# The Revelation of Agnes's Murder explained — The Monk

> Chapter companion for The Monk by M. G. Lewis.

## What happens

St. Ursula reveals the horrific murder of Agnes de Medina by the prioress and her accomplices, leading to a riot where the mob kills the prioress and then attacks the convent of St. Clare.

## Themes in this chapter

### Hypocrisy of Religious Institutions

The prioress and nuns, supposed to be pious, commit murder and abuse their authority, contrasting with their religious facade.

### Innocence and Corruption

Agnes, described as innocent and gentle, is corrupted and destroyed by the corrupt convent leadership.

### Guilt and Remorse

The prioress shows no remorse for her actions, while St. Ursula is driven by guilt to reveal the truth.

## Character check-ins

### Donna Agnes

Revealed to have been poisoned by the prioress after being accused of violating convent rules.

### Mother St. Ursula

Narrates the murder of Agnes, having witnessed it from hiding, and accuses the prioress and her accomplices.

### Don Lorenzo

Present during the riot, attempts to calm the mob and later tries to defend the convent from attack.

### Don Ramirez de Mello

Attempts to protect the prioress and enforce order, but is overwhelmed by the mob.

### Elvira

Mentioned as a friend of Agnes, though not directly involved in this chapter's events.

## Key lines

> Mine is the task to rend the veil from hypocrisy, and show misguided parents to what dangers the woman is exposed, who falls under the sway of a monastic tyrant.

It is my duty to expose the hypocrisy of religious institutions and warn parents of the dangers their daughters face under tyrannical monastic rule.

_St. Ursula states her purpose in revealing the truth about the convent._

> This law decreed that the offender should be plunged into a private dungeon, expressly constituted to hide from the world forever the victim of cruelty and tyrannic superstition.

The punishment for Agnes's crime was to be imprisoned in a secret dungeon, hidden from the world, as dictated by an ancient and cruel law.

_Description of the harsh punishment proposed for Agnes._

> She expired in horror of the past, in fears for the future; and her agonies were such as must have amply gratified the hate and vengeance of her enemies.

Agnes died in terror, tormented by both her past and future, her suffering satisfying her enemies' desire for revenge.

_St. Ursula describes Agnes's painful death._

## Links

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