Beginnings & Background
This scientist grew up in a loving, idealized family that Shelley uses to contrast his later isolation.
Who is Victor Frankenstein
This natural event inspires Victor’s obsession with electricity and power over nature
What is lightning striking the oak tree
In Chapter 6, this element of nature temporarily soothes Victor and gives him a false sense of peace
What is the beauty of the natural world? / What is nature
This woman is accused of William’s murder
Who is Justine Moritz
It was on a dreary night of November that I beheld the accomplishment of my toils.” — This scene marks the culmination of Victor’s ambition
What is the creation of the creature
These two alchemists’ writings first inspire Victor’s fascination with forbidden knowledge.
Who are Cornelius Agrippa and Paracelsus
This university professor encourages Victor to abandon alchemy and embrace modern science
Who is M. Waldman
This emotion dominates the storm in Chapter 7 as Victor nears Geneva
What is guilt or dread
Victor remains silent during Justine’s trial because he fears this outcome
What is being labeled insane or disbelieved
“Learn from me, if not by my precepts, at least by my example…” — In this line, Victor does this to Walton
What is warns Walton against ambition
This event in Victor’s youth marks his first encounter with death and foreshadows later tragedy
What is the death of his mother
This is Victor’s ultimate goal in creating life
What is to “bestow animation upon lifeless matter”
As Victor returns home, this natural phenomenon reveals the creature in a flash of light
What is lightning
This is the key irony of Justine’s trial
What is that she confesses despite being innocent
“I had selected his features as beautiful. Beautiful! Great God!” — This moment reveals Shelley’s use of this literary device
What is irony
This childhood friend and moral opposite serves as Victor’s foil throughout the story
Who is Henry Clerval
Shelley describes Victor’s work in Chapter 4 using this feverish tone to highlight his obsession
What is a tone of mania or frenzy
Shelley’s tone shifts across the early chapters from wonder to this darker emotion
What is horror or revulsion
Through the events of Chapter 8, Shelley critiques the failure of this institution to deliver true morality
What is the justice system / the legal system
“A flash of lightning illuminated the object…” — In this moment, Shelley uses nature as this kind of moral or symbolic force
What is nature as judgment or revelation
The novel begins and ends with letters written by this Arctic explorer, who parallels Victor’s ambition
Who is Robert Walton
Through Victor’s ambition, Shelley critiques this Romantic-era pursuit when it ignores morality
What is the pursuit of knowledge without conscience
Shelley personifies nature as this moral force that reflects and judges Victor’s guilt
What is nature as moral conscience or judgment
By contrasting Justine’s calm acceptance with Victor’s torment, Shelley reveals this truth about guilt
What is that moral guilt is heavier than legal guilt
“The tortures of the accused did not equal mine.” — In this line, Shelley exposes Victor’s self-centered form of this emotion
What is guilt or remorse