Critical Response 1

After reading the first Gothic novel, I can see that the novel really portrays its theme. There are many elements that present the gothic theme. One of the elements is the vulnerability of a women and the damsel in distress. After the death of Conrad, Isabella is being forced to marry her betrothed’s father. Due to his status as the king, his power, a woman’s obedience and his greed. Manfred will do whatever he can in order to marry Isabella so she can conceive sons. Isabella is trapped inside a haunted castle and she is terrified of such a tyrannical man who is after her. This is displayed as gothic because of the women’s vulnerability. She is alone and with no protector during certain moments like on page 34, where Manfred declares to marry Isabella while being alone with her. Manfred’s daughter, Matilda is another character who shows women vulnerability. She is very obedient and shows such loyalty to her father. Which displays her as a very weak character. It is a shock in the novel, when she commits an act of rebellion. When she frees Theodore out of the dungeon. Which gives one of the little twist in the novel.