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A summary of Wilde’s “Canterville Ghost”

“The Canterville Ghost” is a short story about the departing England, written by a true Brit. It was published in a journal publication in 1887. The work can be considered as a moderate satire on the born bourgeoisie and sentiment on the elusive traditions of England.

“Canterville Ghost”: heroes of the novel

The work describes the events that occurred in England, in one of the old castles. In the work “The Canterville Ghost” the characters have vivid characters. The characters are: the ghost of Sir Simon Kenterville and the family of the United States Ambassador to the UK Hyrum B. Otis. Mr. Otis was married and had four children: the eldest son of Washington, the charming daughter of Virginia and two schoolchildren-twins. It was with their appearance in the old castle that the whole story began.

“Canterville Ghost”: a summary

Actions novels occur within the walls of the ancient Canterville Castle, which was

the family hearth of several generations of Lords of Canterville. According to legend, Lord Simon’s reign resides in the castle, he is the Canterville ghost. The brief story of the apparition of the ghost is that the lord killed his wife Eleanor and disappeared under obscure circumstances in the 15th century. Since then, Sir Simon, according to the family, has become a ghost. He did not give rest to all his noble family, numerous relatives, guests and servants.

Ghost and his tricks

The story began on the day when the family of the US ambassador to the United Kingdom, Hyrum B. Otis, acquired a family nest from the heirs of de Canterville. The scrupulous lord warned the American about the existence of the ghost, but the pragmatic Esq. Decided that the property with such a lodger was a more interesting investment, and without the slightest trembling he transported his wife and children at the end of the season to the castle.

At the first tea party, Lady Otis, the wife of the ambassador, noticed on the floor by the fireplace a large, stale spot. Spots in the living room did not suit her, and the

housekeeper, Miss Amni, was called. The old servant accused the Canterville Ghost of being constantly updated. The summary of her tragic speech was reduced to the announcement of the whole gloomy history. She told me that the stain was not being wiped off – the blood of Lady Eleanor was spilled on this place three centuries ago. Not burdened with sentiment, the head of the family quickly coped with the task of eliminating pollution through a universal stain remover.

Alarmed by the new noisy masters, the phantom resolutely set to work, but everything did not go well. The spot was regularly excreted by the newest means. It came to that from red it turned into green or yellow. Simply, the bride had to steal the colors from Virginia, and the red one quickly ended.

Wishing to show his power and to revive the former glory, Sir Simon decided to walk through the castle, wailing hoarsely and sobbing with chains. But the specter suffered a crushing blow – no one was scared, and the American diplomat also offered oil to lubricate the chains, because he could not sleep from the noise. Nobody was afraid, and playful twins made a real hunt for a ghost, which led him into depression and melancholy. Only Virginia expressed sympathy for the unlucky ghost.

Having tried all the means and roles that horrified the inhabitants of the castle for three hundred years, but received only the deafening laughter of the harmful twins in response, the advice of Mr. Otis and the mixture from Mrs. Otis, Sir Simon fell ill and fell into anguish.

Kind soul

Oscar Wilde “The Canterville Ghost” ends, paying tribute to the English sentimentality, built on kindness and legends. The ghost of eternal wandering saves a kind fair girl.

One day, Virginia caught a ghost in the library, where, feeling completely alone and sick, he looked out the window at the flying leaves in the garden. She spoke to him and found out that the ghost had not slept for three hundred years, he was tired and wanted peace, but he could not leave until a bright soul regretted it, at least so the legend claims. The Lord asked Virginia if she could help him, despite the fact that she would be very scared. But only in her power to do the prophecy written on the library window. The brave girl agreed to help bring the world away, because love is stronger than death.

After leaving with him in the secret closet during the day, she stayed there until late at night, mourning the terrible fate of Sir Kenterville. The Otis family got off their feet searching for Virginia. Hyrum Otis was even going to call the Scotland Yard police if there was no daughter in the morning. But it all happened, as predicted by the prophecy, Sir Simon Canterville repaired and left the castle. The girl miraculously appeared in the family circle at a time when all were about to wander about their rooms.

Virginia in memory of Lord Simon Kentervil remained a box of jewelry, and the ambassador was very annoyed that his English real estate became simply a prosaic castle without his own ghost.

This concludes the novel “The Canterville Ghost”, the summary of which, perhaps, will inspire the reading of the whole work.