how Cenci wields implication and silence as powerful tools.

  5. CENCI: Nay, this is idle:—We should know each other. / As to my character for what men call crime

    Editor's note

    This is the scene's philosophical heart. Cenci claims that all men secretly crave cruelty and revenge — he simply expresses it openly. He compares his hunger for others' suffering to a basic need, like food or sleep, stating that he feels no remorse and hardly any fear. Shelley taps into the Romantic-era intrigue with the radical villain, but Cenci takes it further than most: he isn't tormented by his wickedness; instead, he's bored by it.

  6. CAMILLO: Art thou not / Most miserable?

    Editor's note

    Camillo poses the question that any reader would ponder: is this man not suffering deep down? Cenci's response is almost humorous in its straightforwardness — 'No.' He mentions that theologians refer to his condition as 'hardened,' and he takes offense at the term, considering it an insult to his sensibilities. He goes on to confess that even cruelty has lost its edge for him, and that there is just one final act — which he leaves unnamed — that still stirs his interest.

  7. CAMILLO: Hell's most abandoned fiend / Did never, in the drunkenness of guilt,

    Editor's note

    Camillo's exit line conveys sheer horror: he remarks that even the most wicked devil in Hell never discussed evil so openly and calmly. His last prayer—that God not forsake Cenci—feels empty in light of what we've just witnessed. With Camillo gone, Cenci stands alone on stage, precisely where Shelley intends him to be.

  8. CENCI: The third of my possessions! I must use / Close husbandry, or gold, the old man's sword,

    Editor's note

    In his soliloquy, Cenci confesses that he has been attempting to starve his sons in Salamanca while openly praying for their deaths. He shifts his focus to Beatrice, abruptly pausing mid-sentence, glancing at the door, and speaking to the silent air and pavement as if they too could betray him. The scene ends with his command for Beatrice to come to his chamber—alone—at midnight. The true horror lies in what remains unspoken.

§04Tone & mood

How this poem feels

The tone is cold, controlled, and profoundly unsettling. Cenci speaks with the calm of a man who has grappled with his own evil and come to terms with it — there’s no ranting, no melodrama, just a steady, almost philosophical self-satisfaction. Camillo's parts reveal real moral anguish, which makes Cenci's indifference feel even more chilling by contrast. The scene closes in a hush of implied menace instead of a loud declaration.

§05Symbols & metaphors

Symbols & metaphors

The fief beyond the Pincian gate
The land that Cenci gives up to the Pope symbolizes the Church's involvement in his wrongdoings. It's not a punishment; it's a transaction. With each sin Cenci commits, the Church grows wealthier, highlighting Shelley's sharp criticism of how institutional religion serves as a moral facade for power.
Beatrice's 'sweet looks'
Camillo describes Beatrice's face as something that could 'kill the fiend' within her father. Although she hasn't appeared on stage yet, she is already set up as the play's embodiment of innocence and beauty — the one thing that could save Cenci, and precisely what he is about to ruin.
The silent air and the pavement
In his last soliloquy, Cenci speaks to the air and the floor, pleading with them to keep his intentions secret. Here, Shelley reveals a man who understands that his plan is so horrific that he can’t even utter it to himself. The lifeless surroundings become a witness he fears more than any human.
Midnight
Cenci’s request for Beatrice to meet him “at midnight and alone” symbolizes transgression and concealed evil. Midnight represents a time beyond the usual moral boundaries, and this phrase concludes the scene with the finality of a door shutting.
Gold
Cenci refers to gold as 'the old man's sword' — the last weapon he has left as his physical strength diminishes. In this context, gold symbolizes how wealth can replace virtue, enabling the powerful to escape consequences indefinitely.
The dry fixed eyeball; the pale, quivering lip
Cenci's clinical portrayal of a victim's terror — the frozen eye and the trembling lip — reveals that he has examined suffering like a naturalist examines specimens. These details highlight his total dehumanisation of others: they become objects of sensation rather than fellow human beings.

§06Historical context

Historical context

Percy Bysshe Shelley wrote *The Cenci* in 1819, drawing inspiration from the true story of Beatrice Cenci, a young Roman noblewoman executed in 1599 for killing her abusive father, Francesco Cenci. This case gained notoriety throughout Europe, and a portrait long believed to be by Guido Reni—said to portray Beatrice on the night before her execution—was one of the most recognized images in Rome during Shelley's visit. He viewed the story as a tragedy stemming from institutional failure: the Church, the law, and the family all shield the abuser while condemning the victim. Although intended for the stage, the play was rejected by Covent Garden, partly due to its sensitive subject matter. It was published in 1819 and is regarded as one of the finest verse dramas of the Romantic period, but it wasn't performed publicly in England until 1886. Shelley's critique targets not just a single evil man but the entire system—political, religious, and familial—that enables such individuals to thrive.

§07FAQ

Questions readers ask

A murder charge. Camillo informs him that the Pope will make the case vanish — but only if he agrees to give up a piece of Cenci's land. The specific victim isn't mentioned, which aligns with Shelley's argument: Cenci's crimes are so extensive that there's no need to pinpoint just one.

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