Frankenstein Character Quotations edexcel 3-19th-Century-Novel

Key word or phrase to memorise: “so deeply engaged” and “sufficient rest”

What the quotation means: Victor Frankenstein admits that he is very focused on his scientific experiment, and that it takes up so much of his time that he does not get enough rest

Theme: Ambition

• Victor Frankenstein is a typically gothic representation of an ambitious scientist:

  • His obsession with his creation leads to psychological torment 

  • He understates it as “deeply engaged”

• Shelley foreshadows his mental decline by hinting at the scientist’s deep preoccupation:

  • He suggests he puts the experiment before basic needs like sleep

Key word or phrase to memorise: “Wretched devil” and “extinguish the spark”

What the quotation means: Victor Frankenstein calls his creature pitiful and evil, and threatens to destroy him by putting out the “spark” that brought him to life

Theme: Science and creation

• Victor Frankenstein believes he has the right to create life and end it as he chooses:

  • He uses imagery connoting to science (“spark”) to imply his power

  • He dehumanises the creature and threatens to “extinguish” his life

• Victor, admitting that he has given life “negligently”, accepts his recklessness:

  • Victor calls the creature a “devil” implying that he, as creator, is more like a god, and is able to destroy evil

  • Shelley illustrates his dangerous arrogance about science and nature

Key word or phrase to memorise: “devote” and “destruction”

What the quotation means: Victor Frankenstein promises to destroy the creature he has made, and says he is dedicated to this task whether alive or dead

Theme: Power and control

• Shelley presents Victor Frankenstein as unchangeable:

  • He does not learn moderation or modesty, suggesting that he won’t change his nature until the day he dies

  • This offers a stark warning about obsessive and powerful individuals 

• Victor’s extreme nature shifts from creation to destruction here:

  • The alliteration of “devote”, “death” and “destruction” conveys his fixation on his new task

Key word or phrase to memorise: “sport” and “duty”

What the quotation means: The creature confronts Victor Frankenstein and challenges his lack of responsibility, suggesting that if the scientist does what is right with him, he will do the same in return

Theme: Science and creation 

• The creature’s rhetorical question conveys Shelley’s main challenge to science:

  • The juxtaposition of “duty” and “sport” suggests Victor has been playing instead of acting responsibly 

  • The word “dare” alludes to Victor’s arrogant abuse of power

• The creature, in many ways, has a closer affinity to nature than to science:

  • This is ironic, since despite longing for natural companionship, the creature is artificial

  • He says that if the scientist behaves responsibly, harm to “mankind” would be avoided