I get the sense of loneliness, repentance and betrayal. The scene where Matilda free Theodore and Theodore finds Isabella wondering in the woods and hid her in the cave promising that he would vow to protect her is a sublime scene because you have a dark, cold, wet cave we can see this same setting in Caleb Williams Excerpt that the Cell he was imprisoned in was small, damp no light and beneath the ground. These locations are more macabre than majestic because the settings around both stories are feeling alone or aggravating sense of discouragement. The characters in each story have their own sense of loneliness. Manfred had his own sense of loneliness after his son, Conrad, dies. He then becomes envious of Theodore for taking the throne. Manfred kills his own Daughter by accident and immediately wants to repent and be forgiving but by his past actions. Isabella is the damsel in Distress and is physically alone after she fled from the castle. Matilda has a sense of Isolation because her father wont approve of her to be betroth to Theodore. Theodore is completely isolated after he is put into the tower waiting to be killed until Matilda frees him. “The Castle of Otranto” has a Macabre spectrum because the sites and scenes are terrifying for the characters but they always seem to make the beauty out of it which also makes it majestic.
Category: Blog: The Castle Of Otranto
Blog post for The Castle of Otranto
Create- Group 1
Frederic’s encounter with the spirit
As I, King Fredrick climbed the stairs to the apartments of Princess Hippolita, in hopes to find my dear sweet Matilda and to gaze upon her once again, my heart pounded with anticipation. I hope that Lady Hippolita would not find me forward, but for what a care might I have? The tyrant, that usurper… has taken the home that is rightfully mine. Yet, in his care I find the most virtuous woman to ever beheld my eyes. I care not what anyone may think of me this hour, I will sway Lady Hippolita to divorce, and make Matilda mine and mine alone. As I pushed the door ajar, I was not amazed to find Lady Hippolita not within sight but this stranger person who of solemnly seeming to be in prayer within. I had wished not to be discovered, so I quickly began to turn away once more and see of whom my mind desires, but the person stood, to my embarrassment of being discovered. I quickly formulated an excuse in my mind “Reverend Father, I sought the Lady Hippolita.” When the person responded, the room and all the air within seemed to stiffen at the sound of his voice. “Hippolita!” replied a hollow voice; “camest thou to this castle to seek Hippolita?” And as he turned it was as if my heart had stopped its beat, all ice within my veins had come to bear its fruit, as my eyes beheld a great horror of a skeleton man wrapped in the hermit’s cowl stood facing me. “Oh death, have you come for me?” my mind thought as my mouth screamed for the protection of the saints, my soul had tried to leave my body indeed
Jeremy Eisner(Group 1)- Clue
The story behind Fredric’s past seemingly represents a negative perspective of royalty and kingdoms as a whole. While Fredric himself, fights for his honnor and his bloodline to have his daughter returned to him, we learn that Isabella’s relevance to Manfred was completely built upon a dark temptation. At the beginning of chapter three, specifically on pages 57-58, we learn that Isabella had guardians that we’re bribed by Manfred in order to get closer to Isabella. He wanted to tempt her into marrying his son, but for more than believing his son was his prodigy and successor. We learn that he knew that Isabella’s father was the true Heir to the throne as he was directly related to Alfonso himself. So he intended to have his son marry her so he may take over the rule of all of Otranto, and by extent, Manfred would have all the power he wanted. Presumably, the author made this fixed wedding as a parallel to how he saw royalty at the time. He must have seen them as one rich family trying to sway those beneath them to do their biding in a quest for everlasting power. From a modern day perspective, his interpretation seems like a cliche of a pure evil villain that wants nothing but power and world domination. Overall, the brief details about the arrangements for Isabella’s wedding to Conrad actually adds a whole new layer to how the author felt about the political ruling at the time of writting the novel.
Brian Chan- Connect
The tower that Theodore is imprisoned in and the virtual cathedral are similar in emotions. They both make you feel like you’re going up, since both tend to lean upwards and give you a sense of isolation. They are different by the tower being a lonely and not so roomy space while the cathedral is very spacious and has a much more unique feel. These sites are a “sublime” experience. They are both majestic and macabre, but maybe mainly majestic. That is because towers are usually filled with princesses and cathedrals are seen as holy places with beautiful designs. The tower is described as dark, maybe to make it stand out from the other towers, since it is a castle after all. If something stands out, people tend to feel different about it. An example would be an antique phone among modern phones. Potential buyers, especially collectors, will think of that antique phone as a very prized possession rather than a regular phone, even though some individuals may not feel that way. So does the tower being dark make it more mysterious/lonely/isolated? Perhaps. As stated in the story, “And he ordered some of his attendants to carry Theodore to the top of the black tower, and guard him strictly.” A castle can be a good or bad place, depending on the story. In this case, we see it is a black tower, so it is most likely not a good place to be. Guards guarding someone at the top of a black tower sounds like a Disney princess story. Someone in distress or of valuable assets.
Critical Response Prompts: The Castle of Otranto, ch. 3-5
Each of the prompts should be answered by at least 1 member of the blog group. Please confer amongst yourselves as to who will write which prompt. Responses should be at least 250 words and posted by 11 am the day of class.
CONNECT: Chapter 3 of the novel moves through a couple new locations: the tower where Theodore is initially imprisoned, and the forest/cavern where he fights a knight.
Connect one of these locations to either the virtual cathedral or the prison described in “Caleb Williams.” Compare and contrast the emotions conjured by the settings. Are these sites of “sublime” experience? If so, does that experience tend towards the majestic or macabre side of the spectrum?
CLUE: Throughout ch. 3-5, we learn new revelations about the familial lines and marital alliances that govern these characters lives. Frederic’s family history is described in ch. 3-4; Theodore’s in 4-5; and Manfred’s full history in ch. 5. These bloodlines are integral to the competing claims of power in the novel.
Pick one moment where a family history is revealed. Reflect on how it might offer a clue as to Walpole’s political subtext. Is he attacking or affirming the hereditary system of power? In other words, what does the evidence reveal about Walpole’s attitude towards the tradition of land ownership?
CREATE: The novel has featured no shortage of supernatural phenomena. Ch. 4-5 include more apparitions: Frederick’s vision, which leads him to the prophecy about “Alfonso’s blood”; a giant hand that puts Bianca off of spying on Isabella; and, of course the giant ghost who resolves all conflicts at novel’s end. Pick one of these supernatural phenomena, and write a first–person description of it from one of the characters’ point of view. Try to show the character’s emotional and psychological responses. Include a direct quote after this paragraph as evidence.
