Tuesday, July 7, 2009
The Castle of Otranto
With the conculsion of the novel I felt as if the author didn't want any of the main characters to be happy. The idea of marriage throughout the novel seemed to be something that was forced and that no one benefited from. Isabella and Matilda were going to have to suffer through a marriage neither of them wanted. Even with the hatred between the two fathers they were willing to quickly forget thier differences to fill the lust they had for eachothers daughters'. This could probably be accounted for the time that the novel was to have taken place and the idea that women had arranged marriages by thier fathers. The one relationship that showed any promise was between Matilda and Theodore but the author managed to end the relationship. By the conclusion of the novel everyone was suffering in their relationships. The author suffered through a harsh relationship with his father and this may be the reason the marriages/relationships ended with so much pain.
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Good thoughts Spenser. Yes, marriage during this time was for social position rather than love. Manfred hand-selected Isabella for Conrad specifically because of her relation to Fredrick and his (Manfred's) ancestor. Marriages are business transitions where women serve as conduits to continue the husband's "race."
ReplyDeleteSpencer,
ReplyDeleteI completely agree with you. I just got finished writing my blog and I definately think that the novel began and ended with tragic romance. I feel as if every character in the novel was unhappy with their relationship or searching for some type of "unattainable utopia". For example, Manfred is unhappily married to Hippolita and never gives up hope that he may get divorced and marry Isabella in order to "keep the throne." Another example might be the fact that Matilda wishes to be with Theodore, but has been promised by her father to Fredric, whom she must marry. Anyway, great job and nice comparison Walpole's relationship with his father.
I feel Walpole is reflecting his own life in the story where he felt marriage as a social construct and the reaosn he had no one statified in marriage was becasue he didn't feel that the social marriages were happy but rather just necessary for lordship and stature. Also walpole probably would like marraige due to therios of his sexual orantation of being a hermaphrodite where he them couldn't marry and this could also lead to his dislike of marriage.
ReplyDeleteYou get a feeling of almost having a shotgun marriage in this novel. Marriage was done by pre-determined choice of the parents and not for love, it was usually to crown a queen or king of the land and help produce an heir to carry on the crown. Walpole shows the terible side of this type of marriage with Matilda wanting to be with Theodore but is forced to be with Frederic who she does not love.
ReplyDeleteI completely agree with you. I can also see Walpole’s thought on marriage and relationship as a whole. We can see his dislike towards arranged marriage reflects in the whole story while marriage is mostly controlled by the dominant man. Most of the characters in “Castle of Otranto” do not have a happy marriage.
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