The Castle of Otranto
General Overview
A Full Online Text as well as Audio to The Castle of Otranto can be found here: http://etc.usf.edu/lit2go/155/the-castle-of-otranto/
- Characters
- Manfred: Acts in the text as an overbearing and tyrannical father. He is also husband to Hippolita and after his deceased son's fiancé. He fulfills the curse upon his family line by ironically acting in the interests of securing more male heirs to circumvent the curse. Character Quote: "Since hell will not satisfy my curiosity, I will use the human means within my power for preserving my race; Isabella shall not escape me."
- Hippolita: Arguably one of the most pious in the text. She functions as a doting mother who places her role as wife, mother, and servant of God above any needs or desires she may have. Character Quote: “My lovely children,” said the touched Hippolita, “your tenderness overpowers me—but I must not give way to it. It is not ours to make election for ourselves: heaven, our fathers, and our husbands must decide for us . "
- Conrad: The son of Manfred and Hippolita. He was the first born and only male heir of his parents Hippolita and Manfred. He also died without producing a male heir.
- Isabella: The former fiance to Conrad, friend to Matilda, and daughter to Fredric had a unique part to play in ensuring the curse comes to pass. She was the object of affection that led Manfred to self-fulfill the curse, by acting carelessly to have her. Character Quote: "Sir, whoever you are, take pity on a wretched princess standing on the brink of destruction: assist me to escape from this fatal castle, or in few moments I may be made miserable for ever."
- Matilda: Arguably the heroine of the text, Matilda falls in love with Theodore who she is doomed to not have. She is also the daughter of Hippolita and Manfred. She becomes heroine by making a sacrifice to restore order and make things proper in terms of status and society. Character Quote: “Cruel man!” cried Matilda, “to aggravate the woes of a parent; may heaven bless my father, and forgive him as I do! My Lord, my gracious Sire, dost thou forgive thy child? Indeed, I came not hither to meet Theodore. I found him praying at this tomb, whither my mother sent me to intercede for thee, for her—dearest father, bless your child, and say you forgive her.”
- Thedore: Originally mistaken as a commoner, he is aristocracy in disguise. His father is Father Jerome of St. Nicholas’s church that is adjoined to the castle. Theodore, with Matilda, holds the key for major Gothic elements to come into being. Character Quote: "Guilty Passion! cried Theodore: can guilt dwell with innocent beauty and virtuous modesty?"
- Father Jerome/Count of Falconara: The priest in this text does his best to prevent Manfred’s schemes from coming to pass. However, his hands become tied when we find that Theodore is his son. Character Quote: "It is sinful, replied the friar, to cherish those whom heaven has doomed to destruction. A tyrant's race must be swept from the earth from the third to fourth generation. Will heaven visit the innocent for the crimes of the guilty?"
Chapter Highlights with Gothic Elements
Note: In the Gothic it is not what happens but how it happens. We are often given the entire plot or at least foreshadowing of it in the first chapters.
Here you can find an artistic interpretation of what happens in The Castle of Otranto. While the first snippets of text may not be in English, meaning is still conveyed poignantly.
Chapter Highlights with Gothic Elements
Note: In the Gothic it is not what happens but how it happens. We are often given the entire plot or at least foreshadowing of it in the first chapters of most Gothic novels.
The Castle of Otranto was written as a novel with an elaborate framing device. One unique quirk of this Gothic novel that set the standard for many other Gothic texts that would follow (such as Dracula, and The Monk) is the tendency to write the work as another author within the text. This gives the unique effect of a story within a story. The Castle of Otranto in particular was written by Walpole, under the pseudonym “William Marshall Gent.” with the premise that it originally came from the 12th century monk Onuphrio Muralto. The monk supposedly composed his narrative based on a tale taken from the time of the crusades. This particular framing was highly complex as the result was a text from an impersonated 18th century gentleman, impersonating a militant 16th century priest, who made narrative of a tale from the 12th century (Gamer 16). Some critics during that time balked at his supposition and during the second edition of the text released by Walpole, this supposition was recanted and the work told to be a fabrication of what we know today in literary terms as magical realism.
