# Montoni — The Mysteries of Udolpho character guide > Montoni in The Mysteries of Udolpho by Ann Radcliffe. **Role:** major **Also known as:** Signor Montoni, the Signor Montoni, the selfish Montoni, Julius Caesar Montoni **First appearance:** 0004-iii ## Snapshot A proud, calculating Italian nobleman whose charm is a tool and whose castle at Udolpho becomes the instrument of his ambition and his captives' dread. ## Who they are Montoni enters the story as a suitor for Emily's aunt and quickly reveals himself as a man who values rank, revenue, and command above every affection. His cold authority over Madame Montoni and his designs upon Emily's estates make him the presiding threat of the middle chapters. He matters because his castle, his silence, and his shifting schemes turn Gothic dread into a domestic and legal trap. ## Relationships ### [Emily St. Aubert](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_mysteries_of_udolpho_se/characters/emily_st_aubert) _rivalry_ Montoni is Emily's tyrannical and manipulative guardian who seeks to control her fortune and force her into a marriage. ### [Count Morano](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_mysteries_of_udolpho_se/characters/count_morano) _rivalry_ Count Morano and Montoni are antagonists who clash over control of Emily and her inheritance. ### [Annette](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_mysteries_of_udolpho_se/characters/annette) _professional_ Annette is a servant in Montoni's household, often fearful of his harsh and cruel demeanor. ### [Madame Montoni](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_mysteries_of_udolpho_se/characters/madame_montoni) _family_ Madame Montoni is Montoni's wife, trapped in a miserable and abusive marriage under his domination. ### [Emily St. Aubert](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_mysteries_of_udolpho_se/characters/emily_st_aubert) _rivalry_ Montoni is Emily's tyrannical and manipulative guardian who seeks to control her fortune and force her into a marriage. ### [Emily St. Aubert](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_mysteries_of_udolpho_se/characters/emily_st_aubert) _rivalry_ Montoni is Emily's tyrannical and manipulative guardian who seeks to control her fortune and force her into a marriage. ### [Annette](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_mysteries_of_udolpho_se/characters/annette) _professional_ Annette is a servant in Montoni's household, often fearful of his harsh and cruel demeanor. ### [Madame Montoni](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_mysteries_of_udolpho_se/characters/madame_montoni) _family_ Madame Montoni is Montoni's wife, trapped in a miserable and abusive marriage under his domination. ### [Count Morano](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_mysteries_of_udolpho_se/characters/count_morano) _rivalry_ Count Morano and Montoni are antagonists who clash over control of Emily and her inheritance. ### [Annette](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_mysteries_of_udolpho_se/characters/annette) _professional_ Annette is a servant in Montoni's household, often fearful of his harsh and cruel demeanor. ### [Madame Montoni](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_mysteries_of_udolpho_se/characters/madame_montoni) _family_ Madame Montoni is Montoni's wife, trapped in a miserable and abusive marriage under his domination. ### [Count Morano](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_mysteries_of_udolpho_se/characters/count_morano) _rivalry_ Count Morano and Montoni are antagonists who clash over control of Emily and her inheritance. ## In the story ### [The Mysteries of Udolpho](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_mysteries_of_udolpho_se/chapters/the-mysteries-of-udolpho) The villainous husband of Madame Montoni, who imprisons Emily and reveals his banditry and cruelty. ### [Chapter XII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_mysteries_of_udolpho_se/chapters/xii) Montoni becomes a daily guest and a favored suitor to Madame Cheron. Emily feels admiration mixed with fear toward him, noting his conscious superiority and the triumph of art over nature in his countenance. ### [Chapter XIII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_mysteries_of_udolpho_se/chapters/xiii) Inflexible and peremptory, he refuses Valancourt's requests and returns his letters unopened, driven by fear, shame, or hatred. ### [XIV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_mysteries_of_udolpho_se/chapters/xiv) Impatient to leave, gives orders for the journey, and plans to dine at Turin. ### [Chapter XV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_mysteries_of_udolpho_se/chapters/xv) Restless and discontented, he congratulates himself on returning to Venice but shows little civility to his wife. ### [Chapter XVI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_mysteries_of_udolpho_se/chapters/xvi) Forces Emily into Count Morano's company, displays sullen disdain toward Madame Montoni, and insists on Emily's compliance. ### [Chapter XVII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_mysteries_of_udolpho_se/chapters/xvii) Montoni