User:3AngelsMessenger/Lewis The Monk

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Struggle with Temptation [edit]

Ambrosio displays traces of hubris and lust very early in the novel. It is explained that "he [Ambrosio] dismissed them [the monks] with an air of conscious superiority, in which humility's semblance combated with the reality of pride. Similarly, "he fixed his eyes on the Virgin… Gracious God, should I then resist the temptation? Should I not barter for a single embrace the reward of my sufferings for thirty years?" Both passages explicitly show the conflicting forces, that is, the moral choices that rage within Ambrosio. His nature instructs him to exalt himself above others and lust for the Virgin Mary, while his religious inclinations--or at least his awareness of his position within the church--command him to humility and purity. Ambrosio begins to deviate from his holy conduct when he encounters Matilda who is a character revealed at the novel's end to be an emissary of Satan. Ambrosio’s story focuses on temptation, which is made extreme by the oppression of his upbringing. All of these circumstances are consistent with the classic model of the morality tale, and, true to form, once Ambrosio is tempted into sin, he enters into a tailspin of increasing desire, which leads him to transgression and culminates in the loss of his eternal salvation and his gruesome murder at the hands of the devil.

This pattern of wicked actions leading to ill consequences is precisely expected in a morality tale and is reflected in other Gothic novels. For example, Lewis's work is often discussed with Ann Radcliffe's. Robert Miles writes, "Ann Radcliffe and Matthew Lewis were the two most significant Gothic novelists of the 1790s, an estimate of their importance shared by their contemporaries.". Indeed, the repercussions of malevolent and self-serving actions are represented extraordinarily well in Radcliffe's The Romance of the Forest. The Marquis in the story was driven to murder for "the title of his brother… and riches which would enable him to indulge his voluptuous inclinations." Similar to Ambrosio, the Marquis was tempted and succumbed to sin, which sets him on a wicked path leading to his public shame and suicide.

The Triumph of Evil [edit]

Despite its outcome, The Monk does have some marked discrepancies from the typical morality tale setup used in gothic novels. In most morality tales, vice and virtue are represented equally, but in Lewis's work, the powers of evil are disproportionately represented. Ambrosio is surrounded by virtue in that he is always conscious that what he is doing is wrong and, until the novel's end, never believes that he cannot repent. He tells Matilda that "the consequences [of witchcraft] are too horrible: I… am not so blinded by lust as to sacrifice for her enjoyment my existence both in this world and the next.” However, this general sense of right and wrong is a feeble, inefficacious defense for Ambrosio when demons' physical presence and influence confront him. No counteracting angels appear before Ambrosio to even out the devil's influence and try to dissuade him from his path of destruction. As a result, his depravity is accelerated and magnified from the minor character defects that are congenital to him to the egregious evils that possess him by the end of the novel. The only apparition that is potentially heaven-sent is that of Elvira's ghost. She returns from the grave to caution her daughter, Antonia, that “yet three days, and we shall meet again!” While the apparition may seem to be trying to warn Antonia of her impending death, the ghost's appearance causes Jacintha to fetch Ambrosio to dispel the spirit, allowing him to drug Antonia and take her under his power, a chain of events ultimately leading to the demise of Antonia, which the ghost foretold. As a result of the ghost's intrusion, Antonia is put directly into harm's way, an action much more apropos for a demonic presence rather than a heavenly one.

Harm to Innocents [edit]

Lewis also deviates from what is typically expected from morality tales when he includes the sacrifice of innocent people in the latter chapters of the novel. As a result of Ambrosio's vices, both Elvira and Antonia are slain. Elvira finds Ambrosio, "the man whom Madrid esteems a saint…at this late hour near the couch of my unhappy child," on the verge of committing rape, and Ambrosio murders her to prevent her from revealing his crimes. Elvira was guilty of no crime and, throughout the novel, was dedicated to the welfare of her family and her daughter. Likewise, Antonia is murdered to prevent her from alerting Officers of the Inquisition of Ambrosio's crimes. Antonia also does not deserve her fate, as she is always a loyal daughter and an honest woman throughout the novel.

Another Gothic novel in which one individual's quest for the gratification of the senses leads to the ruin of others is Vathek by William Beckford. In the book, Caliph Vathek attempts to sacrifice fifty children to a demon to gain his favor. Without mercy, he "pushed the poor innocent into the gulph [open to hell]." Similarly, in The Necromancer by Lawrence Flammenberg, an entire village is sacrificed to a troop of banditti who are angered at their hideout being revealed. The group leader explains, "The villagers are not yet punished… for assisting them, but they shall not escape their doom." Admittedly, Vathek can be more readily identified as a morality tale, but The Necromancer warns against the pernicious effects of a legal system that is bereft of mercy. A criminal declares during his confession that his life "will afford a useful lesson to judges and teach the guardians of the people to be careful how they inflict punishments if they do not make a complete rogue of many a hapless wretch…"

