Literary Criticism: The Castle Of Otranto

 

The Castle of Otranto really exists. It is located in the homonymous seaside town of Otranto, in Puglia.

It is a pentagonal fortress with a wide moat, with four towers, three are circular and one is a spear-shaped tower that extends towards the city's port.

The apex is when the apparition of a supernatural entity saves the life of Theodore, the two prophecies and the killing of Matilda.

The main hero is the friar Jerome who refuses to marry Isabella to Manfred as it is a marriage of convenience, this will cause the eventual death of his son Theodore.

The villain is Manfred, chauvinist, selfish, despot, and murderer.

The main themes are: Divorce, morality, reason v instincts.

This novel is populated by many characters, Manfred is the tyrannical husband, he cares about Conrad, Matilda being a female is irrelevant to him. The death of his son Conrad will drive him to madness.

In order to save his status quo he has no problem to rape Isabella.

Manfred is also a blackmailer, to have Isabella he is capable of condemning Theodore to death.

 Matilda is the daughter of Manfred, he loves his father and his mother Hippolita. She loves Theodore. According to her family she should marry Friederic.

Without the help of Friar Jerome and Theodore, Isabella was destined by others to marry a man that she doesn't love.

In the middle of the novel the reader says that Theodore is the son of Friar Jerome. he will do his best to protect Isabella, he will love two women Isabella and Matilda.

Hippolita is the wife of Manfred, she agrees to divorce from his husband, he remains under the influence of her husband.

Alfonso is the noble ancestor of the castle and principality of Otranto.

This is a classical gothic story riches of secret passages, caves, spirits, armors that come to life like the paintings where Alfonso is depicted.