Opening Macbeth Passage on Retributive Justice
The chapter opens with a passage from Macbeth meditating on retributive justice, warning that “bloody instructions” return to plague their inventor and that even-handed justice forces the poisoner to drink from his own poisoned chalice.
Extraordinary Events Distract Emily from Sorrow
Extraordinary circumstances draw Emily away from her own sorrows, stirring in her emotions mingled with both surprise and horror.
Signora Laurentini’s Will Bequeaths Property to Emily
A few days after Signora Laurentini’s death, her will is opened at the monastery in the presence of the superiors and Monsieur Bonnac; it is discovered that one third of her personal property is bequeathed to the nearest surviving relative of the late Marchioness de Villeroi, and that Emily is that person.
Long-Hidden Secret of Emily’s Relation to the Marchioness
The abbess has long been acquainted with the secret of Emily’s family. Out of respect for St. Aubert’s dying request to the friar who attended him, Emily has been kept in ignorance of her relationship to the Marchioness.
Abbess Summons Emily to Disclose Family History
Hints dropped by Signora Laurentini during her final interview with Emily, together with an extraordinary deathbed confession, persuade the abbess that the time has come to speak; she summons Emily, who obeys and learns circumstances that powerfully affect her.
Introduction to Laurentini di Udolpho’s Backstory
Because the abbess’s account is incomplete and the nun’s history is essential to the fate of the Marchioness, the narrator omits the convent conversation and weaves in a brief history of Laurentini di Udolpho, only child of her parents and heiress of the ancient house of Udolpho in the Venetian territory.
Laurentini’s Indulgent Upbringing and Unrestrained Passions
Laurentini’s first misfortune is the indulgence of those who should have governed her strong passions: her parents indulge and then violently oppose her, turning correction into a contest of wills in which tender duty is forgotten. Left to her own discretion by the death of both parents in the same year, she becomes fond of company, disdainful of the world’s judgment, brilliant in wit, and master of every art of fascination—conduct predictable from her weak principles and violent passions.
Laurentini’s Courtship and Fall from Favor with the Marquis de Villeroi
Among Laurentini’s many admirers is the late Marquis de Villeroi, who encounters her in Venice on his Italian tour. She so effectively conceals the dangerous traits of her character that he offers marriage. After she retires to Udolpho and the Marquis follows, her conduct relaxes and reveals the precipice on which he stands; convinced of his deception, he abandons marriage and makes her his mistress.
Laurentini’s Obsessive Pining After the Marquis’s Departure
The Marquis is called abruptly to France, delaying the nuptials but promising an early return. Soothed by these assurances, Laurentini suffers him to depart, rejects Montoni’s renewed addresses, and in her solitude indulges the full delirium of Italian love—sighing and weeping over the Marquis’s miniature, writing to him, and counting the weeks to his return. When the appointed period passes without him, her fancy, fixed on one idea, becomes disordered and life grows hateful.
Laurentini Travels to France on News of the Marquis’s Marriage
After months of silence, a report reaches Laurentini that the Marquis has married in France. Torn between love, jealousy, and indignation, she resolves to go secretly to France and, if the report is true, to attempt a deep revenge. Confiding only in her favorite female attendant, she collects her vast jewels and cash, and the two travel by way of a neighboring town to Leghorn, where they embark for France.
Laurentini Rekindles Her Sway Over the Married Marquis
Arriving in Languedoc, Laurentini finds the marriage confirmed. Her despair nearly deprives her of reason; she alternately plans and abandons murder, then contrives to throw herself in the Marquis’s way intending to reproach him and stab herself in his presence. At the sight of him, however, resentment yields to love: she trembles, faints, and the Marquis—his passion returning—succumbs once more to her beauty and sensibility.
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