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
Emily is relieved when Annette comes to visit her the next morning. Annette claims that Ludovico had to once again hide her away for her own safety—all of Montoni’s new guests got very drunk. Emily then asks Annette if she knows about any prisoners who are confined within the castle. Annette knows at once that Emily is thinking about Valancourt and whether he is in any of the armies fighting against Montoni and has perhaps been captured. But Annette doesn’t know of any prisoners like him. Annette mentions that Signora Livona is now Montoni’s new mistress.
Montoni’s drunkenness once again shows that he has no interest in mourning—in fact, he seems to be celebrating in defiance of the whole idea that he should be in mourning. Emily’s increasing thoughts about Valancourt, combined with her thoughts of home at the end of the last chapter, show that she is finally beginning to make plans about life after Udolpho.
Themes
Montoni calls Emily to once again ask her to sign some papers, saying that Madame Montoni’s estates are his legal right. Emily says that if the property really belongs to him legally, he shouldn’t need her to sign any papers. Montoni gets angry, and as he promises to punish her “this night,” a voice somewhere repeats “This night!” He hesitates for a moment before continuing to threaten Emily in a lower voice.
While Montoni once seemed to be a master manipulator, here he struggles to come up with a logical reason for why Emily should sign away her property to him. This interaction reflects not only Emily’s growing awareness of his tricks, but also how Montoni’s time at Udolpho has begun to take a toll on his abilities. Unable to trick Emily, he resorts to threatening brute violence.
Themes
Montoni keeps talking until, during a pause, a groan interrupts him. Emily goes to search for the source of the voice, angering Montoni further by ignoring him. She eventually walks along the castle, where she hears the commotion of horses and troops outside. Emily finds Annette, and they discuss how the men in the castle seem to be preparing for an invasion. Emily figures the confusion might be a good time to escape.
Emily shows how much she has grown up at Udolpho by taking charge and laying the foundation for an escape plan. Just as the deaths of her parents marked one important transition point in Emily’s life, the death of Madame Montoni represents another important transition, even if Emily’s feelings toward her aunt were a little more complicated.
Themes
It turns out Montoni has been leading his troops to plunder nearby areas. They’ve had success against mansions, but after a failed assault on a castle, they are now being pursued. Carlo tells Emily that Montoni has arranged for Emily to be sent away to Tuscany for her own safety. Emily talks about this later with Annette and realizes that now that Barnardine has been replaced as porter, she has less hope than ever of escaping the castle.
This passage, where Montoni finds himself under attack by people he himself failed to assault, illustrates the clear cause-and-effect relationship of how Montoni’s past actions are now coming back to haunt him. Despite Emily’s thoughts of escape, Montoni still has enough power left to thwart her, with the replacement of Barnardine showing how Montoni is cracking down on dissent.
Themes
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Emily finds that some mules have been prepared for her journey and sets off with some attendants. As Emily is going and looking back at Udolpho, her guides Ugo and Bertrand mention that there are some new prisoners at Udolpho. Emily fears that somewhere inside Udolpho’s walls, Valancourt might be among those prisoners. As they keep traveling, Emily thinks she sees enemies taking over the castle. Emily asks more questions about where they’re going, but all she can find out is that they’re headed to a cottage in Tuscany.
Emily again has to face a complicated decision as she confronts the possibility that Valancourt may be trapped somewhere at Udolpho—meaning perhaps she shouldn’t try to escape yet after all. Although Emily remains under the watch of Montoni’s men, she also gets a taste of life outside Montoni’s domain in the castle, reminding her of the beauty of nature.
Themes
When they stop for food, Emily can’t get much out of Bertrand, so she talks instead to Ugo. Emily hints at the assassination that Orsino is implicated in, and Ugo seems so familiar with the details of the matter that it frightens her. Bertrand enters the conversation and describes the assassination as “justice.” They begin telling a story about how Orsino admired a woman who married another man. Bertrand describes how this man was murdered, accidentally revealing that he himself may have done it. Emily fears for her own life.
Bertrand and Ugo have a casual attitude toward death, perhaps reflecting some of the carelessness that Montoni himself has. They show their lack of respect for Emily by essentially confessing to committing murder in front of her, illustrating how they recognize that Emily is not a threat to them.
Themes
It gets dark and Ugo wants to light a torch, but Bertrand advises him against it. In the dark, Emily thinks she sees omens that a bad fate awaits her. Ugo himself gets superstitious that a storm must be coming, and sure enough, soon there is thunder. Eventually, they make it out of the woods, and Emily feels a little better because she thinks if they were going to murder her, the woods would’ve been the best place. At last, they reach a cottage where a peasant (Marco) greets them and says they’re late. Dorina, the peasant’s wife, shows Emily to her new room.
In this passage, Bertrand and Ugo establish how their personalities differ, with Bertrand being more cautious and the natural leader while Ugo is more willing to take chances (like lighting a torch) and more prone to superstition. Nevertheless, in spite of the danger Emily faces on her journey, the arrival at the cottage represents a welcome shift, with Emily returning to the type of humble living space that she typically prefers.
Themes
