Frankenstein: Volume III - Chapter 7

Chapter 7

Victor leaves Geneva for good and follows clues to find the monster. He goes to the North and meets Walton. He tells Walton his sotry and says to continues his search after Victor dies. The narrative then returns to Walton, who tells his sister that he believes Victors story, and regrets that he did not know Victor in his better days. Waltons crewman enter the cabin one morning and ask if, once they break out of the ice, they can return to England. Victor says that the glory of their quest should be enough to motivate them to go forward. They are moved by this, but a couple of days later, Walton agrees with the plan to return. Just before the ship heads back to England, Victor dies. A few days later, Walton hears a strange noise coming from the room where Victor's body is. Walton finds the monster, who is just a hideous as had been described. The creature tells Walton that he regrets becoming corrupted by evil, and now that his creator has died, he is also ready to die. He leaves the ships and departs into darkness. 

What makes it gothic?

• Death - Victor's death 

Frankenstein: Volume III - Chapter 6

Chapter 6

Victor begins Victor and Elizabeth wander the grounds of the cottage, but Victor is apprehensive of the creature's arrival. He worries that Elizabeth may be disturbed by the creatures appearance and by the fight, and tells her to retire. Victors searches for the creature throughout the house, then suddenly hears Elizabeth scream. He realises that it was not his murder that the creature wanted to commit that night. Consumed by grief, Victor returns to Geneva to tell his father of Elizabeth's death. Victor's father dies a few days later from shock. Victor breaks his secrecy and tells a magistrate about the monster and how it killed Elizabeth, but the magistrate doesn't believe him. Victor decides to devote his life to finding and killing the monster.

What makes it gothic?

• Revenge - the creature kills Victors new wife as a result of not being permitted a mate
• Death - Elizabeth and Victors father; the deaths of the two people closest to Victor
• Release of tension - Victor finally tells someone about his secret

Frankenstein: Volume III - Chapter 5

Chapter 5

On the way back to Geneva, Victor and his father rest in Paris. Just before leaving, Victor recieves a letter from Elizabeth. Worries about Victors sudden illness, she asks if he is in love with someone else. He replies that she is his source of joy. Victor remembers of the creatures threat about being with Victor on his wedding night. He thinks that the monster intends to fight, and decides that he will fight back. The misery will end, no matter which one of them is killed. Victor and his father return to Geneva and begins to plan the wedding. Elizabeth continues to worry about Victor, but he assures her that all will be well after the wedding. He tells her that he has a secret, and he can only tell her after the wedding. victor gets more and more nervous about his confrontation with the monster. The wedding takes place and the couple depart to a family cottage to spend the night. 

What makes it gothic?

• Suspence/tension - will the creature keep to his word?
• Secrecy - Elizabeth knows Victor has a secret, but doesn't know what it is

Frankenstein: Volume III - Chapter 4

Chapter 4

The townspeople confront Victor and take him to the town magistrate, Mr Kirwin. They testify against him and say that, the previous night, they saw a boat that resembled Victors, and shortly after a body was washed to shore. Mr. Kirwin decides to take Victor to the body to see if has any visible affect on him, and decides that, if it does, he is the murderer. Victor does react to the body, as it is that of Henry Clerval. The body has the black hand prints of the monster around his neck. Victor suffers convulsions and a long-term illness. Victor is ill for two months. Mr Kirwin is much more sympathic to Victor than he was before the illness, and visits him in his cell. He tells Victor that he has a visitor, and Victor worries that it is the monster who has come to cause even more misery. The visitor is, however, Victors father, who travels from Geneva as soon as he hears of Victors illness and the death of Henry. His father stays with him until the court. Victor is found innocent, as there is nothing but circumstancial evidence. When he is released, he goes with his father to Geneva.

What makes it gothic?

• Death - Clerval's murder
• Ambiguity - where is the monster now? Did he kill Clerval?
• Injustice - Victor is wrongly imprisoned for the murder of Henry

Frankenstein: The Importance and Relevance of Paradise Lost, The Sorrows of Young Werther and Plutarch's Lives

Paradise Lost

There are many parallels between the characters of Paradise Lost and Frankenstein, as well as some contrasts.

Firstly, there are strong parallels between Adam and the creature. When first introduced in Paradise Lost, Adam has a limited knowledge of the world and thus is characterised as innocent, naive and not born into evil, which directly echoes the creature's characterisation as he is first introduced in Frankenstein. Milton writes in Paradise Lost that Adam had 'come forth from the hands of God a perfect creature'. This perfectness contrasts the creatures hideous appearance, and shows that, although the creature and Adam shared the same characteristics, the creature was immediately shunned because of his appearance. When the creature and Victor meet on the mountain, the creatures says to Victor 'I ought to be Adam', an explicit reference to Paradise Lost that demonstrates the creatures understanding of his ugliness. Shelley perhaps gave the creature similar traits to Adam and contrasting looks to illustrate the importance of aesthetics and the shallow nature of humans. Adam and the creature both want companionship, but this comes with a differing outcome. Shelley may have done this to show the different outcomes of companionship. Although born innocent, Adam and the creature both become self-aware and corrupted but their environments: Adam when he eats the forbidden fruit and the creatures when he reads the books, depicting the devastatingly evil affects of society and mankind and as a result, both have to wander Earth alone as outcasts.

Secondly, there are parallels between Adam and Victor. When visited by Raphael, Adam has many questions and even when these questions are answered by Raphael, he is unsatisfied and still wants to know more. This curiosity thirst for knowledge is similar to Victors, and ultimately leads to their loss of innocence. Through this curiosity, both characters defy God and this has unforgettable consequences that affects, and arguably destroys, the rest of their lives. Shelley is perhaps trying to warn of how the rapid scientific advancements of the time could potentially have catastrophic consequences.

