Abstract: Percy Bysshe Shelley (1792~1822) is famous for his poetry, but few people pay attention to his five scene drama The Cenci. The play is different from his other works, which has the characteristics of Gothic popular in British literature in the nineteenth Century. Gothic features of The Cenci can perform and highlight his rebellious spirits well, but few people pay attention to this play domestically. This paper will discuss whether The Cenci  belongs to Gothic literature, and then analyze the remarkable Gothic features of the works in order to analyze the values of this poet, and then analyze the poet’s rebellious spirit in the political aspects and social value aspects. The significance of this paper is to provide a multidimensional perspective for the study of this work, as well as help the in-depth interpretation of the work, which can bring us reflection and enlightenment

Key words: Gothic feature; rebellious spirits; The Cenci; British literature

Contents

Abstract

摘要

1. Introduction-1

2. Gothic Genre and British Literature-3

  2.1 The Definition of Gothic Genre-3

  2.2 The Popularity of Gothic Genre in British Literature-5

3. Gothic Characteristics of The Cenci-7

  3.1 The Theme of The Cenci-7

 3.1.1 The Incest-8

 3.1.2 The Patricide-9

  3.2 The Characters of The Cenci-10

 3.2.1 Paradoxical Main Characters-10

 3.2.2 Selfish Secondary Characters-12

  3.3 The Background and Scenes of The Cenci-13

4. Shelley’s Rebellious Spirit Conveyed by The Cenci-14

  4.1 The Rebellion Against the Tyranny-15

  4.2 The Rebellion Against Some Conventional Social Values-16

5. Conclusion-18

References-19