Contents introduction chapter I. Horace Walpole is one of the influential writers

2.2. The Semantic Charging of Space in The Castle of Otranto.
“The Castle of Otranto by Horas Walpole is the first Gothic novel” (Clery 21). At the very least, it can be said that “later reveals many of the ideas of the Gothic novel” (Sage 81), as Walpole’s story looks at the feudal world, in this case medieval Italy, in which Manfred, the lord. The manor, the first of a long line of Gothic evil heroes, exercises seignerable rights over the minds and bodies of its citizens (there). The fact that Otranto Castle is a Gothic text already offers it a number of features that contribute to the semantic charging of the space within the fairy tale. For example, the story of Otranto Castle, as the name suggests, takes place in a castle, and sometimes a place like castle dungeons (Chapter 1) or caves in the area (Chapter 3) will be played in the following areas:
Gothic fairy -tale movement usually takes place in a place that seems outdated or obsolete - it’s a castle, an alien place, an abbey, a huge prison, an underground mystery, a cemetery. In this space, or a combination of such gaps, are hidden some mysteries of the past that haunt the protagonists psychologically, physically, or otherwise at the main time of the story. This is very much in line with Walpole’s story, as the family that inherited the principality of Otranto is persecuted in their home according to ancient prophecy. They are also physically and mentally persecuted with their passions, like Isabella mentioned at the beginning of this essay, trying to escape the passions of the castle and her real father-in-law, Manfred. The ancient prophecy leads to a number of supernatural phenomena in several parts of the building, as well as in the surrounding "Forest near Joppa" (Walpole 114). Hogle points out that supernatural ghosts in Gothic tales associated with the prophecy in the Castle of Otranto may have different forms, but most often they take on the characteristics of ghosts, ghosts, or beasts (2). The prophecy in Walpole's account states that the present owner of the castle and property of Otranto must pass through the present family when it is too large to live in (51). It can be said that the prophecy contains the main reason why the castle became a place of ghosts and a semantically charged space with it. As Hogg points out, vision can “rise from an outdated space and expose unresolved crimes or conflicts that can no longer be overlooked” (ibid.). In Walpol’s text, this is the truth: the castle is destroyed by the ghost itself, for in the tale the prophecy called “difficult to understand” (51) is literally taken with irony: the real owner, the ghost of Alfonso. The goodness really grows, sometimes his helmet and swords, and sometimes his body itself is visible to the inhabitants of the castle, until the spirit is so great that the castle collapses. its size (see 145). Revenge is taken by Manfred’s ancestors to seize the principality, and Theodore, the fairy’s rightful heir and protagonist, inherits the throne. Thus, it acts as a semantic carrier with the perimeter of the tower because it is cursed with prophecy. This function is highlighted by a number of supernatural phenomena that occur within its walls and indicate that the place is cheerful.
Since Walpole’s short story was the first Gothic novel, and because he himself was “the founder of this genre”, it can be concluded that The Castle of Otranto was not a widely published publication in Walpole’s magazine time and therefore his students did not know what to read. However, it can be said that his “Preface to the First Edition” gives the semantic charge of the castle with a preface with a fairy-tale plot and an approximate contour of the plot, and predicts it, which is then described as gothic. The preface states that this movement took place “in the darkest centuries of Christianity” (Walpole 39), during the Crusades, and in the Naples region (see there). The narrator states that "the scene of the action undoubtedly takes place in some real castle" (there), and also tells the reader that "miracles, visions, necromancers, dreams, and other supernatural phenomena" (o 'urban, 40) warns that it is part of from the story. Furthermore, he states that it will end in disaster (see there) and that terror is “the main engine of the author” (see there). The people of the Wallpole period associated the Middle Ages and castles with certain associations, and so the description of the environment - the place of supernatural events and catastrophes - could give them some semantic meaning without further reading:
For Wallpole's contemporaries, the Gothic period was a long period of savagery, superstition, and anarchy, from the fifth century BC, when the Visigoth invaders accelerated the fall of the Roman Empire, to the Renaissance and the restoration of classical education (Clery).
Thus, to a certain extent, it may have been clear to Walpole readers that passages in a story could have semantic meaning.
In addition, the semantic charge of space in Otranto Castle is associated with a limited environment, which causes a number of emotional reactions in the characters as well as in the reader. The place is bordered by a castle, nearby churches and monasteries, and caves a short distance away. These places can be seen as the main action scene that Hoffmann defines as “Actionraum” (Nunning and Nunning 133). Also, most places work at the same time as what Hoffman describes as a “gestimmter”. Raum” (there): Places and objects are used symbolically or as an atmosphere as the main means of expression (see there). In almost every castle site mentioned, the atmosphere is described as horrible and sooner or later supernatural phenomena occur. Railo notes that “the reader’s imagination soon becomes aware of a limited range of concentrations that look like a medieval castle” (7). For example, escaping Isabella Manfred. when he leaves, he realizes that “the gates of the castle have been locked and guards have been placed in the courtyard” (Walpole 60). Nicholas”(ibid., 61). The image of the place really emphasizes the princess isolation in the castle.
Not only her external limitations, but also her inner experiences are particularly evident: Isabella is “so anxious” that she finds the door to the passage with difficulty (see there). As Harris points out, warehouses “have an amazing taste with their effects, claustrophobia, and secrets” (see Harris2) . Not only was Isabella afraid of Manfred finding her, but she was terrified of herself, making it difficult for her to find her way through the maze. His thoughts run through his brain, and he is very sensitive (there) to every sound that breaks the “terrible silence”. Sage argues that in Gothic novels “the use of enclosed spaces - castles, dungeons, monasteries and prisons” is used “to symbolize extreme emotional states with prison labyrinths”.
Isabella's plan is to escape from the castle and then "stay forever among the holy virgin girls whose monastery is attached to the cathedral" (there): in the monastery the princess is trapped again, even though she was there deliberately. Meeting Manfred. After Isabella's successful flight, she, too, soon leaves the monastery because she does not feel safe there either when she hears that Manfred Hippolita's wife has died (ibid. 96/97).
Theodore's imprisonment in the castle had to be felt on a physical level as well: he was initially "convicted under a very helmet" (55) because he was accused of "killing a necromancer and Prince Conrad with a big helmet." "(ibid. 52); then, shortly after Isabella helped escape, she was found in an underground passage, where she was again placed in her cell (see ibid 72). Manfred tries to kill him because he jealously suspects Theodore that he is a fan of Isabella (see there, 89). Then he is taken hostage in the castle (there, 89-91). Manfred tries to blackmail Jerome, who is to return Isabella (see there).