Also, there are similarities between God and Victor. The most obvious of these is that Milton often refers to God as 'the victor', suggesting that Shelley may have given Victor his name to illustrate that he is playing God. Although God and Victor both banish their creations, they do it for different reasons and so it is obvious that they have different mindsets. God banishes Adam after he commits a distrustful act, whilst Victor banishes the creature after first sight, showing the shallow nature of human beings.

Finally, there are parallels between Satan and the creature. The creature and Satan are both rejected by their creators. Whilst the creature is shunned for being ugly, Satan is shunned for being devious and rebellious. Perhaps Shelley is trying to portray the message that, in society, being unattractive is seen as a bad a trait as being evil.

Sorrows of Young Werther

The Sorrows of Young Werther makes the creature understand 'despondency and gloom' and also makes him question his place in society. The creature learns about suicide and, although he did consider it, he resists in order to avenge Victor. Shelley may have used this to show the amount of vengeance the creature must hold against Victor, to continue living an isolated and depressive life just to "get his own back" on his creator. The creature also becomes more typically "human" from the knowledge of emotions and being able to relate to others which he gains from the novel. Shelley uses the strong emotional themes in the story in order to advance the creatures ability to emote. All of the deaths in the Sorrows of Young Werther occur due to loss of companionship, which contributes to the theme of nurture in Frankenstein and echoes the importance of relationships that is evident throughout the story.

 Plutarch's Lives

From reading Plutarch's Lives, the creature gains 'high thoughts' and learns about society, in particular about towns and cities where men and women live together. He learns about the vicious behaviour of men in public and admires virtuous men and peaceful lawmakers. This illustrates the creature's pure heart and that he is not inherently evil.

Frankenstein: Summaries of Paradise Lost, The Sorrows of Young Werther and Plutarch's Lives

Paradise Lost

In Hell, Satan and his followers are recovering after a war against God. They build a palace called Pandelmonium where they decide whether to go back to war. They decide to explore a new world where revenge can be planned. Satan goes on this trip alone. At the gates of Hell he sees his offspring, Sin and Death, who open the gates for him. Whilst on his journey across chaos he sees the new universe floating near heaven. God sees Satan flying towards this world and foretells of the fall of man. His son, listening, offers to sacrifice himself for mankind. Satan enters the universe and goes to the sun where he tricks an angel, Uriel, into showing him where man lives. Satan goes into the Garden of Eden and finds Adam and Eve, whom he becomes jealous of. He overhears them talking about how God has told them not to eat the forbidden fruit. Uriel warns Gabriel and his angels of Satan's presence. Satan is apprehended and banished from Eden. God sends Raphael to Eden in order to warn Adam and Eve of Satan. Raphael tells them how Satan was jealous of God's son and waged a war against God, which led the son of God (Messiah) to cast Satan and his followers to Hell. God created mankind to eventually replaced the fallen angels in Heaven. Satan returns to Earth as a Serpent. He persuades Eve to eat the forbidden fruit and Adam follows in her footsteps. They lose their innocence and become aware of their nakedness. They become hostile to each other, out of shame and despair. The Son of God goes to Earth to judge the sinners, and delays their death sentence. Sin and Death build a highway to Earth, sensing Satan's success. When Satan returns to Hell, however, him and his followers become serpents as a punishment. Adam reconciles with Eve. God sends Michael to expel Adam and Eve from Paradise. Adam learns of his future tending the Earth as his punishments, but is happy to learn of the future coming of the Saviour of mankind.

Sorrows of the Young Werther
Werther sends letters to his friend, Wilhelm. In these letters he writes of his stay in a village called Wahlheim. He admires the simple lives of the peasants. He meets a young girl named Charlotte and, despite knowing she is engaged to a man 11 years senior to her, falls in love with her. Charlotte looks after her siblings following her mothers death. Although he is heartbroken, Werther has a close relationship with both Charlotte and Albert. His pain eventually gets too much, though, and he leaves to go to Weimar. Here he becomes acquaintances with Fraulein von B. He has an embarrassing experience when he goes to visit a friend, forgetting that the entire aristocratic set usually meet there. he returns to Wahlheim, where he is in even more pain, partly because Charlotte and Albert are now married. Out of pity for Werther and respect for her husband, Charlotte decides Werther mustn't visit so often. in one final visit, the pair are overcome with emotion. Werther realised before this incident that one of the three had to die. Unable to take another life, he decides to take his own and writes a suicide note. He convinces Albert to give him two pistols, saying that he is going on a journey. Werther shoots himself in the head and his buried under a tree he is fond of. His burial is not attended by clergymen, Albert or Charlotte.

Plutarch's Lives

Plutarch creates character sketches of great leaders based on key events in their lives. He describes not only their public character, but also their private lives, to give a better indication of them as characters and their motivations.

Frankenstein: Volume III - Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Victor begins to worry that once his makes the female creation, the two creatures will not seclude themselves from society and instead will create 'a race of devils'. Whilst worrying about this, Victor sees the creature looking into the window and grinning. Horrified by the creatures hideousness, Victors abandons his work creating a female for the creature. The creature becomes enfuriated and promises revenge, and that he will be with Victor on his wedding night. The next day Victor recieves a letter from Henry who suggests they continue their travels. Victor packs his things and leaves the hut, throwing the remains of the female creature into the river as he sails back to the mainland. He falls asleep and when he wakes up realises that the winds will not allow him to reach the shore. Victor fears for his life, but luckily the winds change and he is able to reach shore safely. When he steps off the boat the towspeople accuse him of a murder discovered the previous night.

What makes it gothic?

• Revenge - the monster vows to get Victor back
• Nature - Victor fears for his life and that he cannot get back to shore, showing the power of nature
• Suspense - what will happen on Victors wedding night?