The Castle of Otranto

The novel begins with the impending marriage of Conrad, son the lord of the Castle Otranto, to Isabella. On the day of the marriage, Conrad is mysteriously struck down by a helmet that falls from the sky and crushes his skull and killing him. Remembering the curse set over the inhabitants of Castle of Otranto declaring that, should they become too proud, they will be replaced by another family, Conrad's father Manfred panics. Afraid that his family is about to be ended, he decides to divorce his wife, Hippolita, because she has failed to give him a healthy son. Instead, he will marry Isabella himself and attempt to continue his line. But Isabella escapes. Aided by a peasant, Theodore, she manages to escape to Friar Jerome who gives her sanctuary before Manfred can force her into marriage. Infuriated at her attempt to thwart him, Manfred sets out to get Isabella back, but finds Theodore instead and sentences him to death for aiding Isabella.