The Monk, Chapter 8 summary

What happens

1. Raymond’s grief makes him seriously ill, while Theodore disguises himself as a beggar to investigate Agnes’s fate.
2. Theodore sings at St. Clare without receiving an answer from Agnes, but St. Ursula gives him a basket containing a secret message.
3. Raymond discovers the note, which calls Agnes murdered; Lorenzo secures an arrest order and returns to Madrid before the appointed procession.
4. Antonia mistakes Lorenzo’s serenade for attention to another woman, then sleeps as Ambrosio enters with his magical myrtle.
5. A terrifying dream prompts Elvira to check on Antonia, and she catches Ambrosio preparing to rape her enchanted daughter.
6. When Elvira prevents his escape and calls for help, Ambrosio suffocates her with a pillow and flees to his cell.

In this chapter

What to notice

Elvira blocks Ambrosio’s escape and insists on exposing him. His fear of witnesses leads directly to his fatal attack.

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