The Castle of Otranto

First page of an adaptation of The Castle of Otranto from the 1948 first issue of the American comic book Adventures into the Unknown.

The Castle of Otranto is a historical fantasy novel by the British author, historian and politician Horace Walpole. It was first published in 1764.

The novel takes place in the Principality of Otranto in medieval Italy. The ruler of the principality is a man known as Prince Manfred. Some people believe that Manfred has no right to rule because he is not related to Good Prince Alfonso, a national hero who ruled Otranto three generations earlier and is venerated almost like a saint. Prince Manfred's grandfather came to power under somewhat dubious circumstances. Although there is a prophecy that his line will not endure, Prince Manfred is keen to secure his succession. He sees no value in his 18-year-old daughter Matilda and takes no interest in her. He pins all of his hopes for the future of his dynasty on his only other child, his sickly 15-year-old son Conrad. Prince Manfred has arranged for Conrad to be married to Princess Isabella, one of the closest living relatives of Prince Alfonso. On the day that he is to marry Isabella, Conrad is suddenly crushed to death by an enormous helmet that falls on him from above having seemingly appeared out of nowhere. Reasoning that he has to make more heirs, Manfred decides to divorce his wife Hippolita and marry the young Princess Isabella himself. When Isabella finds out Manfred's intentions towards her, she is horrified. She flees Manfred's castle in terror. She is helped in her escape by Theodore, a brave and handsome young peasant who has recently arrived in the region. Earlier in the day, Theodore had himself escaped imprisonment, due to a happy accident, after he had been accused of being a sorcerer who caused Conrad's death.

The Castle of Otranto was originally falsely presented to the public as a translation of a medieval Italian work. In the preface to the first edition, Horace Walpole, writing under the pseudonym William Marshal, claims to have found the story in an Italian book printed in 1529, although he speculates that it may have been written more than four centuries earlier. The text is written in deliberately archaic language in order to add to its medieval feel. In the preface to the second edition, Walpole admitted he was the true author of the work and explained his motivation behind the deception. Walpole believed that The Castle of Otranto would be better received if readers believed it to be a medieval work rather than a modern one. Whereas fantasy elements were common in works of medieval literature, they had fallen completely out of favor by the 18th century with readers of Walpole's day demanding greater realism. Walpole sought to reintroduce the fantastical into literature and to combine the fantasy found in medieval literature with the realism of 18th century literature by depicting characters reacting naturally to extraordinary supernatural occurrences.

The Castle of Otranto is considered to be the first work of Gothic literature. As such, it was highly influential on later works in the genre, such as Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, Bram Stoker's Dracula, Robert Louis Stevenson's Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde and many of the writings of Edgar Allan Poe.

A surrealist Czechoslovakian animated short film adaptation of The Castle of Otranto was released in 1977.

Plot

Title page of the 1766 third edition of The Castle of Otranto.

The Castle of Otranto is home to Prince Manfred, the ruler of the Principality of Otranto, his wife Princess Hippolita and their two children, 18-year-old Princess Matilda and 15-year-old Prince Conrad. Prince Manfred takes no interest whatsoever in Matilda. Although he is a sickly boy, it is entirely on Conrad that Manfred places all his hopes for the future of his dynasty. There is a worrying prophecy that the Castle of Otranto will be lost to Manfred's family "whenever the real owner should be grown too large to inhabit it/" Manfred has arranged for Conrad to be married to Princess Isabella. the daughter of Frederic the Marquis of Vicenza. The marriage was arranged with Isabella's legal guardian because her father went missing while fighting in a Crusade several years earlier. Isabella has no great love for Conrad. She is, however, very fond of both Hippolita and Isabella. Having never known her parents, her mother having died while giving birth to her, Isabella sees Prince Manfred and Princess Hippolita as parental figures.

On the day that he is to be married to Isabella, Conrad is suddenly killed when a huge helmet, .a hundred times larger than one ever made for a human head, lands on top of him. A crowd of people gather to see the strange event. A young peasant comments that the helmet that has crushed Conrad to death looks just like the one on the black marble statue of Prince Alfonso the Good in the Church of St. Nicholas. For reasons that the young peasant does not understand, Prince Manfred becomes very angry when he hears this. Some other people go to the nearby church and find that the helmet has disappeared from the statue. Word spreads among the crowd that the young peasant who made the comment about the helmet must be behind the disappearance of the helmet from the statue and the death of Prince Conrad. Although he is inwardly somewhat skeptical about it, Manfred considers it convenient to hold somebody responsible for his son's death. he declares that the peasant must be a sorcerer and he should be imprisoned beneath the helmet itself. Manfred is insistent that no food be given to the prisoner, saying that he should be able to use his magical powers to feed himself.

