The Castle of Otranto

Since Hippolita has agreed to the divorce, Manfred bribes Bianca, Matilda’s and Hippolita’s servant, to spy on Isabella, but Bianca is thwarted by a giant hand in armor. When Frederic finds out about the spying, he calls off his marriage to Matilda and his daughter’s marriage to Manfred. To persuade Frederic to change his mind, Manfred gets Frederic drunk at a banquet and seats him next to Matilda in hopes that he will rekindle his love for her.

Frederic attempts to find Hippolita to see if she truly consented to a divorce. When he enters the church, he sees a cloaked figure he believes is Hippolita, but it turns out to be the skeletal remains of the hermit Frederic met in the forest of Joppa. The ghost scolds Frederic for subjecting his daughter to danger and placing his own sexual desires above her safety. Frederic falls to the floor and prays. When Hippolita arrives at the church, she screams in terror thinking that Frederic is dead. At this, Frederic awakens and runs from the church, side-stepping Manfred

Manfred is furious when his spy tells him that Isabella and Theodore are at Alfonso’s tomb discussing marriage. When he sneaks up on what he thinks is the couple in the dimly lit church and stabs the woman from behind—only to see that he has stabbed Matilda and not Isabella. Manfred attempts to kill himself, only to be stopped by several monks after Matilda demands they help her father.

At the castle, Matilda holds Hippolita’s and Manfred’s hands to her heart. Theodore attempts to quickly marry Matilda, but she dies before this can happen. When Matilda dies, the earth shakes, and the giant helmet begins to clamor. Fearing the end of the world, Frederic and Father Jerome pull Theodore to safety. As the walls around Manfred crumble, the ghost of Alfonso appears and announces Theodore as the rightful ruler of Otranto.

Amongst the chaos, Manfred explains how he and his family came to rule Otranto. His grandfather, Ricardo, was Alfonso’s chamberlain. Ricardo murdered Alfonso in the Crusades, forging a will giving him power over Otranto. Ricardo made a deal with St. Nicholas to build a church and several convents, but was warned that once the ruler of Otranto outgrew the castle, he would lose his power. At this point, Father Jerome reveals that Theodore’s mother was actually Alfonso’s daughter. Hearing this, Manfred gives up his power and leaves to become a monk. Theodore, still mourning Matilda, marries Isabella and becomes the ruler of Otranto.