XXII explained

What happens

Themes in this chapter

• Love and Loss

  The brothers' plot to kill Lorenzo directly threatens the love between Isabel and Lorenzo, foreshadowing tragic loss.

• Social Critique and Mortality

  The brothers' cruelty and mercilessness critique the destructive nature of familial greed and social constraints, leading to murder.

Characters to notice

• Lorenzo

  The young man targeted for murder by Isabel's brothers.

• Isabel

  Though not directly present, her brothers' plot is driven by their disapproval of her love for Lorenzo.

Key passages

• “And many a jealous conference had they, And many times they bit their lips alone, Before they fix’d upon a surest way To make the youngster for his crime atone;”

  The brothers held many secret, envious meetings and often silently fumed before deciding on the most certain method to make the young man pay for his offense.

  Describes the brothers' conspiratorial planning and their determination to punish Lorenzo.

• “And at the last, these men of cruel clay Cut Mercy with a sharp knife to the bone;”

  In the end, these heartless men completely destroyed any trace of mercy, cutting it away as if with a sharp knife down to the very bone.

  Emphasizes the brothers' utter lack of compassion and their brutal resolve.

• “For they resolved in some forest dim To kill Lorenzo, and there bury him.”

  They decided to kill Lorenzo in a dark forest and bury his body there.

  States the brothers' final plan to murder Lorenzo and conceal the crime.