That evening, Manfred calls for Isabella to come to him. He tells her that Conrad's death could turn out to be fortunate for her since she will now have a better husband. Isabella does not understand what Manfred means at first. Manfred then makes it plain that he intends to be Isabella's husband. The death of Conrad makes it necessary for him to have more male heirs. Since he does not believe that the ageing Hippolita can give him more children, he intends to divorce her and marry Isabella instead. Isabella is horrified by this suggestion. Whem she sees that Manfred is prepared to force himself on her immediately, Isabella becomes terrified. A sigh then comes from the portrait of Manfred's grandfather. The ghostly image of the former prince then steps out of the picture and walks away. Manfred follows the ghost for a while. Isabella takes advantage of Manfred's distraction to escape. Manfred comes across Hippolita and Matilda. He demands that they tell him where Isabella is. They cannot answer.

Isabella remembers hearing of an underground passage that leads straight from the castle to the Church of St. Nicholas. Isabella plans to find it and seek sanctuary in the church. She comes to a vault with a partially collapsed ceiling. in the darkness, she can just make out the figure of a young man. He agrees to help her look for the trapdoor that leads to the underground passage. They find it, just as they hear Manfred and some of his soldiers approach. Isabella descends into the passage. The trapdoor slips out of the young man's hands and he is left behind. Manfred and his soldiers enter the vault. By the light of their torches, Manfred recognizes the man as the young peasant he ordered imprisoned beneath the helmet earlier. When questioned, the peasant says that the helmet made a hole in the floor when the guards placed it over him and he escaped through it into the vault below. The peasant replies honestly to all direct questions that the Prince asks him but he says nothing about the young woman that he helped escape and does not volunteer any information that could cause trouble for her.

Two servants, Jaquez and Diego, enter the vault. They say that there is a giant in the great chamber next to the gallery and that Diego has seen its leg and foot. The two servants are too frightened to go back there with Manfred to investigate. The young peasant volunteers to go with him instead. On the way there, they meet Hippolita. She says that the servants already told her about the giant. She and her chaplain investigated and found nothing. Manfred, impressed by the young peasant's bravery, arranges for him to be given a chamber where he can sleep for the bight.

Matilda is alone in her chamber with her maid Bianca. Thoughts about the strange events of the day, the death of her brother, reports of the giant in the great chamber, the unexplained disappearance of Isabella and her father's hostile behavior towards her mother, prevent Matilda from sleeping. Bianca suggests that, now that Conrad is dead, Manfred may try to arrange a good marriage for Matilda. Matilda thinks this is unlikely and says that she is not interested in marriage anyway. Bianca replies that Matilda would probably be interested if a husband could be found for her who looked like the portrait of Prince Alfonso ay which she often looks for long periods of time. Matilda is insulted by this. She says that she spends a lot of time looking at Prince Alfonso's portrait and praying at his tomb with her mother out of respect for the memory of the good prince and out of a feeling she has that her destiny is somehow connected to something related to him. Bianca thinks this is strange because Matilda's family is in no way related to that of Prince Alfonso.

Bianca and Matilda hear singing coming from the chamber below them. The chamber used to belong to Conrad's tutor who committed suicide by drowning and nobody has slept there since. They think that the singing is being made by a ghost. Matilda decides to speak to the spirit. The voice from the chamber below tells Matilda he is a stranger who is not in the castle willingly and is eager for morning to come so that he can leave it. The voice is that of the young peasant who was placed in the chamber by Manfred. Isabella can tell that the young man is unhappy and concludes that must be because he is in love. Isabella advises him to go to the Church of St. Nicholas the following morning and tell his troubles to Father Jerome there. Father Jerome will then speak to Princess Hippolita who will do what she can to solve the young man's problems. The young peasant asks Matilda if the rumors he has heard that the princess has fled the castle are true. Matilda and Bianca, knowing that Isabella never had any great love for Conrad and believing that the unhappy young man must be in love, conclude that he must be Isabella's lover who helped her escape. Matilda decides that, for that reason, she does not want to talk to him any further.

