Fate and Inevitability

Where it surfaces

• A Tale of the Passions

  The characters speak of bloodshed and conflict as inescapable, with Cincolo declaring that peace will never come until both parties are 'cold under one bier.'

• The Sisters of Albano

  The narrative suggests that the mingling of love with crime inevitably leads to tragedy, as foreshadowed by the Countess's remarks.

• The Evil Eye

  The Evil Eye as a supernatural force of doom, the Morai (Fates) howling in the wind, and the sense that the child's fate is sealed by dark powers.

• The Mourner

  Ellen's tragic end is portrayed as an unavoidable outcome of her suffering, highlighting fate and inevitability.

• Transformation

  Guido is compelled to tell his tale by an 'intellectual earthquake,' and his transformation is framed as an inescapable lesson.

• The Dream

  Constance's dream and her decision to sleep on St. Catherine's couch reflect a belief in fate and divine guidance.

• The Pilgrims

  Ida's secret marriage and Burkhardt's curse set in motion a tragic chain of events that culminate in her death, yet the arrival of her children suggests a destined reconciliation.

• I

  The father's seemingly perfect happiness is abruptly shattered by Diana's death, suggesting an inescapable tragic fate.

• VI

  Mathilda feels that a mighty revolution has taken place, that the natural work of years has been transacted in a few hours, and that she and her father must be forever separated by seas and lands.

• XII

  The narrator accepts her approaching death as a natural and peaceful end, viewing it as an inevitable release from suffering.