Clarissa · Chapter
Letter 467: Mr. Belford, to Robert Lovelace, Esq. explained
Belford reports Clarissa's declining health and her steadfast refusal to see Lovelace, despite forgiving him.
What happens
Belford reports Clarissa's declining health and her steadfast refusal to see Lovelace, despite forgiving him. She expresses a wish for his reformation but insists on dying in peace, free from his presence. Belford urges Lovelace not to intrude upon her final hours.
Free preview opens on this chapter — companions, themes, and character notes appear beside the text.
Narrative arc
Story tension across the book — this chapter sits in Falling action.
- Setup
- Escalation
- Breaking point
- Aftermath
- Closing
This is the story's dramatic climax because it marks the emotional and psychological peak where Clarissa, desp…
Full beat labels and climax notes unlock in the reader.
Follow the arc while readingThemes in this chapter
- Suffering and Redemption
Clarissa's suffering is framed as a path to spiritual redemption; she forgives Lovelace and longs for heavenly release.
- Deception and Appearance vs. Reality
Belford contrasts Clarissa's genuine piety with Lovelace's professed penitence, questioning the sincerity of his reform.
Characters to notice
- Clarissa Harlowe
Extremely weak and near death; maintains piety, patience, and forgiveness toward Lovelace, but refuses to see him.
- Robert Lovelace
Mentioned as penitent and desiring to see Clarissa; Belford warns him not to invade her dying hours.
- John Belford
Narrates the letter; mediates between Clarissa and Lovelace, urging Clarissa to forgive and Lovelace to stay away.
- Mrs. Lovick
Reports Clarissa's serene slumber and provides updates on her condition.
Key passages
“I not only forgive him, but have such earnest wishes for the good of his soul, and that from consideration of its immortality, that could my penitence avail for more sins than my own, my last tear should fall for him by whom I die!”
Clarissa declares she forgives Lovelace and wishes for his soul's salvation, even offering her last tear for him.
Clarissa's ultimate forgiveness and selfless concern for Lovelace's spiritual state.
“he will not let me die decently, said the angelic sufferer!—He will not let me enter into my Maker’s presence with the composure that is required in entering into the drawing-room of an earthly prince!”
Clarissa laments that Lovelace's intrusions prevent her from dying with the dignity and composure she desires.
Clarissa's desire for a peaceful death free from Lovelace's disturbances.
“Life was not so easily extinguished, she saw, as some imagined.— Death from grief , was, she believed, the slowest of deaths .”
Clarissa observes that dying from grief is a prolonged process, contrary to common belief.
Clarissa's reflection on the slow nature of death caused by sorrow.