Shortly afterwards, a servant informs Matilda that Isabella has sought sanctuary at the Church of St. Nicholas.

Early in the morning, Father Jerome from the Church of St. Nicholas comes to the castle. He informs Manfred and Hippolita that Isabella is at the Church of St. Nicholas and requests permission to be allowed to now marry someone else. Manfred refuses to grant that permission and demands that Isabella be brought back to the castle. Father Jerome is bravely prepared to tell all he knows about why Isabella fled the castle in front of both Manfred and Hippolita. Hippolita, however, voluntarily leaves when she sees that Manfred is anxious to talk to Father Jerome alone. Once they are alone, Manfred tries to persuade the friar that he should be granted a divorce from Hippolita. He also asks father Jerome if the young man who helped Isabella to escape was her lover or acting on behalf of someone else who was Not knowing what has happened to that young man and seeing an opportunity to put Manfred off Isabella or concentrate on a non-existent conspiracy instead of pursuing her, Father Jerome gives Manfred to understand that the young man is her lover. Manfred orders that the peasant be brought before him.

In response to Manfred's questions, the young man tells him that his name id Theodore, he is a laborer in the next village, he had never seen Isabella before the previous evening and he helped because she told him she was in great danger. Bianca and Matilda happen to be passing while Theodore is being interrogated. Matilda is amazed by how much the young man looks like the portrait of Prince Alfonso. Manfred orders his guards to seize Theodore so that he can be executed immediately. On hearing that the young man's head will be cut off, Matilda faints. Bianca wrongly believes she has died and cries out, "Help! help! the Princess is dead!" Manfred rushes over to investigate. He quickly concludes there is nothing seriously wrong and pays no more attention to his daughter.

Theodore is taken out to the courtyard to be executed. Father Jerome is told to hear his confession. For having falsely suggested that Isabella was helped in her escape by her lover, Father Jerome feels responsible for causing Theodore's death. He asks the young man to forgive him. Theodore says that he forgives him and Manfred too. Theodore unbuttons his collar in preparation for his head being struck off. Father Jerome sees the young man has a birthmark in the shape of a red arrow. he immediately recognizes Theodore as his own son. Father Jerome explains that he was once married and was Count of Falconara before he became a monk. Father Jerome begs Manfred to spare his son's life. Manfred says that he will not kill Theodore if Father Jerome hands over Isabella.

At that moment, trumpets sound. A herald announces the imminent arrival of the Knight of the Gigantic Sabre, a representative of Frederic, Marquis of Vicenza, Isabella's father. According to his herald, the Knight demands that Isabella, whose marriage was arranged by people the Knight believes has no right to arrange it, be returned to his father. The Knight also demands that Manfred, whom he calls a usurper, give up his throne in favor of the Marquis of Vicenza. The Marquis of Vicenza bases his claim to the throne of Otranto on being the closest living relative of Prince Alfonso. The Knight of the Gigantic Sabre will face Manfred in single combat if he does not comply with his demands immediately. In accordance with the laws of chivalry, Manfred says that the Knight and his retinue are welcome to stay at his castle.

Theodore is imprisoned in a tower, his life still being in danger if Father Jerome does not hand over Isabella. Father Jerome returns to his convent. News has reached the monks there of someone crying out, "Help! help! the princess is dead!" They misinterpreted it as meaning that Hippolita was dead. They passed on that news to Isabella. Believing that Manfred had killed his wife, she left the church and ran away.

Front cover of a 1791 edition of The Castle of Otranto.

The Knight of the Gigantic Sabre arrives at the castle. He is preceded by an enormous retinue that includes one hundred men whose job it is to carry the gigantic sword from which the Knight takes his name. The Knight of the Gigantic Sabre pauses for some time in front of the enormous helmet in the courtyard. The gigantic saber itself magically flies away from the attendants who are carrying it. It impales itself in front of the enormous helmet and then cannot be moved again. When the Knight of the Gigantic Sabre comes inside the castle, he keeps his armor on and keeps the visor of his helmet down, as do some other knights who accompany him. The Knight of the Gigantic Sabre and those other knights do not speak to Manfred for a long time but communicate instead entirely through gestures. Speaking to those knights, Manfred challenges the claim that he is a usurper. He states that his grandfather, Don Ricardo, was given the Principality of Otranto by Prince Alfonso in return for his loyal service shortly before Alfonso died while on a Crusade. Manfred also tells the knights of Conrad's death and his need to produce more heirs. He goes on to say that he should be granted a divorce from Hippolita on the grounds that he is closely related to her and he wishes to marry Isabella.

