The Castle of Otranto by Horace Walpole
"The Castle of Otranto," written by Horace Walpole in 1765, is often regarded as the first Gothic novel, exploring themes of power, love, and supernatural elements. Set in a mysterious medieval castle, the story begins with Prince Manfred, who seeks to marry Isabella, the daughter of the marquis of Vicenza, to secure an heir after the tragic death of his son, Conrad, under an oversized helmet. The narrative unfolds with a series of supernatural occurrences and familial conflicts, as Manfred's obsession with Isabella leads him down a path of tyranny and despair.
As Isabella escapes through the castle's secret passages, she encounters Theodore, a young peasant who becomes her protector. The plot thickens with the arrival of the Knight of the Gigantic Sabre, Isabella's father, who challenges Manfred's claim to the throne and rights over Isabella. Amidst duels, mistaken identities, and ghostly apparitions, the story ultimately reveals deeper truths about lineage and justice, culminating in a tragic climax that exposes Manfred's usurpation.
The novel intricately weaves elements of romance, suspense, and morality, reflecting the anxieties of its time while also establishing conventions that would influence the Gothic genre for years to come. "The Castle of Otranto" stands as a pioneering work that invites readers to explore the interplay between fate and human ambition within a richly atmospheric setting.
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The Castle of Otranto by Horace Walpole
First published: 1765
Type of work: Novel
Type of plot: Gothic
Time of plot: Twelfth century
Locale: Italy
Principal characters
Manfred , the prince of OtrantoMatilda , Manfred’s daughterConrad , Manfred’s sonIsabella , Conrad’s fiancéFather Jerome , a priestTheodore , a young peasant and the true heir to Otranto
The Story:
Manfred, the prince of Otranto, plans to marry his fifteen-year-old son Conrad to Isabella, the daughter of the marquis of Vicenza. On the day of the wedding, however, a servant runs into the hall and informs the assembled company that a huge helmet has appeared mysteriously in the courtyard of the castle. When Count Manfred and his guests rush into the courtyard, they find Conrad crushed to death beneath a gigantic helmet adorned with waving black plumes. Theodore, a young peasant, declares the helmet is like that on a statue of Prince Alfonso the Good, which stands in the chapel. Another spectator shouts that the helmet is missing from the statue. Prince Manfred imprisons the young peasant as a magician and charges him with the murder of the heir to Otranto.
That evening, Manfred sends for Isabella. He informs her that he intends to divorce his wife so that he himself might marry her and have another male heir. Frightened, Isabella runs away and loses herself in the passages beneath the castle. There she encounters Theodore, who helps her to escape through an underground passage into a nearby church. Manfred, searching for the girl, accuses the young man of aiding her. As he is threatening Theodore, servants rush up to tell the prince of a giant who is sleeping in the great hall of the castle. When Manfred returns to the hall, the giant disappears.
The following morning, Father Jerome comes to inform Manfred and his wife that Isabella took sanctuary at the altar of his church. Sending his wife away, Manfred calls on the priest to help him divorce his wife and marry Isabella. Father Jerome refuses, warning Manfred that heaven will punish him for harboring such thoughts. The priest unthinkingly suggests Isabella might be in love with the handsome young peasant who aided in her escape.
Manfred, enraged at the possibility, confronts Theodore. Although the young man does not deny having aided the princess, he claims never to have seen her before. The frustrated Manfred orders him to the courtyard to be executed, and Father Jerome is called to give absolution to the condemned man; however, when the collar of the lad is loosened, the priest discovers a birthmark that proves the young peasant to be Father Jerome’s son, born before the priest entered the Church. Manfred offers to stay the execution if the priest will deliver Isabella to him. At that moment, a trumpet sounds at the gates of the castle.
The trumpet signals the arrival of a herald from the Knight of the Gigantic Sabre, champion of Isabella’s father, who is the rightful heir to Otranto. Greeting Manfred as a usurper, the herald demands either the immediate release of Isabella and Manfred’s abdication or the satisfaction of mortal combat. Manfred invites the Knight of the Gigantic Sabre to the castle, hoping to get his permission to marry Isabella and keep the throne. The knight enters the castle with five hundred men at arms and a hundred more carrying one gigantic sword.
During the feast, the strange knight keeps silent and raises his visor only to pass food into his mouth. Later, Manfred broaches the question of marrying Isabella, telling the knight he wishes to marry again to ensure himself of an heir. Before he finishes, Father Jerome arrives with the news of Isabella’s disappearance from the church. After everyone goes to look for Isabella, Manfred’s daughter, Matilda, helps Theodore to escape from the castle.
