Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in The Mysteries of Udolpho, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Marriage, Love, and Inheritance
The Wonders of Nature
Mystery and Superstition
Mortality
The Value of Education and Art
Summary
Analysis
The maid Annette wakes Emily up in the middle of the night to inform her that everyone is getting ready to go. Emily fears Count Morano is downstairs, but Annette assures her that he isn’t. Neither is Cavigni. Emily gets onto a gondola with Montoni and Madame Montoni. The go out onto the water, and Emily struggles to enjoy the view of Venice as she contemplates what her future might hold.
Although Count Morano isn’t around, Montoni’s early morning departure suggests that something unusual is going on, similar to Montoni’s early departure from France. Once again, the darkness of the scene suggests Emily’s uncertain future.
Themes
The travelers make it to the Apennines. The mountains are impressive, full of pines and with no traces of human civilization. Still, Emily can’t help feeling that the Alps are even more impressive. At last, Montoni announces that they’ve reached Udolpho. The castle looks both gloomy and impressive with its dark gray stones.
Although castles are one of the distinctive features of the gothic genre of literature, the castle of Udolpho doesn’t appear until over a third of the way through the book. The large, imposing castle represents the ultimate man-made object, contrasting with all of the natural wonders that Emily loves so much.
Themes
When the travelers arrive at Udolpho, they find that Montoni’s sudden journey left the few remaining servants with little time to prepare the place. Emily sighs as she looks around the gloomy place, as she still can’t forget about Valancourt, who now seems so distant. Carlo the servant informs Montoni of all the parts of the castle that need to be repaired. Emily asks if Montoni can explain why they left so suddenly, but he refuses to answer.
Montoni’s behavior continues to be suspicious, as it’s clear that he fled in a hurry, likely to avoid being caught by the Senate as part of the investigation into the murder that Orsino seems to have arranged. The decaying state of the castle seems to represent Montoni’s own state of moral decay.
Themes
Annette shows Emily to her room, and Emily marvels at how easy it would be to get lost in Udolpho. They pass a picture covered in a black veil of silk, and Emily is curious about what it looks like, but Annette refuses to take a look. Annette doesn’t know why the picture is covered, but she has no desire to find out. After Annette leaves, Emily continues to feel gloomy, as she wants to ask whether Count Morano will eventually be coming but fears learning the answer.
The black veil, which resembles traditional funeral wear, provides an early hint that there might be something sinister hidden within the castle. Once again, the castle connects back to its current owner, Montoni, who also seems to have some secrets that he is keeping under a metaphorical veil.
Themes
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Emily explores her room and discovers a door that leads to a steep, narrow staircase. She tries to lock it, but there are no bolts, so she moves a heavy chair in front of it. When Annette comes back, she asks if Emily has ever heard the story of how Montoni became the owner of the castle in the first place. Emily isn’t sure if she wants to hear a secret, but Annette assures Emily it’s okay for her to hear.
The secret passage into Emily’s room suggests once again that that castle, like Montoni, holds secrets. It also suggests that Emily will have even less control over her circumstances than before, with the secret passage not even allowing her to decide who can enter her room.
Themes
Annette tells about how when Montoni was younger, he was in love with a woman named Signora Laurentini, whose family owned Udolpho. But she was in love with another person that she couldn’t marry, so she refused Montoni’s advances. One evening, Signora Laurentini went for a walk in the woods and seemingly never came back, although servants still sometimes think they see her figure wandering out by the woods.
The narration has already revealed that Montoni associates with the murderer Orsino (who organized an assassination due to a romantic dispute), and this passage implies that Montoni may have killed Signora Laurentini. This raises ominous questions about Madame Montoni and Emily’s futures, adding to the suspense.
Themes
Annette continues her story, saying that sometimes out by the chapel people hear mysterious groaning sounds. Emily calls all of this “silly tales,” but Annette remains convinced they’re true. All of a sudden, the servant Caterina comes up to fetch Annette and accidentally scares both Emily and Annette.
Emily’s growing relationship with the maid Annette recalls her close relationship with the servant Theresa earlier. Emily continues to show her humility by respecting people of lower social ranks.
Themes
Alone again, Emily reflects on the story of Signora Laurentini. She is terrified not just of Annette’s stories but also of the power that Montoni now has over her. She sees that Montoni has already begun making Madame Montoni miserable. She thinks again of Valancourt’s warnings about Montoni before going to bed.
Even the innocent Emily realizes how dangerous Montoni could be for her and Madame Montoni. The fact that Valancourt tried to warn her proves that he wasn’t just lying to convince Emily to stay, once more showing Valancourt’s good character and making it even more tragic that Emily can’t be with him.
Themes
