The Mysteries of Udolpho · Chapter
Epigraph explained
The epigraph sets a foreboding tone, personifying fate as a grim presence atop dark battlements that warns of an unnamed, ominous deed as the protagonist enters.
What happens
The epigraph sets a foreboding tone, personifying fate as a grim presence atop dark battlements that warns of an unnamed, ominous deed as the protagonist enters.
Themes in this chapter
The Supernatural and the Unknown
The epigraph evokes a supernatural atmosphere with fate personified and the suggestion of a 'nameless deed,' hinting at unknown horrors.
Key passages
“Fate sits on these dark battlements, and frowns, And, as the portals open to receive me, Her voice, in sullen echoes through the courts, Tells of a nameless deed.”
Destiny looms over the gloomy castle walls, and as the gates swing open to let me in, its grim voice reverberates through the halls, hinting at some unspeakable act.
The epigraph establishes a mood of dread and mystery, foreshadowing the novel's Gothic themes.