Melmoth the Wanderer: Analysis of Major Characters
"Melmoth the Wanderer" is a Gothic novel exploring themes of despair, temptation, and the supernatural through the lens of its major characters. At the center is John Melmoth, a young Irishman who inherits his uncle's property and uncovers a dark family legacy linked to the mysterious figure of Melmoth the Wanderer, a cursed ancestor doomed to wander the earth for 150 years in vain attempts to seduce souls to Satan. The narrative intertwines with the story of Mr. Stanton, an Englishman who encounters the Wanderer in Spain and becomes cursed, leading to his confinement in an asylum. Another significant character is Alonzo Moncada, a shipwrecked Spaniard who, while imprisoned by the Inquisition, faces the Wanderer’s tempting offers but ultimately rejects them. The Old Jewish Doctor provides additional context by recounting the tragic tale of a woman who fell in love with the Wanderer, leading to her demise after a cursed union. The interplay between these characters presents a rich tapestry of moral conflict and existential dread, making "Melmoth the Wanderer" a profound exploration of human nature and the consequences of choices made in desperation.
Melmoth the Wanderer: Analysis of Major Characters
Author: Charles Robert Maturin
First published: 1820
Genre: Novel
Locale: Ireland
Plot: Gothic
Time: Early nineteenth century
John Melmoth, a young Irishman who inherits his uncle's property, including a portrait of an early ancestor, which he is directed to destroy. He discovers a manuscript that tells about Melmoth the Wanderer, who visits John. Then a shipwrecked Spaniard tells of visitations of Melmoth the Wanderer. The Wanderer appears to John to tell him that he has finished his earthly pilgrimage of a century and a half. John hears strange noises in the night, and the next morning, his dread kinsman is gone.
John Melmoth's Uncle, who, though not a superstitious man, believes a stranger has been lurking about his house. He dies and leaves his property to his nephew with instructions to destroy a hidden portrait of an earlier John Melmoth.
Melmoth the Wanderer, a seventeenth century ancestor of young John Melmoth, also named John. He is doomed to wander the earth for a century and a half while trying to seduce souls to Satan. He wins not one soul in that time. Finally, he returns to his home in Ireland. He ends his life by plunging, or being thrown, over a cliff.
Mr. Stanton, an Englishman who leaves a manuscript telling the strange story of Melmoth the Wanderer. Stanton met the Wanderer in Spain, angered him, and was cursed. Because of the curse, Stanton was confined in Bedlam as a madman; he was visited by the Wanderer, who offered to secure Stanton's release from the asylum if Stanton would sell his soul to Satan. Stanton refused.
Alonzo Moncada, a Spaniard shipwrecked near the Melmoth home. While imprisoned by the Inquisition, he was approached by the Wanderer, who offered freedom in exchange for Moncada's soul. Moncada refused, but he later escaped prison anyway.
AnOldJewishDoctor, who makes a study of the history of the Wanderer. He tells Moncada about the daughter of Don Francisco di Aliaga, who was shipwrecked as an infant and grew up on an uninhabited island where she was visited by the Wanderer and fell in love with him. After she was found and returned home, the Wanderer visited her again, and they were married in a Satanic ceremony. Found out, she was turned over to the Inquisition. She died shortly after giving birth to the Wanderer's child. Her dying words expressed the hope that both she and the Wanderer would enter Heaven.