# Jerome — The Castle of Otranto character guide

> Jerome in The Castle of Otranto by Horace Walpole.

**Role:** supporting

**Also known as:** Father Jerome, Friar Jerome

**First appearance:** 0005-i

## Snapshot

A friar whose counsel Manfred seeks and whose hidden knowledge of Theodore's origins makes him the story's uneasy keeper of buried truth.

## Who they are

Father Jerome moves between the castle's corridors and the church's authority, a holy man whose advice the tyrannical Manfred both demands and resents. He carries a secret about Theodore's parentage that binds him to the young stranger's fate, and his conscience strains against the powerful lord he is obliged to serve. As Manfred's schemes escalate, Jerome becomes the moral counterweight whose withheld knowledge shapes the middle of the book.

## Relationships

### [Manfred](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_castle_of_otranto_se/characters/manfred)

_rivalry_

Jerome, as a holy father and protector of Isabella, actively opposes Manfred's wicked schemes and confronts his tyranny.

### [Hippolita](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_castle_of_otranto_se/characters/hippolita)

_friendship_

Hippolita and Jerome are allies in faith and morality, working together to counter Manfred's evil and protect the innocent.

### [Isabella](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_castle_of_otranto_se/characters/isabella)

_friendship_

Jerome acts as Isabella's spiritual guide and protector, hiding her from Manfred and aiding her flight.

### [Theodore](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_castle_of_otranto_se/characters/theodore)

_family_

Jerome is revealed to be Theodore's father, having raised him secretly after the death of Theodore's mother.

### [Manfred](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_castle_of_otranto_se/characters/manfred)

_rivalry_

Jerome, as a holy father and protector of Isabella, actively opposes Manfred's wicked schemes and confronts his tyranny.

### [Isabella](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_castle_of_otranto_se/characters/isabella)

_friendship_

Jerome acts as Isabella's spiritual guide and protector, hiding her from Manfred and aiding her flight.

### [Manfred](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_castle_of_otranto_se/characters/manfred)

_rivalry_

Jerome, as a holy father and protector of Isabella, actively opposes Manfred's wicked schemes and confronts his tyranny.

### [Hippolita](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_castle_of_otranto_se/characters/hippolita)

_friendship_

Hippolita and Jerome are allies in faith and morality, working together to counter Manfred's evil and protect the innocent.

### [Hippolita](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_castle_of_otranto_se/characters/hippolita)

_friendship_

Hippolita and Jerome are allies in faith and morality, working together to counter Manfred's evil and protect the innocent.

### [Theodore](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_castle_of_otranto_se/characters/theodore)

_family_

Jerome is revealed to be Theodore's father, having raised him secretly after the death of Theodore's mother.

### [Theodore](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_castle_of_otranto_se/characters/theodore)

_family_

Jerome is revealed to be Theodore's father, having raised him secretly after the death of Theodore's mother.

### [Isabella](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_castle_of_otranto_se/characters/isabella)

_friendship_

Jerome acts as Isabella's spiritual guide and protector, hiding her from Manfred and aiding her flight.

## In the story

### [Chapter II](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_castle_of_otranto_se/chapters/ii)

Jerome rebukes Manfred for his sinful designs, but later feigns compliance to protect Hippolita and Isabella.

### [Chapter III](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_castle_of_otranto_se/chapters/iii)

Jerome pleads for Theodore's life, is granted it, but then is ordered to retrieve Isabella; he is torn between his son's safety and his duty.

### [Chapter IV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_castle_of_otranto_se/chapters/iv)

Questions Theodore about his love for Matilda and warns him against it, citing divine judgment on Manfred's line.

### [Chapter V](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_castle_of_otranto_se/chapters/v)

Reveals Theodore's true lineage as Alfonso's heir and condemns Manfred's tyranny.

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_castle_of_otranto_se/characters/jerome
- Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_castle_of_otranto_se
- All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_castle_of_otranto_se/characters