# Chapter II explained — Melmoth the Wanderer

> Chapter companion for Melmoth the Wanderer by Charles Robert Maturin.

## What happens

After the funeral, John Melmoth is named sole heir to his uncle's estate. A strange codicil in the will instructs him to destroy a portrait and burn a manuscript. Driven by curiosity, John remains in the house, questions the servants about his uncle's odd behavior, and resolves to examine the manuscript at night. He retrieves it from the closet and begins to read, despite the eerie atmosphere.

## Themes in this chapter

### Supernatural and the Gothic

The eerie atmosphere, the mysterious portrait, and the forbidden manuscript evoke Gothic horror and the supernatural.

### Knowledge and Curiosity

John Melmoth's decision to read the manuscript despite warnings highlights the theme of forbidden knowledge and the dangers of curiosity.

### Isolation and Alienation

John is left alone in the decaying house, surrounded by gloomy weather and the memory of his uncle, emphasizing his isolation.

## Character check-ins

### John Melmoth

The young heir, curious and determined, decides to read the forbidden manuscript despite the unsettling circumstances.

### Old Melmoth

The deceased uncle, whose will contains a mysterious codicil about a portrait and manuscript.

### Biddy Brannigan

An old woman in the house who tells Melmoth a wild tale about the family, heightening his curiosity.

## Key lines

> I enjoin my nephew and heir, John Melmoth, to remove, destroy, or cause to be destroyed, the portrait inscribed J. Melmoth, 1646, hanging in my closet. I also enjoin him to search for a manuscript... He may read it if he will;—I think he had better not. At all events, I adjure him, if there be any power in the adjuration of a dying man, to burn it.

Old Melmoth's will instructs John to destroy a specific portrait and find a manuscript, warning him not to read it but to burn it instead.

_This codicil sets the central mystery of the chapter, driving John's curiosity and the plot forward._

> Melmoth’s last resource was to send for Biddy Brannigan, who was still in the house, and from whom he at least hoped to hear the odd story that the old woman confessed was in the family.

John summons Biddy Brannigan to learn the strange family story, hoping it will explain the mysterious events.

_Biddy's tale adds to the Gothic atmosphere and deepens the mystery surrounding the portrait and manuscript._

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/melmoth_the_wanderer_se/chapters/ii
- Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/melmoth_the_wanderer_se
- All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/melmoth_the_wanderer_se/chapters