Father Jerome arrives. In front of Manfred's guests, he says that Isabella has escaped from the church where she sought sanctuary. Manfred falsely tries to claim that he placed Isabella in the church himself for her own protection after Conrad's death. Not believing him and no longer remaining silent, the Knight of the Gigantic Sabre says, "Thou traitor Prince! Isabella shall be found." Unable to stop the Knight in his search, Manfred agrees that he and all of his soldiers will accompany him, as will Father Jerome and some of his monks.

With all of the soldiers having left the castle, Matilda goes to the tower where Theodore is imprisoned. She tells him that he can take advantage of the situation to go free. She reassures Theodore that no one will suspect her of having helped him in his escape. Theodore falls in love with Matilda. She tells him her name and explains that she is not the same woman that he helped to escape earlier, whom she names as Isabella. Before he leaves the castle, Matilda takes Theodore to the armory and provides him with weapons and armor.

Theodore goes first to the monastery, Finding that Father Jerome is not there, he goes to the forest and some caves that are rumored to be haunted. In the caves, Theodore finds Isabella. He promises to protect her, although he points out that he loves another. Calling out Isabella's name, the Knight of the Gigantic Sabre arrives. Believing him to be one of Manfred's followers, Theodore refuses to hand Isabella over to the Knight. They fight and Theodore defeats the Knight. Believing that he is on the point of death, the Knight of the Gigantic Sabre reveals to Isabella that he is her father, Frederic, Marquis of Vicenza. Against Isabella's wishes, her father is taken to Manfred's castle because it is the nearest place where he can be treated. Theodore and Isabella accompany him.

Manfred's doctors treat Frederic and declare that he will not die. Frederic finds Hippolita charming and Matilda even more so. In order to keep them by his bedside, Frederic tells them his story. Theodore, still in the armor that Matilda provided him, also stays at Frederic's bedside to hear his tele.

After he had been taken prisoner during the Crusade, Frederic had a dream that his daughter was being kept against her will in a castle and that he would find out more about her situation if he went to a wood near Joppa. Frederic was freed when some Crusader princes paid his ransom. he and his followers then headed for the wood from his dream. In a cave there they met a Christian hermit on the point of death. The hermit told them that fifty years earlier, St. Nicholas had appeared to him and told him that some warriors would come to him on his deathbed and he should tell them to dig beneath a certain tree near his cave. Frederic and his followers dug beneath the tree. They found the gigantic sabre. Writing on the blade said that Isabella was being held where there was a helmet that matched the sword and that only Alfonso's blood could save her and lay to rest a long unquiet ghost.

Prince Manfred and Father Jerome enter the room. Manfred mistakes the armored Theodore for the ghost of Prince Alfonso, whose portrait he now strongly resembles. When Manfred finally accepts that it is only Theodore he sees begore him, he accuses Father Jerome of having helped him to escape. To Father Jerome's surprise, Theodore says nothing at first to dissuade Manfred of that belief. When Manfred continues to angrily accuse the monk of plotting against him, however, Theodore says that neither he nor his father harbor any sentiments against the Prince and that Manfred can kill him, if that will make him feel happier. Manfred replies that he has no wish to kill Theodore at that moment. Manfred is, however, still highly suspicious of Theodore and Father Jerome, whom he calls an "old traitor". He demands to hear Theodore's entire life story.

Theodore says that when he was 5-years-old, he and his mother were abducted from their home in Sicily and taken to Algiers by pirates, Theodore's mother died within a year. Before she died, she wrote down that Theodore was the son of the Count of Falconara and tied the text to his arm. Theodore grew up as a slave and remained one until two years ago when he was rescued by a European ship. He was taken back to Sicily but found that the pirates had destroyed most of his father's estate and his father was gone. Theodore found out that his father had become a monk in the Kingdom of Naples. He traveled to Naples and wandered for six days, supporting himself by working as a laborer, before coming to Manfred's castle.

Frederic expresses his great admiration for Theodore. He adds that if he can forgive Theodore, who almost killed him, Manfred should be able to do the same. Manfred allows Theodore to accompany his father back to his monastery but orders him to return to the castle the following morning.

