The Amulet

A historical tale set in sixteenth-century Antwerp traces the aftermath of a jealous nobleman's murderous plot against a favored merchant and the moral consequences that follow. After an attempted assassination leads to the assassin's death, the perpetrator seeks to conceal his crime while hypocrisy and vengeance spread through his household; grief, apparent resurrection, and unsettling supernatural suggestions disturb the guilty man until he is exposed and punished. Interwoven with scenes of mercantile splendour and social intercourse, the narrative contrasts cunning vice with steadfast virtue and argues that evil brings ruin while good deeds yield protection and eventual recompense.