The Monk: A Romance

Content Warning: This section references rape.

Veils function as important symbols of sexual purity or chastity in The Monk, developing the theme of Sexual Desire, Danger, and Deviance. The expression “taking the veil” refers to a woman committing herself to life in a convent. While nuns make a variety of religious vows, most depictions of nuns focus on vows related to chastity and virginity; thus, “the veil” typically symbolizes protection against or a rejection of sexuality. When women in The Monk are unveiled, it is because their sexual purity has been violated: Antonia becomes a sexual object for men to admire once Don Lorenzo unveils her; Agnes tears apart her veil when her sexual transgressions are revealed to the prioress; after Matilda removes her monk’s cowl (a stand-in for a veil), she begins her sexual affair with Ambrosio; and Ambrosio tears away the shroud that covers Antonia before raping her. Such veils mark women as sexually chaste, yet they are easily torn away, suggesting the vulnerability of women to sexual desire. Similarly, the Bleeding Nun’s blood-stained veil represents her violent rejection of the chastity her order requires.