The Monk

Matthew Gregory Lewis

• 16 maart 2019
• 1230003137567

Samenvatting:

Ambrosio is the most virtuous and strict monk in the whole city; when he
discovers that a young nun named Agnes has gotten pregnant despite her vows,
he turns her over to the cruel Prioress with no regrets. His lack of sympathy
comes to haunt him, however, when a young monk named Rosario is revealed to
be the beautiful Matilda, a woman who has come to the monastery out of love for
Ambrosio. The monk struggles with his desires, but eventually succumbs to
temptation and breaks his vows of chastity by having sex with Matilda.
Lorenzo is stunned to discover that Raymond is the lover of Agnes, Lorenzo's
sister and a nun. Raymond explains that he and Agnes fell in love over the
course of Raymond's dramatic journey through Europe, an odyssey that involved
sly bandits, vengeful aunts, and frightening ghosts. Agnes's parents vowed her to
a convent, but she and Raymond met nightly to declare their love for each other.
Raymond impregnated Agnes during one of these nightly visits, and now he vows
that he will rescue her and make her his wife. Lorenzo decides to assist his friend
and his sister, and the two men attempt to rescue Agnes from the convent.
However, the Prioress tells the men that Agnes has died from a mysterious
illness.