The Revolt of Islam by Percy Bysshe Shelley
The lovers Laon and Cythna inspire a revolt for freedom and equality, including women's emancipation, and Laon persuades the victors to spare the deposed tyrant Othman. Foreign armies restore Othman and massacre the rebels; amid famine and plague, Laon surrenders on a promise of Cythna's safety, but she joins him on the execution pyre. After their deaths, they reunite with Cythna's lost child, who guides them to the Temple of the Spirit.
By Percy Bysshe Shelley · Genre: Narrative Poetry, Political Poetry, Allegorical Poetry · 14 chapters · 68,483 words
First lines
A Poem in Twelve Cantos
Osais de Broton ethnos aglaiais aptomestha / perainei pros eschaton / ploon nausi d oute pezos ion an eurois / es Uperboreon agona thaumatan odon.
Genres
- Narrative Poetry — A sustained narrative in rhymed stanzas follows Laon and Cythna through captivity, revolt, reunion, execution and a journey beyond death.
- Political Poetry — The revolt challenges monarchy, priestly authority and women's subjection, while Laon rejects revenge against captured soldiers and Othman.
- Allegorical Poetry — The opening combat of the serpent and eagle represents the struggle between good and evil, which the woman connects to resistance against priests and kings.
Tags
revolution · equality · women's emancipation · tyranny · nonviolence · religious persecution · famine and plague · love
What this Textopian page supports
The Revolt of Islam 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, Political Poetry, Allegorical Poetry
- Length: 68,483 words
- Structure: 14 chapters, 1,071 paragraphs
- Reading fit: Fairly Difficult (10th-12th Grade)
Good citation fit
- Work identity for The Revolt of Islam 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
Contents
- Author's Preface
- Dedication: to Mary
- Canto 1
- Canto 2
- Canto 3
- Canto 4
- Canto 5
- Canto 6
- Canto 7
- Canto 8
- Canto 9
- Canto 10
- Canto 11
- Canto 12