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| Question | Answer |
| The Bloody Chamber Quotes: ". . . the dark, leonine shape of his head . . ." | Carter's frequent use of anthropomorphism emphasises the beastly imagery of the Marquis, building up an image of him as a predator, with the relatively innocent narrator serving as his prey. There is something innately sinister yet enigmatic about this description of the Marquis; Carter aims to present him as attractive with a sense of danger and mystery. |
| The Bloody Chamber Quotes: ". . . the opulent male scent of leather and spices . . ." | The repeated references to scent, including the distinctive scent of the Marquis and the lilies which fill the narrator's bedroom, create an air of claustrophobia and a suffocating atmosphere; the narrator is trapped by him, suggesting an inability to escape his overpowering presence. However, Carter also uses this description to hint at his masculinity, emphasises the image of him as a strong male villain juxtaposed by the contrasting female bravery of the narrator's mother. |
| The Bloody Chamber Quotes: ". . . this gallery of beautiful women . . ." and ". . . your exquisite corpse in my display of flesh!" | The Marquis views women as possessions or artwork; however sinister this may seem, the narrator is blinded by his attraction as she feels she is being honoured by his obsession with her youthful appearance. The Marquis views female beauty as something to be enjoyed and preserved, highlighting the objectification of women and female beauty within the bloody chamber. |
| The Bloody Chamber Quotes: "A choker of rubies . . . like an extraordinary slit throat . . ." | Red is used to clearly symbolise blood, in reference to execution by the guillotine during the Reign of Terror, 1793-94, at the beginning of the French Revolution. The Marquis claims his ancestors wore the choker as an ironic memento of this period of extreme violence. This image, which is repeated throughout the story, vividly foreshadows the decapitation of the narrator. |
| The Bloody Chamber: "When I thought of courage, I thought of my mother." | The narrator's mother, who apparently "shot a man-eating tiger" during her adolescence, is characterised by Carter as the personification of female bravery and the symbol of feminism. Formisano states that "Carter is looking to encourage women to do something about this degrading representation by . . . fighting against the oppression." She highlights the rights of women to be treated equally and juxtaposes her daughter's innocence. |
| The Bloody Chamber Quotes: "The puppet master, open-mouthed, wide-eyed, impotent . . ." | The Marquis exercises complete control over both his servants and wives, past and present; he is presented as a Gothic villain, whose rage is all encompassing and omnipresent. However, the narrator is reduced to a child's toy, emphasises the view of her as innocent and childlike. Similarly, she is shown to be nothing more than his play thing, a source of fleeting entertainment for him before he tires of her, and is replaced. |
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