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UNIT- V
The Castle of Otranto Summary
Manfred , the ruler of Otranto, is impatiently waiting for the marriage
between his son Conrad and the princess Isabella , the daughter of Frederic the
Marquis of Vincenza. Rumors fly about Manfred’s impatience for the wedding,
and the people believe that the marriage is in some way related to an ancient
prophecy: “that the castle and lordship of Otranto should pass from the present
family, whenever the real owner should be grown too large to inhabit it.” However,
on the day of the wedding, Conrad is mysteriously crushed to death by a giant
helmet falling from the sky. Realizing his only heir is dead and unable to produce
more sons with his own wife, Hippolita , Manfred decides to continue his line by
marrying his son’s fiancé Isabella.
Intending to divorce or kill Hippolita, Manfred approaches Isabella alone,
proclaiming his intention to produce several sons with her. Despite her horrified
protests, he grabs her, intending to rape her, but Isabella escapes, as Manfred is
distracted first by the swaying feathers of the giant helmet, then by the moving
portrait of his grandfather, then by his servants’ reports of the appearance of
a giant leg in armor. With the help of Theodore , a peasant, Isabella escapes the
castle through a secret underground passageway to seek sanctuary at the church
of St. Nicholas , where she is under the protection of Father Jerome.
Matilda , Manfred’s daughter, is talking with her servant Bianca about the
disappearance of Isabella when a servant informs them that Isabella has taken
sanctuary. Meanwhile, Father Jerome is telling Hippolita and Manfred the same
thing, with Jerome insinuating but not fully disclosing Manfred’s crimes. However,
after Hippolita dismisses herself from the conversation, Father Jerome more
frankly accuses Manfred of his crimes and urges him to repent and turn to the
church. Manfred, however, repeatedly refuses, and tries to convince Jerome to
grant him a divorce. Fearful of the consequences of saying no, Jerome plays along.
However, much to Jerome’s dismay, his granting of the divorce inadvertently
results in Manfred declaring a death sentence on Theodore, whom Jerome
recognizes in that moment is his long-lost son.
Manfred promises Jerome his son’s life only in return for Isabella, and
Jerome is caught in a moral quandary. However, before he can make a decision,
they are interrupted by a host of knights who carry a giant sword and who seek in
the name of Frederic (Isabella’s father, and the closest known relative of Alonso,
the former lord of Otranto before Manfred’s grandfather took power), both Isabella
and rulership of Otranto. Manfred ineptly attempts to win them over, but the
knights discover that Isabella is missing and race against Manfred’s men to find
her.
Having recognized Theodore’s resemblance to Otranto’s past hero and
ruler Alfonso , Matilda frees Theodore from her father’s imprisonment, and they
fall in love. In order to escape Manfred’s wrath and to search for adventure,
Theodore decides to protect Isabella and finds her in a cave, where he defends her
from a knight. Yet the knight, whom Theodore wounds, turns out to be Isabella’s
father Frederic.
Theodore, Frederic, and Isabella return to the castle, where Frederic recovers
and falls in love with Matilda. Frederic explains how he came to be in Otranto:
Parts of the castle walls fall down behind Manfred, and a great image of
Alfonso appears, declaring that Theodore is his true heir. Manfred, struck with
sorrow and remorse, reveals that his grandfather had usurped the throne from
Alfonso, and Jerome reveals that Theodore is Alfonso’s grandson. After Manfred
abdicates, he and Hippolita retire to become a monk and a nun in nearby convents.
Frederic renounces his claim to Otranto and offers Isabella’s hand in marriage to
Theodore.
The Castle of Otranto Character List
Manfred
A lord? A familial dictator? Manfred is both. As The Castle of Otranto 's antagonist,
Manfred the tyrannical husband of Hippolita and the obsessive father of Matilda and Conrad. The tyranny he inflicts upon his family and those visiting his castle make him a prime example of a Gothic villain. His passion obscures his ability to reason, and he becomes so obsessed with the death of his son that he feels he must divorce his wife and marry his deceased son's intended bride. The terror that ensues following his chase of Isabella is grotesque and morally reprehensible, but it is also the driving force behind the novel's suspenseful plot .
