As Ruthven lies dying after the bandits capture him and Aubrey, he makes Aubrey swear an oath:

Swear by all your soul reveres, by all your nature fears, swear that for a year and a day you will not impart your knowledge of my crimes or death to any living being in any way, whatever may happen, or whatever you may see (55).

Aubrey agrees, and his promise proves his undoing. The oath is a symbol of Aubrey’s Tragic Flaw and the powerlessness of good in the struggle of Good Versus Evil. In committing Aubrey to this oath, Ruthven cruelly exploits the young man’s sense of honor. The oath leads to Aubrey’s and his sister’s deaths. Ruthven’s reminder of the oath when he re-enters Aubrey’s life is a repetition of the symbol; Aubrey’s willingness to uphold the oath even when confronted with the supernatural leads to his death.

Nature in the Romantic and Gothic often symbolizes the ultimate power of the world beyond human civilization and pure beauty. Romantic and Gothic writers tend to separate human society from the natural world. Human society is artificial and limiting while the natural world is authentic and a font of inspiration and innocence.