Anti-Catholic Themes [edit]

The Monk is one of many Gothic novels criticizing the Catholic Church and tradition. By the time of the Gothic novel, the English were, to some extent, institutionally anti-Catholic. Characters such as the wicked abbess, the unchaste nun, and the lustful monk represent the naked anti-Catholicism projected by the Gothic. Lewis's condemnation of the Church is apparent throughout the novel in his characterization of the Catholic religion. Ambrosio and the Prioress represent all that is seen as wrong with the Catholic Church. The vow of celibacy, which many Protestant writers at the time condemned as unnatural, is presented as contributing significantly to Ambrosio's repressed sexuality, which in turn leads to the heinous acts he commits against Antonia. The Prioress sees Agnes breaking her vow as an unforgivable crime, which drives her to punish Agnes so severely. Blakemore argues that in England, the sexual demonization of the aberrant Catholic "Other" was part and parcel of the ideological formation of the English Protestant national identity."

Lewis also appears to mock Catholic superstition through the use of iconoclasm repeatedly throughout the novel, such as when Lorenzo moves a statue of the virgin St. Clare to reveal the chamber in which Agnes is being kept prisoner. This demystification of idols sheds light on Catholic superstition concerning statues and sacred objects. Lewis's treatment of the Catholic Church clearly shows that he harbors negative sentiments about the Church's activities.

The lack of divinity shown throughout the novel is not unique to The Monk. John Moore's Zeluco focuses on the nefarious plots of a single man who cannot control his passions. Like Ambrosio, Zeluco's disposition is shown very early in the novel to be disagreeable. In his youth, Zeluco "seized it [his pet sparrow] with his hand, and while it struggled to get free, with a curse, he squeezed the little animal to death." Zeluco continually gratifies his vices much to his discredit and dishonor, and, as in The Monk, his sins compound upon themselves, culminating in the infanticide of his only son. Unlike Ambrosio, however, Zeluco has no physical demons spurring him onward but rather his insatiable appetite for sin.

Sinful Sexuality [edit]

In The Monk, the bleeding nun, who appears in the subplot of Raymond and Agnes, epitomizes the sin of erotic desires. Raymond mistakes her for his lover, Agnes, because she is veiled, and he cannot see her face. The veil that "conceals and inhibits sexuality comes by the same gesture to represent it." Both Antonia and Matilda are veiled to protect their virginity and innocence, and it is expected that Agnes also covers her face for this reason when she meets Raymond. However, removing the veil reveals the Bleeding Nun, dead and punished because of her sins. While she was alive, she was a prostitute and a murderer before her lover murdered her. Her story is the first we receive of how giving in to sexual desires leads to death and eternal unrest. Raymond expects to find Agnes's beautiful, virgin face beneath the veil but considers instead death. Her unveiling connects the loss of virginity and giving in to sexual desires with death and punishment. Both the Bleeding Nun and Ambrosio begin pious but then fall prey to their sexual desires. Ambrosio has already given in to his desire for Matilda. The story of the Bleeding Nun in the subplot foreshadows his further downfall with Antonia and his eternal punishment in the hands of the devil.

_{The Reality of the Supernatural [edit]}

The Bleeding Nun also introduces the world of the supernatural into The Monk. The paranormal is something "above nature or belonging to a higher realm or system than that of nature." This introduction brings another Gothic element into the book. Until this point, the plot has relied on natural elements of the sublime to invoke the terror expected of a Gothic novel. The entrance of the Bleeding Nun transforms this natural world into a world where the supernatural is possible. When she gets into Raymond's carriage, "Immediately thick clouds obscured the sky: The winds howled around us, the lightning flashed, and the Thunder roared tremendously.” Nature is acknowledging the presence of a supernatural force.

When Agnes tells Raymond how the Bleeding Nun's ghost haunts the Castle of Lindenberg, Raymond asks her whether she believes the story, and she replies, “How can you ask such a question? No, no, Alphonso! I have too much reason to lament superstition’s influence to be its Victim myself.” It is not until the Bleeding Nun appears to Raymond at night that the idea of the existence of the supernatural begins to be a reality. The Wandering Jew's appearance coincides with this first instance of the paranormal. He can see the Bleeding Nun, proving she is not a figment of Raymond's imagination. His supernatural abilities give access to the Bleeding Nun's story and provide plausibility to the existence of the paranormal. He also has the power to free Raymond from her presence. The later confirmation of Raymond's uncle to the existence of the Wandering Jew allows the whole story to be taken for fact. This establishes the reality of the supernatural and lays the groundwork for Matilda's later use of magic and her and Ambrosio's interaction with evil spirits.