threatens Emily with severe punishment if she refuses to marry Morano. He also harbors the criminal Orsino in his house, showing his involvement with dangerous figures. ### [Chapter XVIII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_mysteries_of_udolpho_se/chapters/xviii) Montoni orders the sudden departure from Venice in a ill humor, revealing his authoritative and mysterious control over the household. ### [Chapter XIX](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_mysteries_of_udolpho_se/chapters/xix) Montoni dismisses Emily's fears about the door, shows sternness and vexation, and is involved in secret councils with his guests. ### [Chapter XX](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_mysteries_of_udolpho_se/chapters/xx) Orders Emily from the room in anger; investigates the betrayal of the castle keys; presses his wife to sign away her settlements. ### [Chapter XXI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_mysteries_of_udolpho_se/chapters/xxi) Valancourt fears Montoni's character and the dangers he poses to Emily; his anxieties about Montoni contribute to his despair. ### [Chapter XXII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_mysteries_of_udolpho_se/chapters/xxii) Threatens to imprison Madame Montoni, shows indifference to her suffering, and plans a watch with fierce men on the ramparts. ### [Chapter XXIII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_mysteries_of_udolpho_se/chapters/xxiii) Demands his wife's consent, commands Emily's attire, presides over the dinner, and orders his wife's removal. ### [Chapter XXIV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_mysteries_of_udolpho_se/chapters/xxiv) Confronts Emily in the hall, dismisses her pleas with a malignant smile, and refuses to disclose Madame Montoni's fate. ### [Chapter XXV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_mysteries_of_udolpho_se/chapters/xxv) Carousing with his guests in the castle; Emily fears his avarice and vengeance toward Madame Montoni. ### [XXVI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_mysteries_of_udolpho_se/chapters/xxvi) Emily suspects Montoni may be behind Barnardine's scheme, possibly plotting harm against her and her aunt. ### [Chapter XXVII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_mysteries_of_udolpho_se/chapters/xxvii) Montoni postpones Emily's requested interview, and is preparing his men for another expedition; he suspects Count Morano of the earlier poison attempt. ### [Chapter XXVIII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_mysteries_of_udolpho_se/chapters/xxviii) Reluctantly allows Madame Montoni's removal, refuses Emily's request to leave, and is depicted as a cold, calculating leader of banditti-like men. ### [Chapter XXIX](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_mysteries_of_udolpho_se/chapters/xxix) Visits his dying wife to pressure her into signing over her estates, showing his inhumanity. ### [Chapter XXX](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_mysteries_of_udolpho_se/chapters/xxx) Attempts to coerce Emily into signing over her inheritance, threatens imprisonment, and shows no remorse after his wife's death. ### [Chapter XXXI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_mysteries_of_udolpho_se/chapters/xxxi) Threatens Emily with vengeance after she refuses to sign papers; dismisses strange groans during their confrontation. ### [XXXII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_mysteries_of_udolpho_se/chapters/xxxii) Emily is perplexed by his motives for sending her to Tuscany and fears he may discover the papers she left behind. ### [Chapter XXXIII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_mysteries_of_udolpho_se/chapters/xxxiii) Deceives Emily into signing over her estates, then refuses to let her leave immediately; later appears intoxicated during a dispute with Verezzi and Bertolini. ### [Chapter XXXIV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_mysteries_of_udolpho_se/chapters/xxxiv) Montoni is discussed as a suspected murderer and is engaged in carousals with his guests during the chapter. ### [XLI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_mysteries_of_udolpho_se/chapters/xli) His depredations provoke a Venetian military expedition; he is surprised and captured in his apartment at Udolpho. ### [XLVI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_mysteries_of_udolpho_se/chapters/xlvi) Reported dead in a mysterious manner after imprisonment in Venice. ### [XLVIII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_mysteries_of_udolpho_se/chapters/xlviii) Montoni is recalled by Emily as a figure of power and vengeance, now reduced to a clod of earth. ### [LV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_mysteries_of_udolpho_se/chapters/lv) Mentioned as a relative of Laurentini who renewed addresses to her; Emily had suspected him of murdering Laurentini. ## Links - HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_mysteries_of_udolpho_se/characters/montoni - Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_mysteries_of_udolpho_se - All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_mysteries_of_udolpho_se/characters