# Matilda — The Castle of Otranto character guide

> Matilda in The Castle of Otranto by Horace Walpole.

**Role:** major

**Also known as:** the terrified Matilda, the gentle Matilda, the lovely Matilda

**First appearance:** 0003-the-castle-of-otranto

## Snapshot

Manfred's gentle, devout daughter, kept in near-seclusion, whose quiet courage and secret longings make her the tender heart of the castle.

## Who they are

Matilda lives under her father's watchful confinement, her days brightened only by her friend Isabella and the babbling of her maid Bianca. When a mysterious voice drifts up from the haunted chamber below, she refuses Bianca's panic and leans out to speak with the stranger, offering pity and protection with a composure beyond her years. That blend of piety, curiosity, and hidden feeling draws her toward the young man below and sets her on a path her father would never permit.

## Relationships

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

_friendship_

Isabella and Matilda are close friends and confidantes, supporting each other through the terrors and intrigues of the castle.

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

_family_

Hippolita is Matilda's loving and gentle mother, sharing a bond of mutual care and piety.

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

_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)

_romantic_

Matilda and Theodore share a secret, tender romantic love that blossoms amidst danger and tragedy.

### [Bianca](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_castle_of_otranto_se/characters/bianca)

_professional_

Bianca is Matilda's loyal and talkative servant, providing comic relief and devoted service.

### [Holy Father](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_castle_of_otranto_se/characters/holy_father)

_social_

The Holy Father is a religious authority figure who interacts with Matilda in a formal, spiritual capacity.

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

_friendship_

Isabella and Matilda are close friends and confidantes, supporting each other through the terrors and intrigues of the castle.

### [Holy Father](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_castle_of_otranto_se/characters/holy_father)

_social_

The Holy Father is a religious authority figure who interacts with Matilda in a formal, spiritual capacity.

### [Bianca](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_castle_of_otranto_se/characters/bianca)

_professional_

Bianca is Matilda's loyal and talkative servant, providing comic relief and devoted service.

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

_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)

_romantic_

Matilda and Theodore share a secret, tender romantic love that blossoms amidst danger and tragedy.

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

_family_

Hippolita is Matilda's loving and gentle mother, sharing a bond of mutual care and piety.

## In the story

### [I](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_castle_of_otranto_se/chapters/i)

Matilda is Manfred's daughter, who assists her mother Hippolita and suppresses her own grief over her brother's death.

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

Matilda observes Theodore's interrogation from a gallery and is drawn to his composure and gallantry.

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

Confesses her love for Theodore to Hippolita and vows obedience; blushes at seeing Theodore with Isabella.

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

Mortally wounded by Manfred's mistaken blow, she forgives her father and dies in her mother's arms.

## Links

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