Student Question
What quotes from The Monk support its Gothic elements?
Quick answer:
Quotes from The Monk highlight its Gothic elements, such as the mysterious origin of the monk Ambrosio, who is suspected of hidden corruption. The setting, often described with "gothic obscurity," enhances the atmosphere of religious gloom. Supernatural themes are evident when Ambrosio signs his soul to the Devil, and the narrative is filled with emotional intensity and macabre elements like rape and murder, as illustrated by the dramatic dialogue and sinister events.
The Monk, which was instrumental in establishing the Gothic subgenre of English fiction, has many Gothic elements. The plot includes numerous features that became characteristic of Gothic fiction: secrets, deceptions, and twists and turns. The setting also is squarely within the Gothic realm: a foreign land (in this case Spain) featuring numerous dark, old, sinister buildings, many associated with religion, such as churches and convents. Many of the characters, who appear in elaborate outfits and seem to harbor mysterious secrets, also exemplify the genre. They often advance their less-than-noble goals through the dark arts as well as outright violence, as they aim to overpower or corrupt virtuous young women and other devout people. The monk character who is central in this novel was to become a standard feature in Gothic tales.
The monk Ambrosio’s origin forms one of the plot’s central mysteries. He was an abandoned infant,...
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not only raised within the abbey but never having ventured outside it except for a weekly cathedral service. His holiness is much admired, we learn quite early—but the praise is so lavish that we suspect corruption lurks beneath this pious surface.
No one has ever appeared to claim him, or clear up the mystery which conceals his birth…In truth the singular austerity of his life gives some countenance to the report. He is now thirty years old, every hour of which period has been passed in study, total seclusion from the world, and mortification of the flesh. Till these last three weeks…He had never been on the outside of the Abbey walls: Even now He never quits them except on Thursdays, when He delivers a discourse in this Cathedral which all Madrid assembles to hear.
The church setting is actually called “gothic”: with its “gothic obscurity” under the faint moonlight, the church inspires the noble young Lorenzo to melancholic reflections.
Lorenzo found himself unable to quit the Spot…[His] melancholy of mind…accorded but too well with the religious gloom surrounding him…A soft and cooling air breathed along the solitary Aisles: The Moonbeams darting into the Church through painted windows tinged the fretted roofs and massy pillars with a thousand various tints of light and colours…
In his dreams, the virtuous, pure, and innocent Antonia is accosted by a proud, lustful monster, just as Lorenzo is about to marry her. This fiend’s power is so strong that, Lorenzo imagines, he even brings down the Church.
[A]n Unknown rushed between them. His form was gigantic; His complexion was swarthy, His eyes fierce and terrible; his Mouth breathed out volumes of fire; and on his forehead was written in legible characters—'Pride! Lust! Inhumanity!'
Antonia shrieked. The Monster clasped her in his arms, and springing with her upon the Altar, tortured her with his odious caresses. She endeavoured in vain to escape from his embrace. Lorenzo flew to her succour, but ere He had time to reach her, a loud burst of thunder was heard. Instantly the Cathedral seemed crumbling into pieces…
What are four gothic elements in The Monk?
The Monk: A Romance by Matthew Gregory Lewis was published in 1796 and is widely considered a significant exemplar of the Gothic genre.
The first Gothic element of the novel is its setting. For its English readers, the Capuchin monastery in Madrid would be an exotic locale. Both the Roman Catholic and Spanish setting add the classic elements of exotic and alien setting that allow the author to create a melodramatic plot that might not be credible in a familiar setting of London or an English village. Making the evil Ambrose a Roman Catholic tied in to anti-Catholic prejudice in the period, making his villainy more credible that would have been the case if the villain had been an English vicar.
The second Gothic element is the supernatural, including the presence of evil magic and demonic influences, with Ambrose signing away his soul to the Devil who states:
Here is your bond signed with blood; you have given up your claim to mercy, and nothing can restore to you the rights which you have so foolishly resigned.
A third Gothic element is emotional intensity, with characters experiencing strong, even violent emotions, sustained at a high pitch throughout the novel. An example of this in dialogue is:
You are the destroyer of my Soul; You are my Murderer, and on you fall the curse of my death and my unborn Infant’s!
A final characteristic is that the novel is macabre and morbid, with rape, murder, and kidnapping among the plot elements.