# Manfred — The Castle of Otranto character guide > Manfred in The Castle of Otranto by Horace Walpole. **Role:** major **Also known as:** the savage Manfred, III Manfred **First appearance:** 0003-the-castle-of-otranto ## Snapshot The tyrannical prince of Otranto, whose frantic dread of an ancient prophecy drives him to monstrous acts against family and subject alike. ## Who they are Manfred rules Otranto with an impatience that curdles into cruelty the moment his plans are thwarted, and the sudden, grotesque death of his only son Conrad on the wedding day exposes how little he grieves and how much he calculates. His subjects whisper that he rushed the marriage because of a prophecy that the castle should pass from his family once the true owner grows too large to inhabit it, and his cold fixation on the giant helmet rather than his mangled child reveals a mind already scheming past grief. That mixture of guilt, ambition, and terror makes him the engine of the story's early chaos, a ruler whose private fears threaten everyone around him. ## Relationships ### [Isabella](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_castle_of_otranto_se/characters/isabella) _psychological_ Manfred relentlessly pursues Isabella to marry her after his son's death, making her a terrified victim of his obsessive and tyrannical desires. ### [Hippolita](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_castle_of_otranto_se/characters/hippolita) _family_ Hippolita is Manfred's long-suffering, devoted wife who endures his cruelty and infidelity with pious submission. ### [Jerome](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_castle_of_otranto_se/characters/jerome) _rivalry_ Jerome, as a holy father and protector of Isabella, actively opposes Manfred's wicked schemes and confronts his tyranny. ### [Matilda](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_castle_of_otranto_se/characters/matilda) _family_ Manfred is Matilda's cold and neglectful father, valuing her only as a pawn in his dynastic ambitions. ### [Theodore](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_castle_of_otranto_se/characters/theodore) _rivalry_ Manfred views Theodore as a dangerous rival and enemy, imprisoning and threatening him out of jealousy and suspicion. ### [Frederic](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_castle_of_otranto_se/characters/frederic) _rivalry_ Frederic and Manfred are bitter rivals, each seeking power and the hand of Isabella for their own ends. ### [Bianca](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_castle_of_otranto_se/characters/bianca) _professional_ Bianca is a servant in Manfred's household, often fearful of his temper and subject to his authority. ### [Isabella](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_castle_of_otranto_se/characters/isabella) _psychological_ Manfred relentlessly pursues Isabella to marry her after his son's death, making her a terrified victim of his obsessive and tyrannical desires. ### [Hippolita](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_castle_of_otranto_se/characters/hippolita) _family_ Hippolita is Manfred's long-suffering, devoted wife who endures his cruelty and infidelity with pious submission. ### [Jerome](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_castle_of_otranto_se/characters/jerome) _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) _psychological_ Manfred relentlessly pursues Isabella to marry her after his son's death, making her a terrified victim of his obsessive and tyrannical desires. ### [Matilda](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_castle_of_otranto_se/characters/matilda) _family_ Manfred is Matilda's cold and neglectful father, valuing her only as a pawn in his dynastic ambitions. ## In the story ### [The Castle of Otranto](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_castle_of_otranto_se/chapters/the-castle-of-otranto) The Prince of Otranto, driven by ambition and fear of a prophecy, plots to divorce Hippolita and marry Isabella after Conrad's death. ### [I](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_castle_of_otranto_se/chapters/i) Manfred is the Prince of Otranto, impatient for his son's wedding, enraged by the peasant's identification of the helmet, and later reveals his tyrannical ambition by proposing to Isabella and planning to divorce Hippolita. ### [Chapter II](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_castle_of_otranto_se/chapters/ii) Manfred tries to coerce Friar Jerome into legitimizing his divorce and marriage to Isabella, and interrogates Theodore about Isabella's escape. ### [Chapter III](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_castle_of_otranto_se/chapters/iii) Manfred's heart misgives him at the portents; he spares Theodore but later imprisons him; he receives the herald's challenge and invites the knight to the castle. ### [Chapter V](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_castle_of_otranto_se/chapters/v) Distracted by grief and guilt, Manfred confesses his crimes and abdicates after the supernatural revelation. ## Links - HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_castle_of_otranto_se/characters/manfred - Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_castle_of_otranto_se - All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_castle_of_otranto_se/characters