The Castle of Otranto

Reading Check and Short Answer questions on key points are designed for guided reading assignments, in-class review, formative assessment, quizzes, and more.

Chapters 1-2

Reading Check

1. Whose daughter is Isabella?

2. Whose portrait seems to come to life to help Manfred when he is chasing Isabella?

3. Where is Isabella heading as she flees from the castle through the secret passageway?

4. In Chapter 2, who sends Bianca to find out what is happening in the castle?

5. Matilda tells Bianca her mother has instructed her to worship whom?

6. What is the name of the peasant whom Father Jerome believes may be developing a romantic relationship with Isabella?

Short Answer

Answer each question in at least 1 complete sentence. Incorporate details from the text to support your response.

Why doesn’t Conrad’s marriage take place?

1. What is Manfred’s response to the peasant who brings information about the provenance of the giant helmet?

2. Who does Isabella believe the mysterious figure who helps her during her flight from the castle is, and who does Manfred realize the figure really is?

3. What difference of opinion do Bianca and Matilda have regarding Manfred’s plans for Matilda?

4. What disagreement do Manfred and Father Jerome have regarding Isabella?

5. What causes Father Jerome to realize that the peasant is his long-lost son?

Paired Resource

“The Mills & Boon of the Middle Ages? Unpicking the Mysteries of Medieval Romances”

• This History Extra article, originally from BBC History Magazine, explores the genre of Medieval Romance.
• This resource by Lydia Zeldenrust relates to the themes of Blending Medieval Romances and the Novel and Women as Weak, Distressed Possessions.
• What are the characteristics of Medieval Romance? Where do you see these reflected in The Castle of Otranto? By the late Middle Ages, how were female characters being depicted in these stories? How does this compare with Walpole’s depictions of women? What elements of more modern novels do you see in The Castle of Otranto?

“Discovering Strawberry Hill House”

• This 3-minute video from the trust that manages Strawberry Hill House offers an inside look at Walpole’s remarkable home.
• This resource relates to the theme of Blending Medieval Romances and the Novel.
• What makes Strawberry Hill part of a “Gothic Revival” style of architecture? How does this blending of the medieval and the modern relate to Walpole’s writing style in The Castle of Otranto?

“Horace Walpole and Strawberry Hill”

• This article by The Guardian thoroughly explores Walpole’s creation of Strawberry Hill House and offers biographical insight into the author himself.
• This resource relates to the theme of Blending Medieval Romances and the Novel.
• To what extent were Walpole’s architectural choices at Strawberry Hill intended to faithfully mimic the medieval? What point is this article making about the constructed, theatrical nature of the home? Do you see similar “campy” elements in The Castle of Ortanto?

Chapters 3-4

Reading Check

1. Who is Frederic?

2. Who releases Theodore from the tower?

3. Who injures Frederic in the cave in the forest?

4. How did Frederic learn that Isabella was in danger?

5. Whom does Manfred believe helped Theodore escape?

6. Under what conditions does Frederic agree to Manfred’s plans for a double wedding?

Short Answer

Answer each question in at least 1 complete sentence. Incorporate details from the text to support your response.

1. What conflicting goals do Manfred and Frederic have in Chapter 3?

2. What is Manfred’s motivation for throwing the feast in Chapter 3?

3. How does the tower where Theodore is imprisoned end up unguarded?

4. How did Theodore become separated from his father when he was a child?

5. Whom does Hippolita suggest Matilda marry and why?

6. What does Father Jerome say to Theodore about his feelings for Matilda?

Paired Resource

“The Mysterious Murder; or, the Usurper of Naples: An Original Romance”

• This 1806 Gothic Romance is a short story by Isaac Crookenden about the evil Lusigni’s machinations as he tries to marry his daughter off and keep control of his ill-gotten estate.
• This resource relates to the themes of Divine Power Rewards Bloodlines and Noble Behavior; Women as Weak, Distressed Possessions; and Blending Medieval Romances and the Novel.
• What elements of the plot are like plot elements in The Castle of Otranto? How do the similarities echo The Castle of Otranto’s depiction of women? What key differences are there? How do these differences highlight The Castle of Otranto’s interest in supernatural or divine justice? Does Crookenden’s work seem to have the same blend of Medieval Romance and modern novel, or is his view of the Gothic substantially different from Walpole’s?

Chapter 5

Reading Check

1. Whom does Manfred try to send to spy on Isabella?

2. Whose skeletal remains does Frederic talk with in the church?

3. What causes Hippolita to scream in terror when she enters the church?

4. Who stabs Matilda?

5. What does Theodore try to do as Matilda is dying?

6. Whom does Alfonso’s ghost declare is the rightful ruler of Otranto?

Short Answer

Answer each question in at least 1 complete sentence. Incorporate details from the text to support your response.

1. How does Frederic react when he finds out about Manfred’s spying?

2. Why does Frederic go into the church to look for Hippolita?

3. When Frederic speaks with the skeletal remains in the church, what does the ghostly figure accuse Frederic of?

4. What supernatural events occur when Matilda dies?

5. How did Manfred’s grandfather betray Alfonso?

6. What does Father Jerome reveal at the end of the story that causes Manfred to finally give up his claim to the castle?

Recommended Next Reads 

The Mysteries of Udolpho by Ann Radcliffe

• Another early Gothic Romance, Udolpho follows the adventures of the orphaned Emily St. Aubert as she narrowly avoids being married off to men she does not love and eventually reclaims her rightful inheritance.
• This novel shares themes of Divine Power Rewards Bloodlines and Noble Behavior; Women as Weak, Distressed Possessions; and Blending Medieval Romances and the Novel.
• This novel shares topics of mysterious castles, pirates, false identities, stolen inheritances, forced marriage, imprisonment, and murder.
• The Mysteries of Udolpho on SuperSummary

The House of the Seven Gables by Nathaniel Hawthorne

• In this American Gothic Romance, the Pynchon family—once thriving due to ill-gotten gains—have reached a desperate low. As the reasons for their poor fortune are slowly revealed, the Pynchons struggle to escape the mistakes of the past.
• This novel shares themes of Divine Power Rewards Bloodlines and Noble Behavior and Blending Medieval Romances and the Novel.
• This novel shares topics of the supernatural, mysterious homes, stolen inheritances, imprisonment, and murder.
• The House of the Seven Gables on SuperSummary