Charles the First by Percy Bysshe Shelley
During a London masque, citizens debate royal spectacle and denounce oppression. At Whitehall, Charles I orders coercive measures and the detention of opponents intending to emigrate, while his advisers dispute how to fund action against Scotland. In the Star Chamber, Bastwick condemns his judges and welcomes mutilation and imprisonment; Hampden and his companions contemplate leaving England, and Archy sings of a mourning bird.
By Percy Bysshe Shelley · Genre: Drama, Political Drama, Dramatic Poetry · 5 chapters · 10,671 words
First lines
DRAMATIS PERSONAE:
KING CHARLES I. / QUEEN HENRIETTA. / LAUD, ARCHBISHOP OF CANTERBURY. / WENTWORTH, EARL OF STRAFFORD. / LORD COTTINGTON. / LORD WESTON. / LORD COVENTRY. / WILLIAMS, BISHOP OF LINCOLN. / SECRETARY LYTTELTON. / JUXON. / ST. JOHN. / ARCHY, THE COURT FOOL. / HAMPDEN. / PYM. / CROMWELL. / CROMWELL'S DAUGHTER. / SIR HARRY VANE THE YOUNGER. / LEIGHTON. / BASTWICK. / PRYNNE. / GENTLEMEN OF THE INNS OF COURT, CITIZENS, PURSUIVANTS, / MARSHALSMEN, LAW STUDENTS, JUDGES, CLERK.
Genres
- Drama — Named characters speak in scenes with entrances, exits and specified settings, including Whitehall and the Star Chamber.
- Political Drama — Charles and his advisers debate taxation, Parliament and coercion in Scotland, while citizens condemn royal and ecclesiastical oppression.
- Dramatic Poetry — The citizens, king, advisers and prisoners deliver extended verse speeches, interspersed with Archy's prose exchanges and songs.
Tags
royal authority · religious persecution · ship money · Parliament · emigration · court masque · verse drama
What this Textopian page supports
Charles the First is listed on Textopian as a play by Percy Bysshe Shelley, dated Date unknown.
This source record anchors work identity, reading entry points, and catalog context for checking claims about the work.
- Work type: Play
- Author: Percy Bysshe Shelley
- Date: Date unknown
- Language: English
- Genres: Drama, Political Drama, Dramatic Poetry
- Length: 10,671 words
- Structure: 5 chapters, 133 paragraphs
- Reading fit: Fairly Easy (7th Grade)
Good citation fit
- Work identity for Charles the First by Percy Bysshe Shelley
- Canonical title URL and first readable passage URL
- Genre and topic classification from the Textopian catalog
- Readability and classroom-planning context
- Passage-specific claims should cite the exact /read/ URL for the relevant chapter or paragraph