Gothic Classics: The Castle of Otranto and the Old English Baron

Horace Walpole's The Castle of Otranto offers a delightfully gothic story of a man's lust for power. Manfred, the prince of Otranto, spends the course of the novella attempting to continue his bloodline. His son Conrad is a sickly adolescent who is mortally injured by the supernatural in the first pages of the story; the incident prohibits him from marrying the lovely princess Isabella. Manfred resolves to divorce his barren wife Hippolita and marry Isabella to produce the heir he needs. Theodore, a young peasant recently accused (unreasonably) of Conrad's death, aids Isabella in her escape from the castle. As Isabella escapes, Theodore is rediscovered by the king and promptly imprisoned. The stage is set for a wide array of strange occurrences. The rest of the story yields many discoveries, such as Theodore's birthright, Manfred's motives for choosing Isabella, the identity of the silent knight, and the true meaning of the prophesy, "That the castle and lordship of Otranto should pass from the present family, whenever the real owner should be grown too large to inhabit it." (176) The story does a marvelous job of keeping the keen reader astonished and engaged. Though the language complicates the dialogue at times, the back and forth provides for a fast-paced and enjoyable tale of self-destruction. While many of Walpole's uses of the supernatural are antiquated, the story's effect is not lost. Anything it loses in suspense it compensates for with its plot, providing a complex yet plausible web of relationships. Piety, greed, integrity, vengeance, cruelty, and the other themes of the novella keep the reader thinking throughout the text, while not being overwhelming. A short and pleasant read, The Castle of Otranto offers an insight into human nature, as well as into gothic literature.

The Castle of Otranto was an unbelievable, but, nonetheless, interesting novel. Throughout the story, ghosts emerge, mythical curses become reality, and other "weird" things happen. However, the weirdness of the story makes the plot more interesting for the reader. The story's outlandish events that also starkly contrast the scholarship of the writing. The plot, although fairly developed, was at times startling and unexpected. Many times in the novel, various events occurred that the reader never thought would take place. As the story unravels, the plot becomes the major source for much of the character development. Therefore, the reader begins to understand the characters mainly through their interactions with one another. In my opinion, the character who was almost fully developed was Manfred. Through observing his interactions with other people, the reader sees Manfred as being manipulative and ruthless when it comes to getting his way. Manfred will destroy virtually anyone who defies his will. He becomes even more tyrannical as the story progresses, and Manfred doesn't admit to his own faults until the very end, when much is already in devastation. Most of the women in the book are passive and submissive. Look at Hippolitha! Too many times, Hippolitha tolerates the insolence and negligence of her "beloved" husband. Likewise, Matilda is very obedient towards her father. For most of the novel, Matilda is reluctant to defy her father's will. Although there were instances in which Matilda displayed hints of rebellion, these moments were fleeting. Overall, I would say that this book was a good novel. Once you get used to the Old English language, the sophistication of the plot and the Gothic eeriness of the setting will make The Castle of Otranto an intellectually stimulating read.

This book is the essence, and one of the first pieces of Gothic literature. It set the standards of cursed families, haunted castles, and other supernatural events in the genre. A cursed and selfish king tries to continue his lineage against all odds. In each terrible plan of his, he only digs himself deeper in trouble with the supernatural. This book is not a quick thriller because the plot is very complex and the language sometimes difficult to understand. The reader may have to reread again and again just to understand what is progressing in the story. Most characters are characterized very well, both directly and indirectly, and seem to fit a certain stereotype. There is a hero, a tyrant, an obedient wife, and a couple women to be won. This furthers shows why this book set the standard for the Gothic genre. I would definitely recommend this book but it should not be taken lightly.