The Cenci (Masterplots II: Drama)
At a glance:
- Author: Antonin Artaud
- First Published: 1964
- Type of Work: Historical/Theater of Cruelty
- Time of Work: The sixteenth century
- Setting: Italy
- Principal Characters: Count Cenci, Camillo, Beatrice, Orsino, Lucretia, Bernardo, Giacomo, Two Assassins
- Genres: Drama, History play, Cruelty, Theater of
- Subjects: Values, Sex or sexuality, Murder or homicide, Religion, Incest, Rape, Good and evil, Kings, queens, or royalty, Assassins, hit men, or contract killers, Cruelty, Fate or fatalism, Sixteenth century, Existentialism, Italy or Italians, Rome, Blasphemy
- Locales: Italy
The Play
The Cenci begins, in keeping with the epic scale of both plot and theme, in medias res, in the middle of a major conflict between the Pope and the play’s main character, Count Cenci. A Cardinal, Camillo, is attempting to tell Cenci how fortunate he is that the Pope has agreed to take a bribe to cover up a murder that he has committed. The price, however, is high: one-third of Cenci’s possessions. Furious at the price, Cenci fumes that he would go to war with the Papacy if he did not have more important projects brewing. Camillo tells him that the Pope is...
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