Summary
Chapter III
Manfred is startled by the helmet’s movement and begs Jerome to intercede with heaven for him. Jerome sternly says that Manfred must pardon Theodore; Manfred hurriedly agrees. Jerome embraces his son and then asks who is outside for Manfred. A herald replies that it is a knight here for the usurper of Otranto.
Manfred’s fear turns to rage, and he tells Jerome he will keep his son hostage while Jerome retrieves Isabella. After the dismayed Jerome departs, Manfred brings the herald in.
The herald of the large knight says he is there in the name of Frederic Marquis of Vicenza, who demands Isabella. If Manfred does not comply, there will be single combat. Manfred knows that Frederic has a claim on the house of Otranto and all his heirs had styled themselves after Alfonso, but Manfred and his father and grandfather had been too powerful to be displaced. Frederic married a beautiful woman who died birthing Isabella, so he traveled to the Holy Land in his grief. He was wounded, imprisoned, and reported dead. This was why Manfred conceived of the marriage between Conrad and Isabella: to unite the houses.
Manfred turns to the herald and says his master is welcome and they will talk first, then he will allow the knight to leave unmolested. As he hears, this Jerome is agitated. He fears for Hippolita.
When Jerome returns to the monastery, a monk tells him that Hippolita is dead; news came from another friar a moment ago. Jerome is impatient and says could not be true because he was just at the castle. Unfortunately, Isabella has fled the monastery because she heard of Hippolita’s putative death and thought Manfred must have done it. Jerome is primarily worried about his son, though, and resolves to return to the castle.
The stranger knight and his train arrive at the castle. There is a wide array of heralds, pages, musicians, and more. The knight is on a chestnut steed, and his face is completely concealed by a vizor with feathers. He carries a gigantic sword.
Manfred is awed, and then sees the helmet swaying again and becomes afraid for his fate. He tries to be courageous and welcomes the knight. The knight does not speak but follows Manfred into the great hall. He refuses to disarm, but Manfred promises they will not be betrayed.
As they all take their places at the table, the sword carried by the statue falls on the ground opposite the helmet. Manfred is almost used to things like this happening but is still ill at ease. He tries to marshal his charm and inspire his company with his levity. No one will talk, however, so he takes the large knight and two fellow knights into a private room to palaver.
Manfred announces his claim to Otranto is from his father, who received it from his own father. Alfonso, who died in the holy lands, bequeathed the estate to his grandfather for his faithful services. The stranger shakes his head. Annoyed, Manfred asks where Frederic actually is, and if this knight can speak for him. The knight nods.
Manfred says he has something to propose. He tells them about Conrad dying, which surprises the visitors, and how depressed he (Manfred) is. He adopts a mournful air and asks if they have heard the rumors about Hippolita. They shake their heads, and he says that he expects at any moment to have their union dissolved. He fakes tears and says he only wants a successor; since Frederic is dead, he asks, would it not make sense for him to marry Isabella?
Before the knights can reply, a servant enters and says Jerome and some of his brethren demand to speak to Manfred. Before he can excuse himself the friars burst in. Manfred is angry at this intrusion, but Jerome says Isabella has fled and he is innocent of any involvement. The chief knight speaks for the first time and accuses Manfred of shady dealings; he asks why Isabella fled. Manfred lies and says he put her in the convent after Conrad died to figure out what to do with her. He looks at Jerome sternly, intimating that he should not contradict the lie. One of the other monks blurts out that this is not true, and the knight is enraged.
The company quits the castle, and Manfred orders all his men to find Isabella. Matilda hears all of this and deduces that her father probably did not think to keep Theodore’s guard there, so she goes to Theodore and sets him free. Theodore is amazed and thanks her, and tells her to flee with him. She sighs and says she is Manfred’s daughter and cannot. He asks to kiss her hand, but she declines, asking whether Isabella would approve. He is confused and says he does not know who that is. Finally it becomes clear to him that Matilda was not the woman in the vault, and that it was instead someone else. Before leaving Theodore says that he needs a sword and that he will show Manfred he will not fly ignominiously.
At that moment a deep groan sounds, but they do not know what it is. Matilda takes Theodore to the armory and gives him a suit and a weapon. She tells him how to get out of the castle through the caverns to the seacoast. He flings himself at her feet and begs to be her knight. Thunder shakes the castle and Matilda retreats quickly. Both are filled with passion, but Theodore has to leave.
Theodore travels to the convent and learns Jerome has gone after Isabella. He cannot stop thinking about the vanished Isabella. He is melancholy and goes to the forest Matilda told him about. He roves around the caves that used to be for hermits and now are said to be haunted by spirits. He assumes it is more likely that robbers are there than spirits. He hears rustling and draws his sword.
