Beatrice And Juliet Essay

An ethical question that Shelley poses in Act V of the play may be “Why is Beatrice choosing to behave this way?” Because all of a sudden she starts acting like her tyrant father. Or another ethical question could be “If Beatrice lived, would she continue acting like her father or would she change her morals and social behavior as soon as possible back to the way that she was before?”
The development of Beatrice is a transference of power that we see in the play because she becomes just like her father and uses her power to do a cruel thing and murder him. This metaphorically represents the French Revolution because Napoleon Bonaparte overthrew the Directory and used his power against others, just like how Beatrice became a tyrant ordered for
her father to be murdered. In the play, Beatrice is a romantic heroine.
A romantic hero is a literary archetype referring to a character or individual, in this case Beatrice, that has been rejected by society, that rejects established norms and conventions, and has herself as the center of her own existence. We can see how Beatrice is rejected by society in Act 1 when she describes the guests at Cenci's dinner table and how they ignore her plea to protect her and how they leave as soon as Cenci tells them to do so (1.3.132-140). This demonstrates one of the characteristics of a romantic heroine.
Romanticism is a movement in the arts and literature that originated in the late eighteenth century. It emphasized inspiration, personal feelings, and the superiority of an individual. This movement emphasized intense emotions. It brought more attention to such emotions like understanding, appreciation, and inspiration. These feelings or emotions were experienced in confronting the new aesthetic categories of the sublimity and beauty of nature. Romanticism assigned a high value to the achievements of "heroic" individualists and artists, whose examples, it maintained, would raise the quality of
society.
Some of the main characteristics of Romantic literature focus on the narrators emotions and inner world; celebration of nature and beauty; rejection of industrialization, organized religion, rationalism, and social convention; idealization of women, children, and rural life; and emphasis on individual experience of the "sublime."
In other words, it was a time of huge social and political transformation, which was pretty inspiring to the Romantics, who, as we might remember, valued individuality and freedom and rebelled against social and literary conventions of their day.
These poets and novelists were all about telling the stories of people who rebelled, who fought for their ideals, or who were just plain amazing lovers. They loved to write about characters who stood out from the crowd.
In choosing to seek revenge, however, Shelley's heroine employs evil for her own ends, taking on the characteristics of her tyrannical father.
Typically, romantic heroes are unconventional. Often, they have been cast aside by traditional society. These heroes are frequently involved in physical, spiritual or emotional quests. They tend to be cynical yet compassionate. If necessary, they are willing to sacrifice themselves for others.
The Cenci conveys Shelley's Romantic ideas on patriarchal authority, religion, and morality.
The Cenci discusses many of the Romantic concerns, especially the plight of the Individual and Nature against the corruption of authority. Beatrice is a Romantic Individual who is forced to stand up to the abuse perpetrated on her by authority. Beatrice is a Romantic hero and illustrates the Romantic theme of “the exceptional figure in general, and a focus on his passions and inner struggles” (“Romanticism”). Her duality of nature, being kind and fierce, only increases the Romantic nature of her identity. Beatrice was an exceptional figure in her tenacity and bravery, and her hero status is underscored by her perceived powerlessness as a
woman.

Romanticism, a period of revolution, can be described by many thematic elements. In The Cenci, Shelley challenges multiple forms of authority to expose the way human life is constricted by society, culture, and institutions. I want you to consider the impact of culture, power, and nature in the development of the play and I want you to decide if Beatrice is a Romantic heroine or just a dramatic–fictional character. Once you make your decision, answer the following prompt in a 2-3 page essay with sufficient textual evidence from the play:
How is the development of Beatrice a transference of power and how does it metaphorically represent the French Revolution? In addition, what is the ethical question that Shelley poses in Act V of the play?