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Frankenstein
Mary Shelley in science. At university he learns how to create life from
human body parts but, at the moment of his triumph, he
realises he has created a monster. The monster wants to
be loved but Victor rejects him and the monster escapes
from Victor’s laboratory. In his anger and frustration,
the monster first kills Victor’s brother, William, but
then comes to believe that he will be happy if he has a
mate. He asks Victor to make him a female companion,
promising to leave the country and commit no more evil
in return. Victor agrees but later has doubts and destroys
the female. The monster wants revenge and goes on to
kill Henry and finally Elizabeth on the night she marries
Victor. Victor pursues the monster across the North Pole
and eventually dies. The monster, saddened by the death,
About the author
vows to kill no more.
Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley was born in London in
1797 and died in 1851. She was the daughter of William Chapters 1–2: Victor’s family adopt a young girl called
Godwin and Mary Wollstonecraft Godwin, two great Elizabeth and they move to Geneva. Two more sons
intellectual rebels of the time. Eleven days after her birth, are born, Ernest, the oldest and later William. Victor
her mother died leaving her father to look after Mary makes friends with a boy called Henry Clerval. Victor is
and her sister. Mary developed an intense affection for very interested in electricity and chemistry and goes to
her father and he for her, but things became tense when Ingoldstadt University to study. He becomes obsessed
Godwin remarried as Mary and her stepmother did with creating life and puts together a human form from
not have a good relationship. Mary never had a formal parts of dead bodies. The monster comes to life. It opens
education but learned from the books that she found in its eyes and makes sounds. This distresses Victor and he
her father’s library. falls very ill. His friend, Henry, nurses him back to health.

In 1814 she met the young poet, Percy Bysshe Shelley, Chapters 3–4: Victor receives a letter telling him his
and went with him to France. They married in 1816, brother, William, has been murdered. He is very sad
after Shelley’s first wife killed herself. They had a happy and travels to Geneva. On the way, he briefly sees the
but short marriage, and on her husband’s death in 1822, monster in a forest. Justine Moritz, a servant to the
she returned to England with her son, Percy. There she Frankenstein family, is arrested and executed for the
published many of his poetry and prose works, adding to murder. Victor is terribly unhappy because he knows who
these her own notes. the real murderer is. He travels to the mountains where
he meets the monster again. He threatens to destroy the
Mary had been interested in writing herself from an
monster. The monster replies that Victor is responsible
early age. By the time she was nineteen, she had written
for everything because he created him and now his life is
Frankenstein (1818), one of the most famous novels ever
miserable because people are unkind.
published. She also wrote several other novels, including
Valparga (1823), The Fortunes of Perkin Warbeck (1834) Chapters 5–6: The monster tells Victor his story. After
and what is often considered her best work The Last leaving the laboratory, he lived in a small hut next to the
Man (1833). She also wrote a travel book History of a de Lacey’s house. The monster watched the family and
Six Weeks’ Tour (1817), which is about her trip around secretly helped them by collecting wood. But one day, the
Europe in 1814 with her future husband. children saw the monster with their blind father and they
screamed and attacked him. They left their house in fear.
Summary The monster was lonely, unhappy and he wanted revenge.
Young Victor Frankenstein comes from a caring family. He burned the de Lacey’s house down and went to look
His adopted sister, Elizabeth, loves him and he has a good for Victor. Instead, he found his brother, William, and
friend called Henry. He is intelligent and deeply interested killed him. The monster now wants a female companion
and Victor agrees to create one.

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Frankenstein
Chapters 7–8: Victor tells his father that he wants to Love and friendship: Victor had two very close friends,
marry Elizabeth but first he must travel and study. His Elizabeth and Henry. Their personalities complemented
friend, Henry, joins him and they travel to London. Victor his own. Victor was the scientific, mechanical part,
learns a lot from the scientists there and collects the while Henry was the literary part and Elizabeth was the
things he needs for the female monster. He then goes soothing, gentle, feminine influence that balanced out the
on his own to the north of Scotland. One night, as the literary and scientific passion. The monster explained to
monster looks in through the window, Victor destroys the Victor that he had no friends and was lonely and his quest
female. The monster is very angry and threatens revenge. in life was for companionship and understanding. It was
Victor takes a boat. He falls asleep and arrives in Ireland. his loneliness and rejection by humans and Victor himself
There, someone tells him that a dead body has been that made him savage. He had no one to comfort him,
found and Victor is arrested for murder. support him or love him, and he felt that absence strongly.
Chapters 9–10: Victor is taken to see Mr Kirwin, the local Loneliness recurs as a theme throughout the monster’s
judge and he discovers that the dead man is his friend, existence.
Henry Clerval. Victor is very distressed and spends the Science and nature: The theme of scientific intervention
next two months very ill in prison. His father goes to in nature is key to this novel. At the time it was written,
see him and a month later Victor is found not guilty of scientific development in England was becoming of great
Henry’s murder. Father and son start the journey back importance and was beginning to influence every aspect
to Switzerland but stop to rest in Paris. A letter from of human life. Shelley portrays the natural environment
Elizabeth arrives. She tells Victor that she loves him and that surrounds us, the lakes, the mountains and the
wants to marry him. Victor decides they must marry very forests, as both beautiful and consoling whereas when
soon before the monster takes his revenge. scientists interfere with nature, a hideous monster is
Chapters 11–12: Victor and Elizabeth get married created. Whether Shelley intended it or not, her message
and start their holiday in a hotel. That night Elizabeth is is of great importance today in serving as a warning of the
murdered in her room. Victor sees the monster through disastrous consequences that genetic engineering may
an open window and chases him. The monster escapes. have if not accompanied by moral and ethical responsibility.
Victor follows the monster to the North Pole. He Judging by appearances: Another theme is the human
becomes very ill and is rescued by Walton, the captain of tendency to judge a person based on his or her
a boat. As he lies dying, he tells Walton his story and asks appearance. It is true that the monster appears horrifying,
him to promise to destroy the monster when he is dead. but he is also shown to be more humane than some of
Victor dies. The monster approaches the lifeless Victor the other humans in the story. Indeed, he is at first quite
and begs forgiveness. When he realises Victor is dead, the sensitive and tolerant. Unfortunately, no one tries to
monster decides that he must die too and jumps into the understand him or to accept him the way he is or see the
water and disappears. inner beauty that exists.

