Newton's Tomb

Newton's Tomb is the black-marble sarcophagus of Sir Isaac Newton in Westminster Abbey, which serves as the final destination in the quest to unlock the Priory keystone. The tomb's most prominent feature is a massive carved orb depicting constellations and heavenly bodies, and the poem's reference to a missing orb ultimately leads to the password "APPLE"—a symbol of the fall of the sacred feminine.

Description and Location

Newton's Tomb is located in the nave of Westminster Abbey, recessed in a niche. The monument consists of a large black-marble sarcophagus on which reclines the sculpted form of Sir Isaac Newton, wearing classical costume and leaning against a stack of his own books: Divinity, Chronology, Opticks, and Philosophiae Naturalis Principia Mathematica. At Newton's feet stand two winged boys holding a scroll. Behind Newton's recumbent body rises an austere pyramid, and mounted halfway up the pyramid is a giant orb carved in basso-relievo depicting constellations, signs of the zodiac, comets, stars, and planets. Above the orb is the image of the Goddess of Astronomy beneath a field of stars. The tomb is a prominent tourist attraction, and visitors often perform grave rubbings there.

Role in the Keystone Quest

When Robert Langdon and Sophie Neveu decipher the poem on the rosewood box, they realize the "knight a Pope interred" refers to Sir Isaac Newton, whose funeral was presided over by Alexander Pope. The poem's line "You seek the orb that ought be on his tomb" initially confuses them because the tomb already features a massive orb. Langdon and Sophie travel to Westminster Abbey to examine the tomb, but they are intercepted by Leigh Teabing, who has already taken the keystone. Teabing has been scrutinizing the monument for ten minutes, trying to determine which orb is missing, but he cannot solve the riddle. He holds Sophie at gunpoint and demands Langdon help him find the password.

The Password Revelation

Langdon, realizing he must protect Sophie and the Grail, pretends to know the answer and then hurls the cryptex toward the dome of the Chapter House. Teabing lunges to catch it, but the cryptex hits the floor, shattering the glass vial inside. When Teabing opens the cylinder, he finds it empty except for shards of wet glass—the papyrus is gone. But the dials have been reset to a five-letter word: APPLE. Langdon explains that the orb that ought be on Newton's tomb is the Rosy apple that fell from heaven, struck Newton on the head, and inspired his life's work. The apple represents the fruit from which Eve partook, incurring the Holy wrath of God—Original Sin, the symbol of the fall of the sacred feminine. The password "APPLE" unlocks the cryptex, revealing the papyrus map that leads to Rosslyn Chapel.

Thematic Significance

Newton's Tomb functions as the final intellectual puzzle in the quest, requiring the solver to recognize that the "orb" is not a celestial body but the apple of Newtonian legend. The solution ties together the themes of the sacred feminine (the apple as the symbol of Eve's fall) and the scientific revolution (Newton's discovery of gravity). The tomb also represents the culmination of the Priory's lineage of Grand Masters, as Newton himself was a Grand Master of the Priory of Sion. The password "APPLE" is a fitting tribute to Saunière's love of double meanings and his ability to hide profound truths in plain sight.