A woman suddenly falls before Theodore, terrified. He calms her and asks if she is Isabella. She implores him not to give her to Manfred, and he says that that is not his intention at all. He says they must hide in the caverns, but she is worried about her reputation if they go in together. He tells her he means her to go into the depths and he will guard the outside, and he adds that his heart belongs to another.
They hear voices and Theodore goes out to confront the armed knight, who was told by a peasant that Isabella might be there. The two begin to fight, Theodore assuming the knight belongs to Manfred. The combat soon ends with Theodore wounding the knight.
Sadly, though, when some of Manfred’s domestics arrive, Theodore learns the knight was actually an enemy of Manfred’s; thus, Theodore tries to stop the blood flowing. The dying knight calls for Isabella. She is scared of the domestics, but Theodore reassures her they are not armed.
The dying knight tells Isabella he is her father, Frederic, and he came to deliver her. Anguished, Isabella kisses him and says Theodore will defend her. Theodore vows to do so, and helps bind the wounds as best they can to take Frederic back to the castle.
Chapter IV
The group returns to the castle and it is not long before Frederic is declared to be out of harm’s way. Frederic is distracted by how lovely Matilda is, but manages to tell his daughter his tale. When he was in prison he had a dream that his daughter was imprisoned in a castle. Not long after he was released, he traveled through the wood he had seen in his dream. He and his retinue came across a dying hermit who told them that he had a secret to reveal only on his deathbed. The hermit, dying, said St. Nicholas came to him with a vision. The hermit pointed to an area in the dirt and Frederic and his knights dug up a huge sword there, the very one they had brought to court.
Frederic pauses for a moment, nervous to keep going in front of Hippolita. She knows that he will probably do something to disrupt the fate of her house, but she tells him to proceed and that she cannot stop the will of heaven. He repeats lines from the vision about the sword saving a maid and Alfonso’s blood being necessary, but Theodore wonders what they have to do with the princesses. To him it seems unrelated and mysterious. Frederic tells him to stop being rude.
Manfred, Jerome, and others enter. Manfred looks at Frederic but then becomes agitated, asking if anyone can see the specter he sees—it is Alfonso. Hippolita calms him and says that it is only Theodore, but Manfred does not know the young man escaped. He assumes it was through Jerome’s aid, and Jerome allows him to think this. Manfred demands Theodore finally explain how he came to this castle.
Theodore gives his history. When he was five he traveled with his mother to Algiers. She was captured by corsairs and died within a year. She told him he was the son of the count of Falconara. Theodore was enslaved but then rescued by a Christian vessel; thereafter, he endeavored to find his father’s estate. It was ruined and his father had retired to religion. He wandered into the region of Otranto six days ago.
Frederic speaks up and asserts that he finds Theodore brave, generous, and warm. He urges Manfred to spare him. Manfred agrees to let Theodore retire to the convent with Jerome. Matilda and Isabella retire to their own chambers, each consumed in thought. Matilda wonders if Isabella and Theodore have an understanding, and she does not want to intervene. Isabella ruminates on the look Theodore gave Matilda, and how he told her he loved someone; however, she is confused because she does not know how he met Matilda, nor does she know if Matilda likes him as well. Isabella decides he is rude and that she will encourage her friend not to marry him and to take the veil.
The two young women meet and blush, feeling awkward. They discuss Theodore haltingly and Isabella says she does not like him because he wounded her father. Matilda says she barely knows him. Isabella tries to warn her friend, suggesting Theodore is false. Finally she relents and tells Matilda that she thinks Theodore loves her. Both girls are distressed, though, because both have feelings for him. Isabella decides to let her friend have him because he clearly prefers Matilda.
Hippolita comes in the room and tells the girls she has been trying to convince Frederic to marry Matilda to avert the ruin of the house. The girls are shocked, especially Isabella, who tells Hippolita about the way Manfred treated her and how he plans to divorce Hippolita and marry her. Matilda weeps, and Hippolita is silent and grief-stricken. Hippolita says she will offer herself for the divorce and withdraw to a monastery because it seems to be her destiny. Isabella urges her not to do so. She also says she will never consent to what Manfred wants from her.
Hippolita sighs that heaven and husbands control things. The girls reveal their shared passion for Theodore, but Hippolita says Matilda must forget him. She cries that she will agree not to marry him, but she cannot marry another. Her mother replies that her fate is in her father’s hands.
Hippolita secretly plans to ask Jerome if she can in good conscience consent to a divorce. While she is preparing to do so, Jerome and Theodore quarrel over Theodore’s love for the princess. Jerome chides him for his affection for Matilda. Theodore boasts that the tyrant must be deposed.
