Ambrosio (The Monk)

Ambrosio is the titular character and main protagonist of The Monk, a Gothic horror novel first published in 1796.

history
Ambrosio was left to a monastery in Madrid as a baby, where he was then raised by the monks.

Ambrosio, upon reaching adulthood, becomes a respected and revered figure in Madrid but is very proud. After breaking his vow of chastity Ambrosio jumps to committing kidnapping, black magic, rape, murder, and incest before selling his own soul to Satan, who then kills brutally after revealing he was responsible for Ambrosio's descent into sin.

Personality
Ambrosio is a proud, arrogant man at the beginning of the novel but was genuinely pious and religious. However, after breaking his vow of chastity with Matilda, he quickly spirals down into moral decay and corruption, leading him to murder Elvira, his own mother, and then abduct and rape Antonia, Elvira's daughter and his own sister. Though he displays genuine remorse at times, this turns into bitter self-loathing and his pride prevents from actually repenting, instead seeking to escape punishment and hide his crimes in any way he can. To this end, he ultimately sells his soul to the Devil, who reveals he had been manipulated by him throughout the novel. Despite this, it is clear Ambrosio knew the risks of temptation but gave in anyway, for the sake of his hedonism.