Melmoth the Wanderer · Chapter
XXXVII explained
Isidora, imprisoned by the Inquisition, undergoes repeated examinations but refuses to implicate Melmoth.
What happens
Isidora, imprisoned by the Inquisition, undergoes repeated examinations but refuses to implicate Melmoth. She is sentenced to perpetual confinement, and her infant child is ordered to be taken from her. In a moment of despair, she hands over the corpse of her child, who has died. As she lies dying of a broken heart, she confesses to Father Jose that Melmoth visited her cell and offered her freedom on a terrible condition, which she rejected. She dies questioning whether Melmoth will be in paradise.
Themes in this chapter
Temptation and Faith
Isidora resists Melmoth's final temptation, choosing faith and salvation over freedom and love.
Suffering and Oppression
Isidora endures imprisonment, the loss of her child, and the psychological torment of the Inquisition.
Love and Sacrifice
Isidora's love for Melmoth persists even as she sacrifices her life and child for her faith.
Characters to notice
- Doña Isidora
The prisoner, dying of a broken heart after her child's death and Melmoth's temptation.
- Father Jose
The priest who visits Isidora in her final hours and hears her confession.
- Melmoth
Appears to Isidora in her cell, offering escape on a terrible condition.
Key passages
“She was condemned, as a suspected heretic, to perpetual confinement in the prison of the Inquisition—her child was to be taken from her, and brought up in a convent”
Isidora is sentenced to life imprisonment, and her child is ordered to be raised in a convent.
The Inquisition's sentence against Isidora.
“Melmoth was here last night—within the walls of the Inquisition—within this very cell!”
Melmoth visited Isidora in her cell last night.
Isidora reveals Melmoth's supernatural visit to Father Jose.
“Oh that I had loved none but God—how profound would have been my peace—how glorious my departure— now — his image pursues me even to the brink of the grave, into which I plunge to escape it!”
Isidora regrets loving Melmoth instead of God alone, as his memory haunts her dying moments.
Isidora's final lament about her love for Melmoth.