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[[File:TheMonk_7253.jpg|frame|Pride goeth before the fall indeed.]]
 
First published in 1796, ''The Monk'' is considered a classic of [[Gothic Fiction]] and one of the most influential novels of the genre, though some also consider it to be something of an [[Affectionate Parody]] as well. It was published almost thirty years after ''[[The Castle of Otranto (Literature)|The Castle of Otranto]]'', which is considered to be the first Gothic novel. The author, Matthew Gregory Lewis, was a [[Teen Genius|nineteen-year-old]] English diplomat who penned the novel in a mere ten weeks. The book became an instant success, scandalizing and entrancing the reading public. None of his other works were nearly so successful as this first effort. Indeed, the work was so strongly identified as [[One -Hit Wonder|Lewis's greatest success]] that he was, and is, referred to as [[Only Known Byby Their Nickname|"Monk" Lewis]].
 
Madrid, Spain, in the time of the [[Spanish Inquisition]]. Mere minutes after the cathedral doors open, the pews are packed with people who have come to hear the famous monk Ambrosio give his sermon. Ambrosio is young, [[Sexy Priest|handsome]], and considered incorruptible because he has never broken a rule of his order. But Ambrosio, for all his holiness, is a proud man. In the crowd waiting to hear Ambrosio are a [[The Ingenue|young girl]], Antonia, and her [[Maiden Aunt]], Leonella, who meet a pair of young and gallant men, Don Lorenzo and Don Christoval. Antonia and Lorenzo fall in [[Love At First Sight]] and Lorenzo vows to marry her.
 
After his sermon, Ambrosio meets a [[The Apprentice|young student of his]] named Rosario, but it seems to him that Rosario is out of sorts today. Indeed, Rosario tells him a sad story of [[I Have This Friend|his sister]] Matilda who loved a man who spurned her, and she died. When Ambrosio is sympathetic to Matilda's tragedy, Rosario reveals that [[Sweet Polly Oliver|he is actually Matilda]] and [[Stalker Withwith a Crush|Ambrosio is her beloved]]. Ambrosio tells her to leave the monastery at once, but her determination to [[Driven to Suicide|kill herself]] if she has to leave makes him waver. Slowly but surely, Matilda convinces Ambrosio that she should be allowed to stay, even though she's a woman. That it would not be a problem for them to love each other. That it would not be a sin to [[Sex Is Evil and I Am Horny|break their vows of chastity]].
 