Isabella
Isabella, lovely, virtuous, and self-assured, is this novel's damsel in distress. Threatened by kidnapping, rape, and an overall unwanted marriage, she tries to escape from the castle after the death of her intended husband, Conrad. She narrowly escapes Manfred's grasp, preventing a nearly incestuous and non-consensual marriage from taking place. She is rescued by Theodore, the soon-to-be revealed legitimate heir of Otranto, and marries him during the novel's resolution.
Conrad
The teenage son of Manfred and Hippolita, Conrad is betrothed to Isabella, but on the way to his wedding he is crushed to death by a symbol of the curse of the Otranto castle: a supernaturally-charged falling helmet.
Matilda
Manfred's ultimate display of tyranny occurs when he mistakenly stabs his daughter Matilda to death. Matilda, a young woman of extreme sympathy, virtue, and sentimentalism, falls in love with Theodore; however, unable to get approval from her parents to be with him, she is instead betrothed to Frederic, Isabella's lustful father.
Hippolita
The wife of a villainous lord and the mother to soon-to-be deceased children: these are Hippolita's roles. Manfred desires to divorce his wife because she cannot provide another heir, but he tries to justify the divorce by saying that the couple is actually related. Submissive, excessively religious, and depressed, Hippolita remains under the influence of her husband, catering to his whims despite her own longings for happiness.
Theodore
Theodore, the son of Friar Jerome and savior of Isabella, is the true heir of the Castle of Otranto. His initial role in the novel is to illustrate the relationship between the fallen helmet and the prophecy of the true heir being revealed. He helps Isabella escape from the castle during Manfred's suspenseful pursuit, while also attracting the attention of both Matilda and Isabella. He marries Isabella after the death of Matilda.
Friar Jerome
Isabella escapes to a monastery located outside of the castle where she finds Friar Jerome, the long-lost father of Theodore. Manfred tries to bend the friar to his will by employing the friar to legitimize the divorce, but the plan does not come to fruition. Jerome stands his ground and criticizes Manfred's incestuous and evil desires, saying that heaven does not approve of them. Bianca
Matilda's tart-tongued and opinionated maidservant who encourages Matilda to marry.
Diego and Jaquez
Also to know is, what makes the Castle of Otranto a gothic novel?
It focuses on terror and suspense. Gothic fiction is known for inspiring feelings of unease in its audience, even sometimes through the setting alone. Characters are thrust into uneasy situations: being trapped in a dark castle , being threatened with violent acts, and being frightened by supernatural elements.
What does the prophecy in The Castle of Otranto mean?
Plot. The Castle of Otranto tells the story of Manfred, lord of the castle , and his family. This inexplicable event is particularly ominous in light of an ancient prophecy , "that the castle and lordship of Otranto should pass from the present family, whenever the real owner should be grown too large to inhabit it".
18 Related Question Answers Found
What inspired Horace Walpole?
The Castle of Otranto was inspired by Walpole's fascination with medieval history and artefacts. In his novel, Walpole sought to blend together what was termed "new" and "old" romance. "Old" romance was identified by its fantastical nature, whilst the "new" variety (at the time of writing) was more grounded in reality.
Why is the Castle of Otranto important to the gothic genre?
These elements are important because they provide a blueprint for the layout of a gothic novel. Such element of gothic novel is that the setting takes place in a castle. The Castle of Otranto includes an old castle which is passed down through the ages from family member to family member.
What happens in the Castle of Otranto?
It tells the story of Manfred, the prince of Otranto, who is keen to secure the castle for his descendants in the face of a mysterious curse. The novel begins with the death of Manfred's son, Conrad, who is crushed to death by an enormous helmet on the morning of his wedding to the beautiful princess Isabella.
Why does Manfred marry Isabella?
