Isabella Running
At those words he seized the cold hand of Isabella, who was half-dead with fright and horror. She shrieked, and started from him. Manfred rose to pursue her...That lady, whose resolution had given way to terror the moment she had quitted Manfred, continued her flight to the bottom of the principal staircase. There she stopped, not knowing whither to direct her steps, nor how to escape from the impetuousity of the prince. The gates of the castle she knew were locked, and guards placed in the court. Should she, as her heart prompted her, go and prepare Hippolita for the cruel destiny that awaited her, she did not doubt but Manfred would seek her there, and that his violence would incite him to double the injury he had meditated, without leaving room for them to avoid the impetuousity of his passions. Delay might give him time to reflect on the horrid measures he had concieved, or produce some circumstance in her favor, if she could for that night at least avoid his odious purpose.--Yet where to conceal herself! How to avoid the pursuit he would infallibly make throughout the castle! As these thoughts passed rapidly through her mind, she recollected a subterreneous passage which led from the vaults of the castle to the church of saint Nicholas. Could she reach the altar before she was overtaken, she knew even Manfred's violence would not dare profane the sacredness of the place; and she determined, if no other means of deliverance offered, to shut herself up for ever among the holy virgins, whose convent was contiguous to the cathedral. In this resolution, she seized a lamp that burned at the foot of the staircase, and hurried towards the secret passage (25, 26-27).
The above iconic scene from The Castle of Otranto depicts Isabella running from Prince Manfred upon his announcement that he wants to marry her. The image of the terrified maiden fleeing danger has become almost standard in Gothic fiction and horror. What is its role? In Isabella's case, the maiden runs in order to find a place to hide and seclude herself from danger. And yet, with the object of her terror in pursuit, she is less likely to escape the danger she is fleeing from, and more likely to have it overtake her. As long as danger follows she is not truly safe. Rather than emancipating the heroine, her flight traps her more and more in her fear, enhancing the experience of terror for the reader. Notice how Isabella is wary of how Manfred's fury will be restrained based on where she goes to hide. If she seeks refuge with her friends, she fears Manfred will hurt them also. This leads her to conclude that she must leave the castle altogether. If she runs to the castle gates, she is more likely to be caught by Manfred's guards, and they will turn her over to their master. She believes that Manfred will not dare harm her, however, if she goes to the church of Saint Nicholas. Isabella indeed flees to the church, and Manfred cannot harm her as long as the possessors of the church, namely Father Jerome, do not turn her in to Manfred, and so the conflict in the novel escalates as Manfred attempts to retrieve Isabella from the safety of the church.
The great falling helmet
The great falling helmet
The first thing that struck Manfred’s eyes was a group of
his servants endeavoring to raise something that appeared to him a mountain of
sable plumes. He gazed without believing
his sight.
“What are ye doing?”
cried Manfred, wrathfully; “where is my son?”
A volley of voices replied, “Oh! My Lord! The Prince! The Prince! The helmet! The
helmet!”
Shocked with these lamentable sounds, and dreading he
knew not what, he advanced hastily, - but what a sight for a father’s eyes! –
he beheld his child dashed to pieces, and almost buried under an enormous
helmet, an hundred times more large than any casque ever made for human being,
and shaded with a proportionable quantity of black feathers.
The horror of the spectacle, the ignorance of all around
how this misfortune had happened, and above all, the tremendous phenomenon
before him, took away the Prince’s speech. (12-13).
One of the most famous scenes in The Castle of Otranto is the falling helmet scene in the
beginning. This spectacle foreshadows
things to come for the entirety of the novel, from the prophecy of the owner
outgrowing his home, to the submersion of the reader into a world in which
nothing is out of ordinary, and anything is to be expected. So also begins the mad journey of Manfred,
attempting to redeem his bloodline. As
the falling helmet obviously dictates, however, there is an external force at work,
striving against Manfred. Through this,
it is quickly established that Otranto is no ordinary tale, and that in fact it is
a supernatural dream or a walking nightmare for the characters from which they
cannot awake. Such a display instantly
demonstrates to the reader that this is a new concept for them, and is
tantamount to The Castle of
Otranto being viewed as a
predecessor of gothic literature. The unbinding
of reality is shown through the ridiculous nature of the helmet, as the permanency
of that same reality is displayed through the lasting death of Conrad. This is to say, that through this falling
helmet scene, the foreshadowing of supernatural occurrences occurring in
reality and their effects on the characters is displayed.
Isabella and Theodore in the cave
“Alas! What mean you,
sir?” said she. “Though all your actions
are noble, though your sentiments speak the purity of your soul, is it fitting
that I should accompany you alone into these perplexed retreats? Should we be found together, what would a
censorious world think of my conduct?”
