Symbols & Motifs
The Ghost
The ghost is a symbol of deception. Allegedly, it starts appearing to Princess Teresina “some twenty-one days” before Fabrizio and Mangus’s arrival at the castello (32). Each time she sees the apparition, it appears “like an indistinct radiance along the north wall not far from [her] chambers” (32). The ghost supposedly has the face of her brother Prince Lorenzo and has been calling out to her to join him on the other side. She later tells Fabrizio that the specter is Lorenzo’s ghost, seeking revenge for his murder. Fabrizio believes the ghost is real, while Mangus doubts its existence. The disparities in their reactions to the ghost imply that Fabrizio is more susceptible to superstition than Mangus and that Mangus is more critical of others’ stories, developing the theme of Critical Thinking as a Counter to Superstition.
The narrative later reveals that the ghost is in fact a trick of light, which Teresina, Lorenzo, and Queen Jovanna have made. They created the ghost in the empty niche outside the chapel to expose Count Scarazoni’s betrayals. They later inform Fabrizio and Mangus that King Claudio wouldn’t have believed the truth about the count without the ghost. They use their deception to reveal the truth, changing the meaning of the ghost as a symbol over the course of the novel, acting as a reflection of those it appears to. At times, the ghost’s seeming integrity allows it to function as a symbol of mystery and magic, while at others, the ghost’s seeming fraudulence allows it to function as a symbol of superstition. The way the characters respond to it reveals something different about each of them—and particularly about their reactions to the unknown.
The Castello
The castello, the home of the royal family, is a symbol of power that connects to the theme of Vulnerability of Those Serving Powerful Institutions. The structure is situated “atop the steep hills and cast[s] a shadow over the municipality” (18). Its imposing physical appearance is a physical manifestation of how the royals regard their subjects, and how the subjects are expected to regard the royals. The lower classes know that many “a soul had been brought [to the castello] never to be seen again” (18), and they fear the place because of the unchecked power that it symbolizes. The royals live in this structure above the rest of the municipality because they consider themselves superior to their subjects, but this separation also means that they rule over the lower classes without having any real knowledge of them.
Throughout the novel, the narrator depicts the castello as an ominous, threatening setting, which mirrors how a character like Fabrizio, a member of the lower class, regards the place: “The castello’s walls, fashioned from dark volcanic rock, were topped off with the jagged teeth of a crenellated parapet. Night and day, citizens could observe sentries pacing along these ramparts, their silver helmets and spears glinting” (18). Arrows and cannon muzzles also peek through the holes in the walls. The castello does not have a welcoming presence, reminding the Pergamontio citizens who they serve while warning them not to overstep these boundaries of power.
This impression is furthered through Fabrizio’s experiences within the castello as well. Fabrizio is depicted as frequently wending his way through the corridors in the dark. He often does not know where he is going and fears encountering passersby who might threaten or unnerve him, reinforcing that although he is now inside the castello, he still remains in the vulnerable position of the royal family’s subjects.
Tarot Cards
Fabrizio’s tarot cards are symbolic of superstition and magic and connect to his role in the novel’s exploration of Critical Thinking as a Counter to Superstition. At the novel’s start, Fabrizio draws a few cards from his master’s tarot deck because he believes the cards “could fashion the future” (1). Fabrizio turns to the cards in hopes of shaping “his master’s fate” (1), an illustration of his belief in and loyalty to Mangus, the reason why he hopes to determine a happy future for him. The trust Fabrizio puts in the cards also shows his inability to trust his own instinct, perspective, and critical thinking abilities in his own life. He later blames himself for having drawn the Death card and endangering Mangus’s life. Fabrizio’s search for answers in the cards is a reflection of his feelings of helplessness in the face of the unknown. He attributes the king’s summons to the castello to the tarot cards because it is easier for him to trust in divination than in logic.
Despite what Fabrizio learns during his time at the castello, he returns to his tarot cards at the end of the novel. In this scene, the cards offer Fabrizio a sense of comfort and balance, and his return to them shows a newfound confidence in his own beliefs. He is better able to trust himself by this juncture of the novel, and trusting himself means embracing his belief in magic and the supernatural. The tarot cards shift from representing a lack of confidence in his own perspective to illustrating his strengthening conviction in his own beliefs.
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