Characteristics of the French Revolution[Edit]

It is unclear which side Lewis stood on when it came to the French Revolution; however, one thing is sure: he was influenced by it, as seen in his work. For example, Ambrosio is a devout Monk who believes he is incapable of human error and finds himself a prisoner by the lustful desires of his heart [58]. Still, the willpower he exemplifies to repress his desires represents the problems during the French Revolution—a struggle for freedom and oppression. Ronald Paulson writes that Ambrosio's desire for sexual freedom results in the restraint of others' liberties. [536] "The Monk was kept in the monastery for so long that when he finally had the opportunity for self-liberation, it cost him his sacred vows of celibacy." [534] In addition, the angry mob murders the nuns for falling into sexual sins, which is the same act that Ambrosio is guilty of; Ronald believes Ambrosio is justified for his actions due to being held captive for so many years. [534] There is a resemblance to the unrest of the French Revolution when the angry mobs murdered the Nuns of St. Clare's. Matthew Lewis uses Gothic fiction to play a role in The Monk by reliving the terror, surprise, and horror of the French Revolution through the lives of his characters.

Equally important, author Daniel Watkins views The Monk as significant to social hierarchy and thinks we should consider the importance of social classes and their violations throughout the novel. Ambrosio's problem with sexuality is not simply an issue of moral conduct but one of political rights. For example, he discusses how "Matilda denies social and patriarchal claims without mentioning class, and even though Ambrosio is attracted to Matilda, he seeks to preserve his sexual purity because of the high standard of class that he represents." Therefore, Matthew Lewis doesn't use Ambrosio's sexuality in the novel to lead the reader to focus on his moral degradation but on the values that have been instilled in him since birth. Ambrosio has entangled himself in a class ranking system, and failing to adhere to its rules results in social collapse. The social hierarchy portrayed in Matthew Lewis's novel is significant to the French Revolution due to its social perception of the characters. During the 1700s, the Kingdom of France established the Ancien Regime, a term for social and political structure also known as the "Third Estate," which was made up of the clergy, the nobility, and the commoners. In The Monk, we see this system of class relations. Lorenzo is a wealthy nobleman, Ambrosio is the clergy, and Antonia is the peasant. During the French Revolution and in the novel, each class of society was expected to behave in a certain way and live up to the standards of their rank.

Matthew Lewis published The Monk when the French Revolution was associated with horror and terror. Łowczanin states that "Lewis wrote The Monk in response to the horrors that revolved around the war, which are seen in how he characterizes women in the novel. The novel's atmosphere focuses on the political upheavals of the anxieties of the time." He speaks about how the Catholic church depicted females as always aiming to broadcast their beauty, especially the Virgin Mary and other saints, and how the novel sought to expose Catholicism by relying on the images of women. To add, the Church and the Revolution used the female body as a display of degradation. On one hand, the female is a representation of beauty and, on the other, is abused at the time of revolt. For example, the once elegant and beautiful Prioress is described in Chapter 10 as beaten, shapeless, and disgusting—one whose lifeless body was dragged through the streets of Madrid. As Edmund Burke’s Reflections on the French Revolution (1790) writes, "Lewis represents the female body as beautified and mutilated." Łowczanin thinks the horrors of the time affected the artistic imagination of many authors, leading them to channel their fears through their writings. Gothic is used metaphorically rather than literally because many writers sought coping mechanisms for what happened in the 1790s.

Article Draft

Lead

The Monk: A Romance is a Gothic novel by Matthew Gregory Lewis, published in 1796. Written from early in Lewis's career at the age of nineteen (in one letter, he claimed to have written it in ten weeks, but other correspondence suggests that he had at least started it, or something similar, a couple of years earlier), it was published before he turned twenty. It is a prime example of the type of Gothic that specializes in horror.

Plot

This convoluted and scandalous story revolves around a devoted monk, Ambrosio, who is tempted to break his sacred vows when a young man, Rosario, reveals that he is a woman, also known as "Matilda," and comes to the monastery and disguises himself as a nun to become closer to him. Caught between two strong plotlines--one being a struggle between sexual desire and religious integrity--Ambrosio soon succumbs to the temptations he has sought his entire life to shun. It is one of the most important Gothic novels of its time, often imitated and adapted for stage and the screen.

Table of Contents

"The Monk" by Matthew Gregory Lewis doesn't have a formal table of contents, as it's a single-volume novel. However, it is divided into two books--by chapter as--as listed below:

1. Book One: The Monk's Tale

  - Chapter 1: The Monk Ambrosio
  - Chapter 2: Ambrosio's Temptation
  - Chapter 3: Matilda
  - Chapter 4: The Temptation Deepens
  - Chapter 5: Agnes and Raymond
  - Chapter 6: The Vision of St. Clare
  - Chapter 7: The Confession
  - Chapter 8: Ambrosio's Fall

2. Book Two: The Novice

  - Chapter 1: The Capuchin Monastery
  - Chapter 2: Ambrosio's Crime
  - Chapter 3: Ambrosio's Arrest
  - Chapter 4: Ambrosio's Trial
  - Chapter 5: The Inquisition
  - Chapter 6: The Condemnation
  - Chapter 7: The Execution