That night, neither Matilda nor Isabella are able to sleep. They are both curious about what the relationship is between the other and Theodore. Isabella also wonders why she is interested in a man who has told her he is not interested in her. She decides to go straight to Matilda's chamber and tell her that se is free to pursue Theodore. When Isabella arrives, Matilda asks her why she ran away. Thinking that Matilda is only referring to the second time she ran away, she says it was because she hear Hippolita was dead. Matilda explains that was a misunderstanding that happened as a result of her fainting. Isabella asks Matilda why she fainted. She reluctantly says that it was because she heard her father condemn Theodore to death. Although Isabella claims to hate Theodore for having almost killed her father, it is clear that both princesses are fond of him. They both conclude, however, that Matilda is the one that Theodore truly loves. Matilda comments on Theodore's resemblance to the portrait of Prince Alfonso.

Hippolita enters Matilda's chamber. She says that since omens suggest that the throne of Otranto will pass from Manfred to Frederic, she suggests that Matilda should marry Frederic. She has already put this idea to Manfred. Isabella appears to be even more dismayed to hear this news than Matilda. She explains she is certain that if her father marries Matilda, Manfred will marry her. This is the first that Hippolita has heard of Manfred's plans to divorce her and marry Isabella. Gippolita says that she will go to the monastery to ask for more masses to be said to deliver her family from difficulties. The truth is that she thinks that a divorce from Manfred would be a good idea and she wants to see if father Jerome agrees.

Unhappy that Theodore put Matilda's safety above that of his own father when talking about his escape, Father Jerome tells Theodore to meet him in the morning at Alfonso's tomb. He intends to tell Theodore why he should have nothing to do with Matilda because of the family from which she comes. He tells his son to kneel at the tomb of the good prince and listen to him.

Hippolita enters the church. She says she wishes to speak to Father Jerome alone. Theodore willingly leaves. Hippolta tells Father Jerome of her willingness to divorce Manfred in order to allow him to marry Isabella. Father Jerome declares that such a divorce would be sinful and that Hippolita would suffer if she encouraged it.

Manfred suggests to Frederic that they marry each other's daughters. Frederic agrees. Manfred then goes to see Hippolita to demand a divorce. He hears that she has gone to see Father Jerome. He arrives at the church in time to hear Father Jerome telling Hippolita never to divorce her husband.

Father Jerome and Manfred argue and insult each other. Father Jerome implies that Frederic has a better claim to be Prince of Otranto than Manfred does. Manfred says that Frederic has given up his claim to the Principality of Otranto unless Manfred has no male heirs. As Manfred says this, three drops of blood fall from the nose of the statue of Prince Alfonso. Father Jerome declares this to be a sign from heaven that the blood of Alfonso will never mix with that of Manfred.

Manfred orders Hippolita to accompany him back to the castle and tells Father Jerome never to go there again. He also declares that Theodore is banished from Otranto. As he leaves the church, Manfred tells one of his attendants to stay and tell him immediately if anyone from the castle goes there,

On the way back to the castle, Hippolita tells her husband that she will not oppose a dicorce, although she will not actively seek one herself. Manfred believes that he will be granted a divorce and that Frederic will help him petition for one. At the same time, however, in spite of the fact that Manfred has consented to the marriage of Manfred and Isabella, Manfred suspects Frederic of helping Father Jerome to facilitate a secret relationship between Isabella and Theodore. The resemblance of Theodore to the portrait of Prince Alfonso also troubles Manfred greatly.

At the castle, Manfred sees the servant Bianca. he knows that she is in the confidence of both Matilda and Isabella. He decides to ask her about the "state of Isabella's affections". Communication between the Prince and the serving girl is extremely difficult. Manfred has to ask her a great many further questions before she eventually says that Isabella does not find Theodore ugly because everyone in the castle thinks he is handsome and would be happy to have hin as Prince after Manfred's death.

