Hamlet's Setting and the Gothic Tradition

Shakespeare’s Influence on Horace Walpole’s The Castle of Otranto

Jul 30, 2009

Walpole's gothic novel takes lessons from Shakespeare's tragedy.

The Castle of Otranto, considered by many to be the first “gothic” novel, owes much to Hamlet. One aspect of The Castle of Otranto that has clearly taken cues from Hamlet is the mysterious, dark setting. While both works take place in immense gothic castles, the similarities don’t stop there. Both also use setting to intensify suspense in readers or the audience.

Since Walpole is writing a gothic novel, the setting is spooky, mysterious, dark, and has all of the necessary "gothic" characteristics. For example, there are secret passages underground that lead from the castle to the convent or church; this is where Isabella goes to try to escape from Manfred. The passage is dark and she is very afraid:

“[…] believing, by what she could observe, that she was near the mouth of the subterraneous cavern, she approached the door that had been opened; but a sudden gust of wind that met her at the door extinguished her lamp, and left her in total darkness” (Walpole 26-27). In fact, it is so dark that she can feel the presence of someone else (Theodore), but she can’t see him.

The setting in this section of The Castle of Otranto makes for confusion, fear, and uncertainty, all of which are also going on in Hamlet. The perfect example of this atmosphere takes place in Act 1 Scene 1 of Hamlet. The castle’s watchmen are awaiting the appearance of the ghost of Hamlet’s dead father.

The dark, cold, foggy scene is similar to what takes place with Isabella and Theodore in The Castle of Otranto. The watchmen can hear that someone is approaching, but the night is so thick with fog that they can’t see one another:

The Effects of Setting

The uncertainty and fogginess of this scene sets the tone for the rest of the play, which is filled with unanswered questions and confusion. Is the ghost really the dead king? Should Hamlet seek revenge? Is Hamlet really going mad? Clearly, this strategy worked to make Hamlet a lasting classic, full of mysteries for the audience to unravel, so it is only natural that Otranto would want to recapture the same mood.

As far as setting goes, Horace Walpole could have been using Hamlet’s setting as his model. The same effect of uncertainty and gothic creepiness that is present in Hamlet is created in The Castle of Otranto. The result in both works is a mood of anxious suspense, pulling the reader or audience into the mystery of these gothic tales.

The copyright of the article Hamlet's Setting and the Gothic Tradition in 18th & 19th Century British Fiction is owned by Jeris Swanhorst. Permission to republish Hamlet's Setting and the Gothic Tradition in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.