The plot in six lines
Raised in Gascony, Emily St. Aubert loses her mother, travels with her father through the Pyrenees, and falls in love with Valancourt.
After her father dies, Emily burns his secret papers as promised and enters the care of her aunt, Madame Cheron.
Madame Cheron marries Signor Montoni, who separates Emily from Valancourt, encourages Count Morano's unwanted courtship in Venice, and takes the household to Udolpho.
At the castle, Montoni pressures his wife and Emily to surrender property, while Emily resists his threats and encounters frightening mysteries, including a black veil.
Emily escapes to France, learns that the Marchioness de Villeroi's story explains her father's grief, and discovers that the veil conceals a waxen figure.
Montoni meets a bad end through his own deeds, while Valancourt is cleared of the worst charges, receives Emily's forgiveness, and marries her before they settle happily at La Vallée.
Themes
Feeling and reason: Emily's father's teaching guides her efforts to balance powerful feelings with calm judgment when grief and fear threaten her.
Women and property: Montoni's demands expose women's dependence on male authority, while Emily's refusal to surrender her inheritance becomes an act of resistance.
Fear and imagination: Unexplained sounds, locked rooms and the black veil show how uncertainty allows imagination to turn hints into terror.
Secrets of the past: Her father's papers and hidden grief connect Emily's present troubles with earlier suffering that she does not yet understand.
Nature and beauty: Landscapes express Emily's feelings, while moments of beauty preserve a sense of goodness amid the castle's threats.
Characters
- Emily St. AubertA thoughtful young woman raised in Gascony, who loves nature and poetry and tries to meet every danger with courage and calm.
- Monsieur St. AubertEmily's gentle father, a man of taste and principle who teaches her to govern her feelings and keeps a secret from his past.
- ValancourtA spirited young man who meets Emily in the Pyrenees, loves poetry and nature, and wishes to marry her.
- Madame CheronEmily's vain and worldly aunt, who takes her in after her father's death and then marries a man she hardly knows.
- Signor MontoniA proud and ruthless Italian who marries Emily's aunt, wants wealth and power, and rules the castle of Udolpho by force.
- AnnetteA talkative servant who serves Emily at Udolpho, loves gossip and ghost stories, and becomes her companion in the castle.
For the A level coursework
- Pearson Edexcel: listed in its coursework guidance among the texts judged suitable for the A level coursework (not an approved list).
From the boards' own documents (the specifications and coursework guidance listed under Sources), read on 24 October 2026. Your school chooses the coursework texts: ask your teacher before you start.
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What is The Mysteries of Udolpho about?
The Mysteries of Udolpho is about Emily St. Aubert's struggle to preserve her principles amid bereavement, separation and captivity. Her love for Valancourt and her resistance to Montoni connect the story's mysteries with questions about judgment and power.
Who are the main characters in The Mysteries of Udolpho?
The main characters are Emily St. Aubert, her beloved Valancourt, her aunt Madame Cheron, and the ruthless Signor Montoni. Monsieur St. Aubert shapes Emily's principles, while Annette becomes her companion and Count Morano pursues her hand.
What are the main themes of The Mysteries of Udolpho?
The main themes are feeling and reason, women's dependence, property, imagination, nature, and the influence of the past. Emily's responses to beauty and terror reveal how quiet courage can resist threats without abandoning feeling.
Which boards mention The Mysteries of Udolpho for A level English Literature?
Pearson Edexcel: listed in its coursework guidance among the texts judged suitable for the A level coursework (not an approved list). Your school chooses the coursework texts, so ask your teacher before you start.