Jerome sighs and says he must tell his son the story of Alfonso. Before he can do so, Hippolita arrives. Theodore is dismissed and Hippolita asks about the divorce. He discourages her strongly from this plan.
Frederic in the meantime is entranced by Matilda’s charms and decides to marry her; he will also let Isabella marry Manfred if Hippolita agrees to the divorce. Manfred hastens to the convent and is incensed to find Jerome there, counseling Hippolita not to consent. Jerome silences him and says the church despises his plan. He will curse Manfred if the divorce goes forward.
As Manfred speaks of his plan further, three drops of blood drop from the nose of the statue of Alfonso. Manfred turns pale and Hippolita drops to the ground. The friar says this is a sign from heaven.
Manfred gathers himself and orders Hippolita to the castle. He bans Jerome from his castle because he is a traitor. Jerome retorts that his seat of power will wither away.
Analysis
In these two chapters Walpole marshals his Gothic forces and sends them out in full regalia. Here are vanished lords returned, weepy women, battles, handsome heroes, damsels in distress, visions and tragedies. The emotion is more heightened than ever, with the women in paroxysms of grief and despair and Manfred in fits of rage and mounting anxiety. There is, as Joanne Kashdan writes, a clear “repudiation of neoclassical ideals of proportion, balance, and harmony.” All is rising action; all is excess and untrammeled emotion.
While readers certainly wouldn’t read this novel as history or nonfiction (especially after Walpole came clean on its authorship and origins in the second preface) it can actually offer a lot of insight on the type of history and narrative that Walpole valued. Walpole was not intending to chronicle an actual time period; rather, as critic Jonathan Dent argues, he “is more concerned with the ways in which the past comes to be narrativized and structured.” His use of the Gothic in his novel “reveals the futility of employing any abiding framework to interpret and unify the past; it is simply too remote and polymorphous for any infrastructure of understanding.” Any attempt to create a framework will result in distortion or reductionism. The Gothic reveals that humankind cannot know a past truth or reality and certainly cannot represent it in nature.
Walpole seems to say, then, that our access to the past comes from our access to texts, but that those texts can be lacking or hard to translate. Otranto in its William-Marshal-translated form especially suggests this, as it destabilizes all notion of history vs. fiction. Another element at play here is that, as Dent notes, “the Gothic is in essence an imaginative revolt against eighteenth-century historiography’s derisory attitude towards the prevalence of superstition in former ages and, for this very reason, superstitious beliefs proliferate in Walpole’s Gothic novel.” Manfred believes the prophecy and he believes that he sees his grandfather’s portrait come alive; the servants claim to see a massive armored giant; Frederic encounters the ghost of the hermit; the helmet crushes Conrad; Theodore is Alfonso come to life again; the castle walls tumble when Theodore takes up his birthright. Though Walpole writes in an era of Enlightenment, he refuses to elide such superstitions from his novel. The imagination is a valuable tool in helping make the past come alive for those in the present.
Walpole also plays around with chronology and order, refusing to construct a rational and coherent progression of events. Events happen conterminously but sometimes do not seem to make sense in terms of where they fall: characters move from castle to woods to convent as if there are no real boundaries of time and space; events repeat themselves; characters’ accounts clash and are subject to skepticism. There is more truth in this, however, than the superficial sense of order placed on historical narratives or fictional narratives claiming to offer truth. The Gothic is by nature disordered and irrational as well as intently focused on what is scurrilous and uncivilized. Incest, violence, death, and deeply repressed urges are commonplace in Otranto, for the Gothic is an “imaginative protest against rational, reductive, historiographical techniques.” It “[dismantles] established epistemic solutions” and “highlights the need for a more flexible, elastic method of writing the past; one that can more effectively accommodate imagination, violence, and contingency.”
A final thing to point out is the prevalence of mistaken identities and doubles in these chapters. These are core components of Freud’s uncanny and contribute to the sense of disquiet in the text. Matilda and Isabella are in some respects interchangeable: they both love Theodore; they are both victims; they are both young, beautiful, and virtuous. Theodore confuses the two of them in terms of whom he rescued in the vaults, and he will later marry Isabella after Matilda is killed. Frederic arrives after years of being presumed dead, and is mistakenly attacked by Theodore because he assumes the knight is an ally of Manfred’s. At the end of the novel Manfred mistakes Matilda for Isabella, which is the most deadly mistaken identity of them all. The fungible boundaries between characters thus leads to trauma and terror, adding to the sense of the unstable and the irreparable.
