La Monaca di Monza 

How was her characterization built up ? 
Manzoni doesn't tell directly what the reader wants to know in order to keep the reader's attention. As a result the curiosity and the mystery of the character is kept alert among all the extract.

1st Paragraph : 
The narrator start providing information about the social status of the character. Right form the start the reader knows that la Monaca di Monza is a powerful nun. The first device the boatman gives the reader is that “la Monaca” isn't a common lady. However the reader don't say the reason why she is different. The boatman uses a word “lady”, referring to “la Monaca”, that set the woman in a precise social class : indeed she is a nun. But the additional information is that she isn't like the other nuns. As a result the curiosity and mystery about the identity of the woman is kept alert. 
In addition the writer uses a rhetorical figure of  litote, because he says what she is not.( Her ranch in the clergy is not said ). 
After that the writer gives the reader a piece of information about the identity of the woman”è della costola d'Adamo” : the expression of the Adam's body is used by the narrator in order to keep mystery. 
Later the narrator gives information about the character's origin . La Monaca di Monza comes from Milan, from a famous and rich Spanish family. As a result, since she comes from a noble family, also her reputation she has among the country's people  is different from the other nuns ; indeed people of the country call her “la Signora”.
As a consequence the boatman's point of view agree with the people of the village's point of view.
She is called “signora” because  she comes from a very high position. Her importance is reinforced by the expression “ non hanno mai avuto una persona come lei in monastero”. Nevertheless her power doesn't come from her position in the monastery, but it comes from her family , her hierarchical position. Her power allowed her to do whatever she wanted in the convent , even if she wasn't one who ruled. 

The technique used to create mystery is to never unveil the identity of the woman. Furthermore the semantic choices and the figure of speech create curiosity about the identity. As a result the curiosity of the reader is never neglected. There is a clear choice by the writer, who uses different point of view : country's people point of view and the boatman point of view-.  The boatmen is an external narrator. The reader can't have his own idea and he/she is almost sure what is reading is real.  The narrator has to trust what the boatman says and what the boatman reports to the common country's people.   Finally the narrator create a contrast between the weakness of Lucia and Agnese and the power of “la Monaca”. 
When we speak about characters we have to find immediately if the novelist uses the technique of speaking or telling. Here the narrator uses the technique of telling is used indeed the reader can understand the identity of La Signora through the description given by the people and the boatman. 

2nd paragraph 
The second paragraph has the function to reproduce the setting of the monastery, that records a Gothic ambient. 
Lucia and his mother has to go over the first yard. The choice of word like “grazia” means that is was a  privilege speaking with the nun The environment, made by people of the monastery,is a gossip life one. In order to reach and get the “lady” Agnese and Lucia have to cross a second yard. The previous element creates distance between the two ladies and “la Signora”.
The lady of the monastery gives advice to Lucia and Agnese on the way to behave in front of “la Signora” : as a result the curiosity is kept alert !
The idea of the difference between the high and the law position is again underlined in the invitation to pay respect and to be humble. 
Then the narrator uses the word “terrena” to put <<la Signora>> in heaven. 

The characterization is made up by a premix process : again the narrator introduces two point of view. Thanks to the description of Lucia's behaviour the reader can understand the approach to “la Signora” is created on purpose to underline the social distance between common people and la Signora.  Lucia's reaction is justified by the climatic contrast between high and low position.  There is a barrier between la Monaca di Monza and the other people. She is shown like a cinematical camera.

3rd paragraph
The third paragraph has the function to narrate the physical appearance of La Monaca di Monza. Manzoni focuses the attention on the nun's veil, black eyes, cheeks and eyebrows . “Il suo aspetto, che poteva dimostrare  venticinque anni, faceva a prima vista un'impressione di bellezza, ma d'una bellezza sbattuta sfiorita, e direi quasi scomposta. Un velo nero, cadeva dalle due parti, discosto alquanto dal viso; otto il velo, una bianchissima benda di lino cingeva una fronte bianca “. The narrator associates two opposite colours,the black veil and the white face,  in order to underline the behaviour of la Monaca, and as a consequence the two different personalities of her character . Black reminds to an unfriendly, bad,  hatred, frightful person. 
As a result the physical appearance of the character makes the reader think firstly about beautiful  young lady, and after about a mysterious person. “Due occhi neri subitanei, vivi, pieni d'espressione e di mistero, si fissavano talora in viso alle persone, con un'investigazione superba, talora si chinavano come per cercare nascondiglio; quando restavano immobili e fissi senza attenzione, chi ci avrebbe immaginata una svogliatezza orgogliosa, chi avrebbe potuto sospettarci il travaglio d'un pensiero nascosto, d'una preoccupazione familiare all'animo, e più forte su quello che gli oggetti circostanti”. It seems that la Signora had  a secret story that she wanted to tell. 
“Nel vestire stesso c'era qualcosa di studiato o di negletto, che annunziava una monaca singolare : la vita era attillata con una certa cura secolaresca, e dalla benda usciva sur una tempia una ciocchettina di neri capelli: cosa che dimostrava o dimenticanza o disprezzo della regola che prescriveva di tenerli sempre corti, da quando erano stati tagliati, nella cerimonia solenne del vestimento”. 
Here the narrator unveil that la Monaca di Monza is a singular nun, different from the other. She is particular first of all because she had long black hairs, while the convent prescribed to keep them short. She is an unconventional nun, and looks like a poor victim of the civilization of the time. She didn't actually want to become a nun. Indeed , at the time, rich families forced their daughters to follow a monastic life, against their will.  

4th paragraph 
After a brief description of the nun of Monza, Manzoni restart the story. The nun of Monza, standing close to the grating, observe Lucia, who  fearful ( “Lucia diventò rossa e abbassò la testa” )proceeded with her mother and father's guardian. The previous one, after introducing the two women to the nun of Monza , he explains  why they went to the convent. After receiving more information about Agnese and Lucia, the nun of Monza kindly welcomes the two ladies “E' una fortuna per me il poter fare un piacere a' nostri buoni amici I padri cappuccini, ma mi dica un po più particolarmente il caso di questa giovine, per veder meglio cosa si possa fare per lei”.