In the forest, Theodore meets Isabella and promises to protect her. Shortly thereafter, they meet the Knight of the Gigantic Sabre. Fearing the knight means harm to Isabella, the young man overcomes him in combat. The knight, thinking he is about to die, reveals to Isabella that he is her father. They return together to the castle, where Isabella’s father confides to her that he discovered the gigantic sword in the Holy Land. It is a miraculous weapon; on the blade is written that only the blood of Manfred can atone for the wrongs committed on the family of the true ruler of Otranto. When Manfred returns to the castle, he finds Theodore dressed in armor. It seems to Manfred that the young man resembles the prince whose throne Manfred usurped.
Manfred still hopes to wed Isabella, and he craftily wins her father’s consent by allowing that nobleman’s betrothal to Matilda. At that point, a nearby statue drips blood from its nose, an omen that disaster will follow the proposed marriages.
Manfred sees only two courses open to him. One is to surrender all claims to Otranto; the other is to proceed with his plan to marry Isabella. In either case, it appears that fate is against his success. A second appearance of the giant in the castle does not ease the anxiety he feels. When Isabella’s father hears of the giant, he decides not to court disaster by marrying Matilda or by permitting Manfred to marry his daughter. His resolution is strengthened when a skeleton in the rags of a hermit exhorts him to renounce Matilda.
Hours later, Manfred is told that Theodore is in the chapel with a woman. Jealous, he goes to the chapel and stabs the woman, who is his own daughter Matilda. Over the body of Matilda, Theodore announces that he is the true ruler of Otranto. Suddenly, the giant form of the dead Prince Alfonso appears, proclaiming Theodore to be the true heir. Then he ascends to heaven, where he is received by St. Nicholas.
The truth becomes known that Theodore is the son of Father Jerome, when he was still prince of Falconara, and Alfonso’s daughter. Manfred confesses his usurpation, and he and his wife enter neighboring convents. Theodore marries Isabella and rules as the new prince of Otranto.
Bibliography
Brown, Marshall. “Walpole: The Birth of The Castle of Otranto.” In The Gothic Text. Stanford, Calif.: Stanford University Press, 2005. A history of the gothic novel, including a less-than-flattering analysis of The Castle of Otranto. Brown observes that, “When so poor a book spawns so long a line of fascinating, if slightly naughty, successors, distinctive questions arise about literary origins and creativity.”
Day, William Patrick. In the Circles of Fear and Desire: A Study of Gothic Fantasy. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1985. A study of the themes and conventions of gothic fantasy from the publication of Walpole’s novel through the twentieth century. Discusses Manfred as an example of the typical gothic male protagonist.
Heiland, Donna. “Patriarchal Narratives in the Work of Horace Walpole, Clara Reeve, and Sophia Lee.” In Gothic and Gender: An Introduction. Malden, Mass.: Blackwell, 2004. A feminist examination of the themes in gothic literature, including The Castle of Otranto. In addition to the chapter about Walpole, there are other references to his novel that are listed in the index.
Kallich, Martin. Horace Walpole. New York: Twayne, 1971. Discusses the formal style and period-piece conventions of the novel. Suggests a reading of the story as a version of the Freudian family romance, with such Oedipal themes as desire for the mother, anger toward the father, and fear of punishment.
Sabor, Peter, ed. Horace Walpole: The Critical Heritage. London: Routledge & Kegan Paul, 1987. A valuable collection of reviews, introductions, contemporary discussions, and letters relating to Walpole’s works. Includes eighteen items discussing The Castle of Otranto.
Varma, Devendra. The Gothic Flame. New York: Russell & Russell, 1966. A well-known history of the English gothic novel that discusses both the origins and the influences of the genre. Clarifies the various gothic conventions originated by The Castle of Otranto, particularly its surrealistic style and gothic hero.
Wall, Cynthia. “The Castle of Otranto: A Shakespeareo-Political Satire?” In Historical Boundaries, Narrative Forms: Essays on British Literature in the Long Eighteenth Century in Honor of Everett Zimmerman, edited by Lorna Clymer and Robert Mayer. Newark: University of Delaware Press, 2007. An unusual interpretation of the novel.
Watt, James. “Origins: Horace Walpole and The Castle of Otranto.” In Contesting the Gothic: Fiction, Genre, and Cultural Conflict, 1764-1832. New York: Cambridge University Press, 1999. Charts the changing nature of gothic fiction from Walpole’s novel to the works of Sir Walter Scott.
Wein, Toni. British Identities, Heroic Nationalisms, and the Gothic Novel, 1764-1824. New York: Palgrave, 2002. Argues that gothic fiction emerged in Britain during a time of upheaval that required the construction of a new national identity. Charts the historical and social developments that spurred the genre’s development.