History of the Nun

 Word count(429)

"...and as he spoke, the Tears stream'd down his dying Eyes, that beheld her with all the tender Regard 

that ever Lover was capable of; she recover'd a little, and turn'd her too beautiful Face to him, and pierc'd 

him with a Look, that darted a thousand Joys and Flames into his Heart, with Eyes, that told him, her 

Heart was burning and dying for him..."

In this quote from History of the Nun the tone is an overarching feeling of love held between Henault and Isabella. They both are claiming their undying love for each other as Henault is overwhelmed by tears of happiness from his love of the beautiful Isabella. There imagery depicted as Henault claims that his love is like a fire in which the flames are so large they are burning inside of him. It is very beautiful to see the love he feels for Isabella. However, Isabella chose to be a nun instead of choosing a husband and is regretting the situation she is now in but is willing to do anything for her love, Henault.

"...she was a thousand times about to end her Life, and, at one stroke, rid her self of the Infamy, that, she 

saw, must inevitably fall upon her; but Nature was frail, & the Tempter68 strong: And after a thousand 

Convulsions, even worse than Death it self, she resolv'd upon the Murder of Henault, as the only means of 

removing all Obstacles to her future Happiness..."

In this quote from History of the Nun we see a different tone is which Isabella is very sad and torn inside about what she must do in the situation she is now in. With her past love and husband, Henault, practically coming back from the dead into her new life where she has a new husband, Isabella is torn on what she is meant to do. We see the conflict Isabella must face from her point of view as she considers ending her own life but then reverts to the decision to murder her past husband, Henault. We see in the quote that she comes to this decision because it would remove an obstacle from her path to happiness with Villenoy. Even though Isabella makes a rash decision to commit murder, she still turns away from the weakness of taking her own life.

"...who knew her Life a Holy and Charitable Life, and how dearly and well she had liv'd with her 

Husbands, and every one bewail'd her Misfortune, and she alone was the only Person, that was not 

afflicted for her self; she was Try'd, and Condemn'd to lose her Head; which Sentence, she joyfully 

receiv'd, and said, Heaven, and her Judges, were too Merciful to her, and that her Sins had deserv'd much 

more."

In this quote from History of the Nun we see a complete change in the characterization of Isabella from a nun who decides to run away from her commitment to God with Henault to a nun who is selfish enough to murder her husband to a nun who realizes the awful sin she has committed and that God has been to merciful on her. Isabella's mood reflects her happiness to die for her sins as she truly believed in her heart that she deserved it if not more than death. However, at the beginning of the quote, Isabella states she she feels as though her life was Holy yet misfortune led to her condemnation to death. This part of the quote relates a lot to Eve's Apology as we see that Isabella's sin was caused by the misfortune of her husband being unknowingly alive similar to how Eve's sin was only due to the misfortune of eating an apple of sin when she only thought it would bring her happiness.

Comments

  1. LaneyJanuary 28, 2021 at 8:47 AM

    This story definitely was a rollercoaster of emotions. I kept going back and fourth about who Isabella was as a character. Was she a tragic hero, a villain, or a scared young women? I really do not know. I think you are right that at the end of the book Isabella has a major character growth where she realizes the hurt she has brought to everyone, especially God, for taking away one of his sons. I also loved the way you were able to tie in Eve's Apology with this story because there truly was so many similarities.

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  2. Hope BobbittJanuary 28, 2021 at 8:56 AM

    I love how you focused on the tone and imagery. It was beautifully written and readers can really capture the strong emotions in this story. It is hard not to feel alongside these characters and for Isabella. The quotes you picked match perfectly to the points you made, good job!

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  3. GraceDayJanuary 29, 2021 at 3:00 AM

    I also think that Isabella had many changes in who she was throughout this reading. She experiences such intense emotions that are captured through the writing. The imagery throughout really helps to convey a better picture of what is going on. I also like that you brough in Eve’s Apology to tie to this reading. I think in both they are trying to find happiness and make mistakes in pursuit of this happiness.

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