&quot;Zastrozzi&quot; is a a dramatic tale of romance and revenge written by Percy Bysshe Shelley where he adroitly exploits the classic elements of popular Gothic horror. This short and intensely emotional novel -first published when Shelley was only eighteen in 1810&mdash; combines adolescent vigour and literary panache with occasional sparks of true poetic genius.<br /><br />Shelley&#39;s vivid love story dramatises the misplaced passion between Matilda, Contessa di Laurentinini, Verezzi, the object of her crazed desire, and Matilda&#39;s murderous accomplice, the mysterious Zastrozzi. When Matilda discovers that her love is unrequited, she traps Verezzi in her castle and orders Zastrozzi to kill Julia &mdash; the woman Verezzi loves. But Zastrozzi has his own agenda...