Manfred wanted to marry Isabella to have another male heir, so he decided to divorce his own wife Hippolita. Manfred told Isabella that he wanted to marry her just a few hours after Conrad's death. The lady didn't want to, so she ran away from the room they were in.
Where was the Castle of Otranto set?
Generally regarded as the first Gothic novel, The Castle of Otranto was first published in 1764. Its author is Horace Walpole (1717–1797), but it purports to be a translation of a work printed in Naples in 1529 and newly discovered in the library of 'an ancient Catholic family in the north of England'.
Who is Theodore in the Castle of Otranto?
Theodore. Theodore, the son of Friar Jerome and savior of Isabella, is the true heir of the Castle of Otranto. His initial role in the novel is to illustrate the relationship between the fallen helmet and the prophecy of the true heir being revealed.
What defines a gothic novel?
Definition of Gothic Fiction The term Gothic fiction refers to a style of writing that is characterized by elements of fear, horror, death, and gloom, as well as romantic elements, such as nature, individuality, and very high emotion. These emotions can include fear and suspense.
When did Gothic literature start?
The First Wave of Gothic Novels: 1765-1820 The English Gothic novel began with Horace Walpole's The Castle of Otranto: A Gothic Story (1765).
Where do many Gothic novels take place?
The novels take place in ancient places such as castles, abbeys, monasteries.
How long is the Castle of Otranto?
The Castle of Otranto Horace Walpole. The average reader will spend 2 hours and 5 minutes reading The Castle of Otranto Horace Walpole at 250 WPM (words per minute). The Castle of Otranto is a 1764 novel by Horace Walpole.
When was the monk written?
Matthew Gregory Lewis's The Monk, written in ten weeks when the author was nineteen and published in 1796 when he was twenty, is the most lurid of the Gothic novels and, at the same time, one of the most vividly written (a combination guaranteed to produce a best-seller).
Who killed Conrad in The Castle of Otranto?
1 Manfred's son is killed, leaving Otranto no male heir. 2 Manfred accuses Theodore of killing Conrad by using magic.
What is the theme of Frankenstein?
The theme of creation is at the center of the novel, Frankenstein. The story shows how Victor creates a monster and instills life in it after gaining scientific knowledge of life at Ingolstadt. Victor plays God or pretends to become one to create life. His ambition of creating life and emulating his own creation fails.
What happens to the son in the Castle of Otranto?
It tells the story of Manfred, the prince of Otranto, who is keen to secure the castle for his descendants in the face of a mysterious curse. The novel begins with the death of Manfred's son, Conrad, who is crushed to death by an enormous helmet on the morning of his wedding to the beautiful princess Isabella.
6. When is the novel set?
16th century !8th century 17th century` the middle ages
7. Conrad is described as
sickly cruel dumb strong
8. Why do the servants think Manfred set up Conrad's wedding to
Isabella?
the prophecy
conrad is old and needs to be married
conrad demands it
isabella brings a lot of money
9. How does Conrad die?
falls off a tower strangled by a portrait crushed by a helmet stabbed by his father
10. Who does Manfred seem most concerned about after his son's death?
hippolita bianca matilda isabella
11 The helmet looks like the one
of jerome
of manfred
of alfonso
of frederic
11.Who points out the similarity of the helmet to the one on the statue? matilda a peasant hippolita a servant
12.What is the best way to describe Manfred? intelligent thoughtful prideful strange
13.What is Manfred's plan? to take a second wife, isabella to divorce his wife to kill his wife and marry isabella to divorce his wife and marry isabella
14.Why does Manfred no longer like Hippolita? she has not given him more sons she is cruel and selfish she is too religious she is too old 15.What is imbued with a spiritual presence? a looking-glass belonging to manfred's father a map the portrait of manfred's grandfather an old book
16.Where does Isabella flee? to the tower to the library
arrogance intellect physical prowess
23. Diego and Jaquez are
townspeople relatives monks servants
24. What annoys Manfred about talking to Diego and Jaquez?
they are too pompous they talk too slowly they talk too quietly they take forever to articulate what they saw
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