But this is only the beginning of Ambrosio's descent into sin, and soon all of their paths will collide tragically. [[It Got Worse]] is an understatement.
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* [[Big Damn Heroes]]: Lorenzo does his best to do this when he tries to save Antonia {{spoiler|but she's already dying and she says it's all right since she's been defiled.}}
* [[Black Magic]]: So Ambrosio can seduce Antonia.
* [[Brother -Sister Incest]]/[[Surprise Incest]]: It's a Gothic novel, it had to happen somewhere. {{spoiler|As it turns out, Antonia and Ambrosio have the same mother. As if his raping her wasn't bad enough.}}
* [[Buried Alive]]: Ambrosio keeps Antonia in [[Ancient Tomb|a tomb]] for a while.
* [[Character Title]]: Ambrosio being the monk.
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* [[Creepy Cathedral]]: Not to mention creepy monastery and creepy nunnery.
* [[Cruel and Unusual Death]]: Even for a woman as heartless as the prioress. She gets ripped to shreds by an angry mob.
* [[Deal Withwith the Devil]]: Towards the end when Ambrosio finds himself in way over his head, Matilda tells him if he will give his soul to Satan, he can be saved from the angry mob. Ambrosio accepts.
* [[Defiled Forever]]: {{spoiler|Antonia's}} rapist's enabler cites this as a reason to kill her, and she tells her suitor that she doesn't mind dying since being raped means she couldn't have married him. However, other female characters like Marguerite (who was raped by her second "husband") and Agnes (who became pregnant not only out of marriage, but while she was a nun) defy this trope and manage to have happy lives afterward; in fact, Marguerite's parents are specified as overjoyed to have her back and dissuade her from entering a convent.
* [[Demons]]: Matilda very likely is one.
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* [[Fatal Flaw]]: Ambrosio commits the sin of pride long before he starts committing any of his truly deplorable acts. It is his pride that allows him to believe himself holy while he continues to sin.
* [[Forceful Kiss]]: Given Ambrosio believes he is committing rape out of love, this isn't surprising.
* [[Four Lines, All Waiting]]: There are many, many storylines. It's not uncommon not to see our titular monk for chapters at a time.
** Ambrosio and his affair with Matilda and subsequent obsession with Antonia.
** Lorenzo and his efforts to marry Antonia.
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* [[Love At First Sight]]: Lorenzo knows after his first meeting with Antonia that he's in love.
* [[Love Triangle]]: Lorenzo and Antonia are in love. Too bad for them, Ambrosio wants Antonia, too.
* [[Madonna -Whore Complex]]: Certainly the view of Ambrosio, who tires of Matilda {{spoiler|and Antonia for that matter}} after she is no longer "pure." Lewis himself seems to take a less extreme stance on the matter, painting {{spoiler|Antonia}} as an innocent victim.
** Ambrosio initially lusts after Matilda (before he ever meets her) in the form of a painting of the Virgin Mary. After he tires of her, he throws the painting to the ground and snarls, "Prostitute."
* [[Maiden Aunt]]: Leonella, the sister of Antonia's mother.
* [[A Man Is Not a Virgin]]: Initially averted and later played straight with Ambrosio when he breaks his vow of chastity with Matilda.
* [[Patricide|Matricide]]: {{spoiler|Ambrosio kills Elvira, who it turns out is his mother.}}
* [[Maybe Magic, Maybe Mundane]]: In the manner of all Gothic fiction, there are elements of the story that the characters can't discern as natural or supernatural. Much of the suspense and horror of the story derives from this. {{spoiler|Ultimately the supernatural is proven to be real in this world, but that only resolves things that have happened to Ambrosio. Appearances of ghosts and the like are never explained.}}
* [[Moral Event Horizon]]: Invoked at several points in the text, but when Ambrosio makes his [[Deal Withwith the Devil]], it's obvious that according to the rules of the story, he's gone too far.
* [[My Secret Pregnancy]]: Agnes tries to hide that she is pregnant with Raymond's child. This of course fails after a while.
* [[My Sister Is Off -Limits]]: Lorenzo initially tries to do this with Agnes and Raymond because Agnes has already taken the veil, but changes his mind later.
* [[Naive Newcomer]]: Antonia is so unused to life in the city that she doesn't know her custom of wearing a veil in public is considered old-fashioned.
* [[Nested Story]]: There are a few [[Gothic Horror|Gothic Tales]] peppering the main story, or making up part of some characters' backstories.
* [[One Dialogue, Two Conversations]]: Don Christoval is just trying to be nice. Leonella swears he wants her.
* [[Only One Name]]: Several characters are only given one name, but the one we can be sure only ''has'' one name is Ambrosio, who was found as a baby.
* [[Parental Abandonment]]: Ambrosio was raised in a monastery after having been left there as a baby.
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* [[Romance Novel]]: The subtitle is "A Romance." And to be fair, one couple actually does get together in the end.
* [[Satan]]: He makes an appearance.
* [[Sex Asas Rite of -Of-Passage]]: A twisted version, as Ambrosio giving in to his sexual desire for the first time is his point of no return.
* [[Sex Is Evil and I Am Horny]]: Pretty much Ambrosio's attitude when he first sleeps with Matilda. The guilt goes away really quickly.
* [[Sexy Priest]]: Ambrosio is described as being very attractive, and is obviously popular with the ladies of his congregation.
* [[Sibling Yin -Yang]]: {{spoiler|Ambrosio and Antonia couldn't be more unlike each other as he is an unrepentant sinner and she is almost inhumanly pure. Further underscored by their complexions--Ambrosio is dark, black-eyed and black-haired. Antonia is blond, blue-eyed, and pale.}}
* [[Sinister Minister]]: Ambrosio the [[Trope Maker]] in fiction, who even before his fall from grace immediately reveals himself to be prideful.
* [[Spanish Inquisition]]: The setting of the novel.
* [[Stalker Withwith a Crush]]: Ambrosio becomes obsessed with Antonia because of her purity and goodness.
* [[Suck Out the Poison]]: Matilda claims she saved Ambrosio from a venomous snake thus.
* [[Supernatural Aid]]: Subverted. Satan doesn't care about helping you. He just wants your soul.
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* [[Talking Down the Suicidal]]: Matilda initially threatens to kill herself when Ambrosio will not return her love. Ambrosio desperately tries to convince her it really is for the best if she leaves the monastery.
* [[The Vamp]]: Matilda fills this role, particularly if you read her character as deliberately leading Ambrosio astray rather than merely acting as a temptation.
* [[Teacher -Student Romance]]: Matilda initially seems to want this, claiming to have dressed as a man and entered the monastery to be close to Ambrosio, and even later when she starts seeking his love in return. She seems to get bored of him about as fast as he gets bored of her, though.
* [[Villain Protagonist]]: Ambrosio, who was never a particularly nice or forgiving person to begin with, quickly falls from what grace he had and over the course of the story gets involved in [[Black Magic]], [[Rape Is a Special Kind of Evil|rape]], and murder.
* [[Villainous Crush]]: Ambrosio's deepening obsession with Antonia.
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