Manfred goes to question Frederic. The terrified Bianca bursts into the room. She says that the giant has returned and that she has seen its hand at the foot of the stairs. She also hints that the appearance of the giant is connected to a prophecy about which Father Jerome has often spoken and about which Hippoliya knows something. Manfred tries to dismiss Bianca and tells Frederic to pay no attention to her ramblings. Frederic, having found an enormous saber and seen the enormous helmet at the castle is certain that Bianca's talk of a giant is not mere fancy. Manfred then accuses Frederic of encouraging Bianca to spread rumors intended to dishonor him. Frederic is deeply offended by this. He declares that he will not marry Matilda and he will not allow Manfred to marry Isabella. After Bianca ks dismissed, Manfred tries to get Frederic to change his mind. Although what he has seen and heard makes him think heaven is opposed to Manfred, Frederic says he will think about it.

A banquet is held. Manfred tries to ply Frederic with drink to make him more amenable to his proposals. Frederic, however, reminding Manfred of his recent serious injuries, drinks little and claims to need to go to bed early.

After the banquet, Frederic goes to see Hippolita. He wants to know if she is really willing to divorce Manfred because the Prince gas insisted on his marriage to Isabella being a condition of Frederic's marriage to Bianca. Not finding Hippolita in her chamber, Frederic goes to her chapel. He sees a figure of a man kneeling at the altar, deep in prayer. Frederic asks the figure where Hippolita is. It turns round and reveals it is a skeleton on a woolen robe. It is the ghost of the hermit that Frederic met in the wood near Joppa. The ghost tells Frederic to forget his lust for Matilda and remember why he was sent to the castle.

Illustration by Johann Wilhelm Meil from a 1794 German edition of The Castle of Otranto.

The attendant that Manfred left at the church tells him that a woman from the castle has gone there and is talking with Theodore at Prince Alfonso's tomb. The servant says he could not see who the woman was in the darkness. Manfred goes straight to the church. he makes his way towards the tomb of Alfonso, guided by the moonlight that comes in through the windows and the voices of Theodore and the woman. He hears the woman tell Theodore that Manfred will prevent their union. Believing the woman to be Isabella, who has revealed herself to be Theodore's lover, Manfred pulls out a dagger and cries, "No, this shall prevent it!" As the woman falls to the floor, fatally wounded, Manfred sees she is Matilda and Matilda sees her own father is her murderer. She tells Manfred that she forgives him. She also explains that she did not go to the church to see Theodore. Her mother sent her there to speak to Father Jerome on Manfred's behalf.

Matilda is carried to the castle. Unable to speak, she seizes both Manfred and Hippolita's hands and clasps them to her heart. Theodore asks to be married immediately to the dying Matilda. Frederic asks by what right he can claim that privilege. Theodore replies that he has the right of a Prince of Otranto. Unfortunately, there is no time to perform the marriage ceremony before Matilda dies.

Shortly after Matilda's death, the castle is destroyed as if by an earthquake. The gigantic form of the armored Prince Alfonso emerges from the ruins. He says, "Behold in Theodore the true heir of Alfonso!" he then ascends to heaven and is received by St. Nicholas.

Everyone is silent for some time. Eventually, Hippolita says that she id happy to accept Theodore as the true Prince of Otranto but does not understand why that is so. Manfred explains that his grandfather, Don Ricardo who was Prince Alfonso's chamberlain, forged Alfonso's will. After Alfonso died in prison in the Holy Land, Don Ricardo returned to Otranto to be its prince. On the way back, the ship was caught in a terrible storm. Don Ricardo promised St. Nicholas he would found a church, a monastery and a convent if he could return to Otranto alive. Don Ricardo was spared. St. Nicholas later appeared to him in a dream and told him that he and his heirs would continue to rule Otranto until the rightful owner of the Castle of Otranto grew too big to dwell in it.

Father Jerome explains that Prince Alfonso was forced by bad weather to stop in Sicily on the way to the Holy Land. While he was there, he married a woman named Victoria. He decided to tell no one of his marriage because he thought that falling in love was out of keeping with the spirit of the Crusade he had vowed to fight. He intended to acknowledge Victoria as his wife after he returned to Otranto. Victoria heard of Alfonso's death shortly after giving birth to a daughter. She did not dare challenge Don Ricardo's claim to the throne. Theodore is descended from Prince Alfonso and Victoria through his mother.

Theodore takes up his position as rightful Prince of Otranto. Manfred becomes a monk and Hippoliya becomes a nun. Theodore grieves for Matilda for a long time. Eventually, however, he agrees to marry Isabella.

External links

• Text of Horace Walpole's The Castle of Otranto on Wikisource.
• Free public domain audiobook of The Castle of Otranto from LibriVox.