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
Blanche soon takes an interest in her guest Emily, particularly since she has no friends near her own age around. The morning after the group from Udolpho arrives, Emily is too tired for breakfast, but she joins Blanche on a walk around the estate grounds. Emily notices the convent nearby and wants to investigate it, but Blanche is in no hurry to go back to the convent. As Emily explores the house later, she looks outside and sees a brook that she traveled by with St. Aubert—and she remembers seeing the house she’s in, too.
Emily and Blanche’s friendship further helps establish how similar the two of them are. Emily’s return to the brook she traveled by with her father provides an opportunity for the novel to highlight how she’s changed since she was last in this location. Her time at Udolpho made her less naïve than she used to be, but without destroying her sense of wonder, particularly toward nature.
Themes
Emily remembers that there was music at midnight in this area when she was there with St. Aubert, so she asks Dorothée if the music still plays. Dorothée confirms that it does but says that no one has yet found out the source. Dorothée has heard the music every day since her old lady, the Marchioness De Villeroi, died. Blanche asks again about opening the late lady’s room, but Dorothée forbids it. Emily wants to hear more about the lady, but Dorothée doesn’t want to divulge anything.
The Marchioness De Villeroi seems to be a key figure to solving many of the remaining mysteries in the novel, although because Dorothée refuses to say much, the Marchioness’s true significance is unclear. The Marchioness’s locked door represents how the chateau’s past is both locked away out of view but also preserved exactly as it was.
Themes
Emily gets invited to stay longer with the Count De Villefort and the Countess De Villefort. She writes letters to Valancourt and Quesnel that simply state that she has arrived in France. Over the next couple days, Emily notices that Du Pont seems to frequently fall into states of melancholy. Eventually, Emily feels it’s time to leave the Count and Countess. She goes to stay at the convent for a while. There, she receives a letter back from Quesnel.
Even after being away from him at Udolpho, Emily remains obsessed with Valancourt, showing the strength of her love. With Madame Montoni dead and Montoni himself no longer controlling Emily, she is free to marry Valancourt if she wishes, which may be the reason why Du Pont sulks so much (since he’s also in love with Emily).
Themes
In his letter, Quesnel takes a neutral tone. He doesn’t scold Emily for rejecting Count Morano, but he also informs her that she can’t use La Vallée. He also makes no mention of Theresa. The letter contains an order for a small sum of money. Emily likes the peacefulness of the monastery, but she can’t help getting impatient about the possibility of a letter back from Valancourt.
Although Emily has changed from her experiences at Udolpho, including her brushes with death, Quesnel remains his old self, too focused on business matters to care much about Emily’s feelings.
Themes
Get the entire The Mysteries of Udolpho LitChart as a printable PDF.