“I respect your virtuous
delicacy,” said Theodore; “nor do you harbour a suspicion that wounds my honour. I meant to conduct you into the most private
cavity of these rocks, and then at the hazard of my life to guard their
entrance against every living thing.
Besides, Lady,” continued he, drawing a deep sigh, “beauteous and all
perfect as your form is, and though my wishes are not guiltless of aspiring,
know, my soul is dedicated to another;” (120-121).
The dialogue
portrayed in this portion of the text is indicative of the chivalric nature
present in medieval tales. Although Walpole is diverging a great deal from traditions
in The Castle of Otranto, he continues with the noble and idealistic
notions of gentlemanship and chivalry.
This is seen through the treatment that Theodore gives to Isabella in
the cave, and the manner with which he speaks.
It is seen throughout the novel, even Manfred, the antagonist, speaks
many times with respect to the other characters, especially the men. This notion is important in that Walpole is not completely breaking the norms of a
medieval tale, even though he has many new elements that introduce gothic
fiction. As the first gothic novel, Otranto portrays a ‘glossy’ viewing into the darker side of human nature. Many novels and fictions that follow in the
novels footsteps eliminate this chivalric nature entirely, while Otranto is a transitional piece from classical novels and the traditional
sense into the supernatural and foreboding world of gothic fiction. Additionally, this scene gives us a feel for
the true intentions of Theodore, and how he is dedicated to another. This shows that concepts such as love and
propriety are still in effect, even in the gothic fiction setting. In short, this scene displays chivalric code
present in the novel and demonstrates Otranto as a transition
from the classical into the gothic fiction form.
Frederic's Story
Wishing to detain them by his bedside, he informed Hippolita of his story. He told her that, while prisoner to the infidels, he had dreamed that his daughter, of whom he had learned no news since his captivity, was detained in a castle, where she was in danger of the most dreadful misfortunes; and that if he obtained his liberty, and repaired to a wood near Joppa, he would learn more. Alarmed at this dream, and incapable of obeying the direction given by it, his chains became more grievous than ever. But while his thoughts were occupied on the means of obtaining his liberty, he received the agreeable news that the confederate princes, who were warring in Palestine, had paid his ransom. He instantly set out for the wood that had been marked in his dream. For three days he and his attendants had wandered in the forest without seeing a human form: but on the evening of the third they came to a cell, in which they found a venerable hermit in the agonies of death. Applying rich cordials, they brought the saint-like man to his speech. My sons, said he, I am bounden to your charity—but it is in vain—I am going to my eternal rest—yet I die with the satisfaction of performing the will of heaven. When I first repaired to this solitude, after seeing my country become a prey to unbelievers [it is, alas! Fifty years since I was witness to that dreadful scene] saint Nicholas appeared to me, and revealed a secret, which he bade me never disclose to mortal man, but on my deathbed. This is that tremendous hour, and ye are no doubt the chosen warriors to whom I was ordered to reveal my trust. As soon as ye have done the last offices to this wretched corse, dig under the seventh tree on the left hand of this poor cave, and your pains will—Oh! Good heaven receive my soul! With those words the devout man breathed his last. By break of day, continued Frederic, when we had committed the holy relics to the earth, we dug according to direction—But what was our astonishment, when about the depth of six feet we discovered an enormous sabre—the very weapon yonder in the court? On the blade, which was then partly out of the scabbard, though since closed by our efforts in removing it, were written the following lines...
Where'er a casque that suits this sword is found,
With perils is thy daughter compass'd round:
Alfonso's blood alone can save the maid,
And quiet a long-restless prince's shade (81-82).
The Castle of Otranto's story within a story, Frederic's story of the giant sabre serves to unite the plot and explicate the unnanounced arrival of the marquis. Furthermore, it demonstrates that larger forces are at work within and without Otranto's walls: the forces of divine justice conspiring to overthrow the wicked Manfred. By uniting the sword with the giant helmet, Frederic ensures not only the safety of his daughter Isabella but the return of Alfonso's true heir, and the ghost haunting the castle will be put to rest. Frederic's narrative brings out the supernatural and the superstitious elements haunting the tale, confirming everyone's worst fears and making their irrational approach to the upheaval of the giant casque rational. It makes the story larger than itself: by incorporating events from outside the Castle's walls, the laws of the Gothic universe in which the characters live are validated. The additional layer of narrative also introduces the hermit that will later appear as a ghostly corpse to Frederic when he consents to marry Manfred's daughter Matilda. The story, then, explains the frightening details that are keeping the readers attention in the novel but at the same time leads them to anticipate more excitement.