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Note: In the Gothic it is not what happens but how it happens. We are often given the entire plot or at least foreshadowing of it in the first chapters of most Gothic novels.
The Castle of Otranto was written as a novel with an elaborate framing device. One unique quirk of this Gothic novel that set the standard for many other Gothic texts that would follow (such as Dracula, and The Monk) is the tendency to write the work as another author within the text. This gives the unique effect of a story within a story. The Castle of Otranto in particular was written by Walpole, under the pseudonym “William Marshall Gent.” with the premise that it originally came from the 12th century monk Onuphrio Muralto. The monk supposedly composed his narrative based on a tale taken from the time of the crusades. This particular framing was highly complex as the result was a text from an impersonated 18th century gentleman, impersonating a militant 16th century priest, who made narrative of a tale from the 12th century (Gamer 16). Some critics during that time balked at his supposition and during the second edition of the text released by Walpole, this supposition was recanted and the work told to be a fabrication of what we know today in literary terms as magical realism.
Chapter One
- The most important part of this chapter involves the curse that Manfred seeks to avoid. That the castle and lordship of Otranto should pass from the present family, whenever the real owner should be grown to large to inhabit it (Walpole 17). This curse sets the audience up for what will happen in the text, and how it will happen however ominously the information may be given and worded.
- Conrad dies by a Helmet mysteriously falling from the sky. This will be the first of many very large armored body parts that will appear throughout the novel. The helmet in particular is of significance as we later find that it resembles that of Alfonso.
- The first words from Manfred's mouth afterwards were: "Take care of Lady Isabella" these words show the beginnings of his perverse form of chivalry. We can also see how quickly his mindset changes “from grief to an obsessive desire to replace his heir as quickly as possible, and this leads him to pursue his son’s espoused Isabella (Hughes 64).”
- The flight of Isabella and capture of Theodore also occur in this chapter. It seems that the moment she flees we can see the begining of Manfred's quick descent into madness. Upon the death of his son, the reader can feel his biological clock ticking and a primal urge to reproduce surface.
- Diego and Jacques finding parts of the huge armored corpse.
- The Supernatural: Like the helmet that crushed Conrad there were many supernatural aspects throughout the text. Of them, Conrad being crushed by a helmet, as well as Diego and Jacquez’s finding of the giant armored corpse stood out the most (Walpole 32). Ghosts in particular are represented throughout the text in a way that modern audience's do not consider them. Walpole’s use of the giant armor could easily be interpreted as his way of consolidating the grotesque with the ethereal presence of ghosts. Understanding the armor as physical energy of a ghost would force the author to assume that his audience had at least a working knowledge of medieval knights and their armor. Knights would need a squire or two just to get them into the armor, but once on their person, they became perceived as invincible. Seeing a dismembered armored knight would have been a frightening sight. Not necessarily because of the pieces, but because a realization would occur that there is something powerful enough to bring down a knight so mighty.
- Ancestral Legacy: The Law of Primogeniture dictated that what was the father's passed only to his oldest male heir. Manfred kept this in mind throughout the text, and preferred his sick son to his capable and intelligent daughter. The Law of Primogeniture played a major part in the novel as a whole. Manfred received a false legacy as owner of Otranto from his ancestor Ricardo, and Alfonso was still able to eventually pass his estate to Theodore, who was the rightful male heir. Manfred’s pursuit of Isabella was a result of his need to produce more male heirs. The potential deal reached between Isabella’s father and Manfred, also came from this need to sire male progeny.
- Undermining and Questioning the Nature of Authority and Society: Diego and Jacquez’s telling of how they found the giant (or at least saw only parts of him) underscores Manfred’s position. Their behavior does this because their fear makes them invulnerable to Manfred’s force when he asks them direct questions. There are countless times throughout the text, when the help express their fear, and their refusal to acquiesce to Manfred’s demands. Also in The Count of Otranto a painting that jumps off the wall when Manfred first attempts his pursuit of Isabella. Had he not taken note of the distraction, he would have been able to catch her. The dejected manner of the specter undermines Manfred’s authority because it still succeeds in foiling his plans however temporarily.