Background and themes Discussion activities

Mary Shelly was greatly influenced by the Romantic
Chapters 1–2
Movement and she wrote Frankenstein after Lord Byron
Before reading
introduced a challenge to discern who among the three 1 Discuss: Talk about horror stories.
writers, Percy Shelley, Mary Shelley and Byron himself, Do you like horror stories? What makes them
could write the best ghost story. Her work was greatly frightening? Do they sometimes have a message? What
influenced by the mass production and dehumanization was the last horror film you saw? Did you like it?
of the Industrial Revolution, which posed a threat to While reading (At the end of p. 2)
the Romantic ideals of the importance of the individual, 2 Guess: Ask students why they think the man that
the beauty of nature, and the emotional and free spirit. Walton found wants to go to the North Pole.
Frankenstein can be seen as a protest against this scientific After reading
revolution. 3 Pair work: Ask students to talk about whether they
think Frankenstein should have created the monster
or not.
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Frankenstein
Do you think it is all right for scientists to do all kinds of After reading
experiments? What kind of experiments do you think 9 Role play: Tell the students to imagine that
could be bad? Do you think it was a good idea for Frankenstein didn’t destroy the female monster.
Frankenstein to create the monster? Student A is the monster and Student B is the female
monster.
Chapters 3–4 What do they say to each other? Does the monster like
Before reading the female? Does she like him? What does the monster
4 Pair work: Ask students to talk about the monster say about Frankenstein?
Frankenstein has created.
What does he look like? How do you think he felt when Chapters 9–10
he came alive? Can he talk and think? What problems After reading
will he have now that he has run away? 10 Write: Students work individually. Ask the students
to imagine they are Frankenstein. They have to write
After reading a reply to Elizabeth’s letter.
5 Role play: Put students in groups of four to write The letter should talk about what happened in Ireland.
and act out Justine’s trial. One student is Justine, Describe the prison, the trial and how you felt about the
one is the prosecutor, one is Frankenstein (defending death of your friend. Also say you are afraid of the
Justine) and one is the judge (who decides Justine is wedding night.
guilty and sentences her).
Chapters 11–12
Chapters 5–6
While reading
Before reading 11 Role play: Put the students into pairs. Refer to
6 Guess: Ask the students to imagine in small groups page 63, penultimate line ‘Elizabeth left me and went
what has happened to the monster since he left to the bedroom.’
Frankenstein’s laboratory. Students imagine there was a conversation between
What do you think happened to the monster after he Elizabeth and the monster before he killed her.
left Frankenstein’s laboratory? Where did he live? What Student A: You are the monster. Tell Elizabeth that
did he eat? Did he meet any people? Why did he kill Frankenstein created you. Tell her that he destroyed your
William? female companion and that you are going to kill her.
After reading Student B: You are Elizabeth. Tell the monster that he
7 Role play: Put students in pairs. Ask them to act out shouldn’t kill you and that you will help him.
the final conversation between Frankenstein and the After reading
monster. 12 Research: Put students in groups to do some
Student A: You are the monster. Tell Frankenstein you research about a novel or a film in which a monster is
want a wife and why. Promise you will leave the country the central character. Each group can then do an oral
and never hurt anybody again. presentation for the rest of the class or a wall display
Student B: You are Frankenstein. Tell the monster you with texts and illustrations.
don’t want to create a female monster and why. Agree You can get information from the Internet or books.
to make another monster in the end, but make the Describe the monster, explain what the monster does,
monster promise to go away and hurt no more people. its reasons for doing evil things and whether you think it
Chapters 7–8 is 100% bad or that there is some good in the monster.
Some possible choices are vampires, zombies, bogeymen,
Before reading
ghosts etc.
8 Discuss: Ask the students to discuss the possible
reasons why Frankenstein is going to England.
Is Frankenstein trying to escape from the monster? Does
he need to talk to someone important there? Is there
something he needs in London to make the other
monster? Will he go alone?

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