Mercy would here be criminal

Monkalong post one and I have actually managed to get the reading for the first post done on time!

I never know what to talk about in these first posts so why don't we start with what I knew about The Monk before starting the book:

Alright, good post.

So yeah, I didn't know anything about it other than Alice (aka Reading Rambo) said we're doing this readalong and yeah. I figure even if the book is not my thing the readalongs are always fun so it doesn't really matter what we read. Good thing so far this book is kicking ass.

First things first, we're all agreed that Aunt Leonella is the best, right?

Antonia, why do not you speak, Child? While the Cavalier says all sorts of civil things to you, you sit like a Statue, and never utter a syllable of thanks, either bad, good, or indifferent!
My dear Aunt, I am very sensible that...
Fye, Niece! How often have I told you, that you should never interrupt a Person who is speaking!? When did you ever know me to do such a thing?

The best.

(Also, does everyone's version have lots of words capitalized? Like not just first words of sentences and proper nouns? Is that a thing?)

So we have Antonia being boring and pretty, and Leonella being awesome and pushy and then two guys (Lorenzo and Christoval) being boring and falling in love with Antonia because of course. They, along with the whole of Madrid, are getting ready to listen to a sermon by the mystery priest Ambrosio. He's essentially a saint, having grown up with the monks after being left on their doorstep.

Too great severity is said to be Ambrosio's only fault. Exempted himself from human failings, He is not sufficiently indulgent to those of others

So you just KNOW he's going to have a fall from grace.

We transition from Lorenzo and Antonia via Lorenzo's sister, the nun Agnes. He falls asleep at the church and when the nuns come for confession he sees a man hide a letter, later picked up by his sister. But Ambrosio finds the letter and reads it cos being practically a saint means not respecting other people's mail. The letter informs Ambrosio that Agnes is planning on running away

with Antonia's uncle relative

because she is PREGNANT

Ambrosio tells the head nun who I believe literally dragged Agnes away promising various harsh punishments while Agnes yelled curses and the priest

Then we move into the next part of the story where Ambrosio thinks he's the best (Pride told him loudly that He was superior to the rest of his fellow-Creatures) and he even has this novice monk Rosario that is fawning over him.

Then it turns out that Rosario is dun dun DUUUUN...A WOMAN! Whaaaaaa?

She is madly in love with Ambrosio who agrees not to turn her in because she threatens to kill herself so yeah, lots of stable people here. He agrees to give her three days before she must leave and she agrees if he'll give her a flower but then he's BIT BY A DEADLY SERPENT and the Monk-doctor tells him he will totally be dead in three days. Except, he isn't. The swelling is gone and everything looks fine. But Matilda/Rosario is saying ominous things about how they'll never see each other again after three days and in truth she sucked the poison out so he could live. She uses the fact that she's about to die to convince Ambrosio to sleep with her and he does it because she reminds him of this version of the virgin Mary who has been giving him impure thoughts.

He forgot his vows, his sanctity, and his fame: He remembered nothing but the pleasure and opportunity.

We are only like 20% in and already Ambrosio has given into temptation. Lewis does NOT mess around.

What is going to happen with Ambrosio? And is Agnes OK? Is Leonella going to show up again and keep hitting on Christoval? Will the gypsy curse prove true and Antonia be killed? (Oh yeah, there's a gypsy curse. And a nun curse. THIS BOOK IS NUTS) How many more "gasp" gifs can I find, cos I'm thinking I'm going to need some more if this keeps up.