Characters
This character is the ambitious scientist who creates the creature and narrates much of the novel.
Who is Victor Frankenstein?
This theme examines the responsibility of creation and the consequences of abandoning or neglecting one's creations, particularly through Victor's treatment of the monster.
What is the responsibility of the creator?
The novel’s climactic moment occurs when Victor dies from exhaustion after a long pursuit of the creature in this remote location.
What is the Arctic or North Pole?
This Swiss city is where Victor Frankenstein’s family resides and where he returns after the tragic events that unfold during his scientific experiments.
What is Geneva?
The mood of much of Frankenstein is dark and ominous, especially when Victor Frankenstein contemplates the consequences of his actions and his obsessive pursuit of knowledge.
What is a mood of dread or foreboding?
This character is Victor's father, who offers wisdom and guidance but remains unaware of the full extent of his son's obsession.
Who is Alphonse Frankenstein?
This theme involves the idea of being an outsider and how the creature struggles with his identity due to his rejection by society and his creator.
What is isolation and alienation?
In the final moments of the novel, this character, once feared and hated, expresses his intention to commit suicide by setting himself on fire.
Who is the monster?
The novel's narrative takes place in part in this remote, icy region, where Victor pursues the creature and ultimately meets his end.
What is the Arctic?
The mood of the scenes in which the creature is rejected by society and Victor reflects on his creation is often one of sorrow and loneliness.
What is a mood of isolation or melancholy?
She is Victor's fiancée, who is tragically murdered by the creature on their wedding night.
Who is Elizabeth Lavenza?
This theme explores the consequences of seeking knowledge without considering the moral implications or responsibilities associated with it.
What is the pursuit of knowledge or unchecked ambition?
In his quest for revenge, the creature kills Victor's best friend, leading to Victor’s vow to destroy his creation.
What is the murder of Henry Clerval?
The De Lacey family, whose interactions with the creature teach him about human emotions, lives in this type of environment, far from society.
What is a remote cottage or countryside?
As Victor begins his chase after the monster, the mood shifts to one of intense pursuit and desperation, heightened by the cold and desolate Arctic landscape.
What is a mood of tension or desperation?
The creature, rejected by his creator and society, seeks revenge on Victor and struggles with his own identity throughout the novel.
Who is Frankenstein's monster?
This theme is represented by the monster’s actions and Victor’s obsession, as both characters experience destructive consequences as a result of revenge.
What is vengeance or the destructive nature of revenge?
Victor's first major tragedy is the death of his younger brother, who is murdered by the creature after being abandoned by his creator.
What is the murder of William Frankenstein?
Victor experiences profound moments of reflection and anguish in this mountain range, a place where he seeks solitude in Switzerland.
What are the Swiss Alps?
The mood surrounding the creature’s narrative, in which he recounts his experiences of learning and emotional growth, is reflective and sorrowful, emphasizing his deep sense of alienation.
What is a mood of sadness or introspection?
This character is Victor Frankenstein's loyal friend and confidant, who tragically dies at the hands of the monster.
Who is Henry Clerval?
This theme explores the conflict between the natural world and human intervention, seen in Victor's attempts to conquer life and death through unnatural means.
What is the conflict between nature and science?
Victor receives a chilling threat from the creature after the murder of his brother, leading to the monster’s demand for a female companion.
What is the monster’s demand for a female companion?
Victor Frankenstein attends university and conducts his experiments in this German city, a key location in his pursuit of forbidden knowledge.
What is Ingolstadt?
Throughout much of the novel, the mood is filled with this, as Victor’s mounting guilt and the creature’s wrath lead to tragic consequences for all involved.
What is a mood of tragedy or doom?