Julian and Maddalo by Percy Bysshe Shelley
In Venice, Julian and Count Maddalo debate whether people can overcome suffering through their own will. They visit an asylum and hear a patient lament abandonment and cruelty in love, leaving both men in tears. Returning years later, Julian learns from Maddalo's grown daughter that the woman returned, the patient improved, and she left again; he withholds the fuller story the daughter tells him.
By Percy Bysshe Shelley · Genre: Narrative Poetry, Philosophical Poetry, Dramatic Monologue · 8,079 words
First lines
A Conversation
Preface
Genres
- Narrative Poetry — Julian's verse account follows a seaside ride, an asylum visit, his departure, and his return to Venice years later.
- Philosophical Poetry — Julian and Maddalo argue about free will, human weakness, and the mind's power to overcome suffering.
- Dramatic Monologue — An extended speech by the asylum patient addresses absent friends and a departed beloved while Julian and Maddalo listen unseen.
Tags
free will · Venice · asylum · heartbreak · friendship · narrative poetry
What this Textopian page supports
Julian and Maddalo is listed on Textopian as a poem 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: Poem
- Author: Percy Bysshe Shelley
- Date: Date unknown
- Language: English
- Genres: Narrative Poetry, Philosophical Poetry, Dramatic Monologue
- Length: 8,079 words
- Structure: 1 section, 16 paragraphs
- Reading fit: Standard (8th-9th Grade)
Good citation fit
- Work identity for Julian and Maddalo by Percy Bysshe Shelley
- Canonical title URL and first readable passage URL
- Genre and topic classification from the Textopian catalog
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