Chapter Two
- We find at this point that Matilda would rather take the veil than a spouse.
- Matilda then has her first "meeting" with Theodore.
- Jerome threatens to expose Manfred's corruption to Hippolita.
- Jerome and Theodore find each other once again, and half of Theodore's true identity (being aristocratic) becomes exposed.
Chapter Three
- The entrance of Fredric marquis of Vincenza (in disguise as a herald) further upsets authority and order in Otranto.
- Isabella flees and with Theodore's help she is successful.
- Frederic is revealed to be her father, and is also fatally wounded.
- Matilda becomes promised to Frederic, and Isabella becomes promised to Manfred.
- The Character Driven Plot: The Gothic novel often relies on an interactive experience between the character, plot, and audience. The author places their character in a position that forces them to make choices in order to figure out the world around them and how they stand on important matters. Theodore in particular was a character whose decisions affected the way his part in the story played out. Important to understanding Theodore as a character is the fact that he has multiple identities. He was born as a part of aristocracy, became a peasant, then a prisoner, and is finally restored to his rightful station. This in itself contributes to the novel’s Gothic design because all of the identities Theodore assumes are tied to misfortune. He thought himself an orphan so ended up wandering and caring for himself. He saves Isabella only to be captured himself, he meets his father under dire circumstances and falls in love with Matilda only to lose her. When he does marry Isabella it is only as a widower unable to replace his first love. The Gothic Novel arose as a way to address concerns such as a fragmented bourgeois society . Through Theodore, Walpole was able to show how one could be of bourgeois society, yet outside of it and still maintain a simple kind of honor reminiscent of Medieval Chivalry.
Chapter Four
- In this chapter we get the back-story of Frederic, his interaction with the hermit and his past as a POW.
- Manfred's insanity reaches new depths and we see him become unsettled by the resemblance of Theodore to Alfonso.
- We come to fully see and understand the love and unrequited love between Matilda, Isabella, and Theodore. Some relationships are seen to be purely chivalric, while others are romantic. In the text overall, this chapter shows the true nature of various characters to their spouses and love interests.
- Hippolita resigns herself to life in a convent, and begins to consent to divorce.
- Actions That Lead to Character Development or an Awakening: Tension and supernatural elements press the characters and force them to develop and often achieve awakenings. Their own fears, desires, and personalities become enhanced and more vibrant. Hippolita became more and more the Saint, Manfred was forced to realize the error of his ways through ruin, Isabella’s chaste love of Conrad transfers to Theodore (eventually), and Matilda dies thinking that her life was the necessary sacrifice to bring her parents back together. Each character loses something even as they gain something. Parents lose their children, lovers cannot be together. But most importantly duty comes above all else. Frederic comes to a unique supernatural awakening when he asks the decayed body of the hermit what remains to be done with his situation, and he is told to forget Matilda (Walpole 95).
Chapter Five
- The hermit corpse dictated to Frederic that he should forget Matilda.
- Manfred's pursuit of Isabella leads to the death of Matild.
- Manfred abandons his hopes of Isabella.
- With Otranto, Isabella becomes bequeathed to Theodore.
- Multiple Love Interests and a tie to Medieval Chivalry: Manfred is able to initially get Matilda alone and to himself under the guise of chivalric concern for a would be daughter. We find out shortly after however, that he had lustful and nefarious reasons. This can be compared to Theodore's legitimate chivalric concern for Isabella when he found her in the underground cellars. Isabella and Matilda. This treatment extends throughout the text, as his intentions to Isabella remain chivalric, and romantic to Matilda. Although he marries Isabella, it is only out of duty, and so he can honor the memory of Matilda. Through this text in particular we have an ideal of chivalry executed properly, as well as a perverse and warped form of chivalry in disguise.