Frankenstein (Leaving Cert English): Revision Notes
Themes
Frankenstein explores enduring questions about human nature that remain relevant today. Written over 200 years ago, Mary Shelley's novel examines complex themes including scientific responsibility, the desire for revenge, family bonds, and humanity's relationship with nature. These themes work together to create a powerful story about what it means to be human and the consequences of our actions.
Key themes in Frankenstein
The major themes that run throughout the novel include:
- Fate vs. free will - Do we control our destiny or are we controlled by it?
- Nature - The power and beauty of the natural world
- Family and affection - The importance of loving relationships
- Loneliness and isolation - The pain of being cut off from others
- Revenge - The destructive cycle of seeking vengeance
- Love - Different forms of love that motivate characters
- Exploration and science - The dangers of unchecked scientific ambition
- Women - Female roles in 19th-century society
Fate vs. free will
This theme explores whether characters control their own actions or whether their lives are predetermined by destiny. Throughout the novel, both Victor and the Monster struggle with this question.
How it works in the novel: The characters often blame fate for their terrible actions, but careful reading shows they make conscious choices. Victor chooses to create the Monster, and the Monster chooses to seek revenge. However, both characters convince themselves that destiny forced their hands.
Victor believes he was fated to discover the secrets of life, while the Monster sees himself as doomed to be rejected by humanity. Neither character takes full responsibility for their actions, preferring to blame supernatural forces.
The key insight is that while characters claim to be controlled by fate, their actions reveal they have free will but refuse to accept responsibility for their choices.
"How all this will terminate, I know not, but I had rather die than return shamefully, my purpose unfulfilled. Yet I fear such will be my fate; the men, unsupported by ideas of glory and honour, can never willingly continue to endure their present hardships." - Robert Walton
Nature
During the Romantic period, nature became a central theme in literature. Writers portrayed the natural world as both healing and terrifying, capable of inspiring awe and fear in equal measure.
How it works in the novel: Mary Shelley presents nature as magnificent but intimidating. Characters find peace in natural settings during moments of despair, but nature also punishes those who defy its laws. When Victor creates the Monster, he goes against natural processes, and nature responds by making him suffer.
The Monster finds comfort in observing the natural world, but when he violates nature's harmony through murder, the natural environment becomes hostile to him. This reflects the Romantic belief that humans must respect nature's power.
"Even broken in spirit as he is, no one can feel more deeply than he does the beauties of nature. The starry sky, the sea, and every sight afforded by these wonderful regions seem still to have the power of elevating his soul from earth." - Robert Walton
"Spring advanced rapidly; the weather became fine and the skies cloudless... My senses were gratified and refreshed by a thousand scents of delight and a thousand sights of beauty." - Monster
Family and affection
Family relationships form the emotional heart of the novel. Shelley shows how loving family bonds shape healthy development, while their absence leads to destruction.
How it works in the novel: Victor grows up in a warm, supportive family with caring parents and beloved siblings. This loving environment should have made him compassionate, but his obsession with science leads him to abandon these relationships.
The Monster, by contrast, has no family connections from birth. His creator abandons him immediately, and human society rejects him. This lack of love and belonging drives him to violence and revenge.
The contrast between Victor's privileged family background and the Monster's complete isolation highlights how crucial family bonds are for emotional development.
Frankenstein family structure:
- Alphonse Frankenstein - Victor's loving father
- Caroline Beaufort Frankenstein - Victor's devoted mother
- Victor Frankenstein - The eldest son
- William Frankenstein - Victor's youngest brother
- Elizabeth Lavenza - Victor's adopted sister and later wife
"I remained for several years their only child. Much as they were attached to each other, they seemed to draw inexhaustible stores of affection from a very mine of love to bestow them upon me... I was their plaything and their idol, and something better—their child." - Victor
"Get well—and return to us. You will find a happy, cheerful home and friends who love you dearly." - Elizabeth Lavenza
Loneliness and isolation
Social isolation affects nearly every character in the novel, showing how humans need connection with others to remain healthy and moral.
How it works in the novel: The theme begins with Robert Walton's letters describing his loneliness on the Arctic expedition. Victor isolates himself from family and friends during his scientific experiments, which leads to depression and obsession.
The Monster experiences the most extreme isolation, rejected by everyone he encounters. This forced loneliness transforms him from an initially gentle creature into a vengeful killer. His isolation isn't chosen like Victor's, but imposed by society's fear of his appearance.
Both Victor and the Monster suffer psychological damage from their isolation, showing that humans need social connections to maintain their humanity.
"In a solitary chamber, or rather cell, at the top of the house, and separated from all the other apartments by a gallery and staircase, I kept my workshop of filthy creation." - Victor
"Believe me, Frankenstein, I was benevolent; my soul glowed with love and humanity; but am I not alone, miserably alone? You, my creator, abhor me; what hope can I gather from your fellow creatures, who owe me nothing?" - Monster
Revenge
The destructive power of revenge drives much of the novel's action, creating a cycle of violence between Victor and his creation.
How it works in the novel: The Monster begins seeking revenge after repeated rejections by humans, including his creator. He murders Victor's young brother William, then frames the innocent Justine for the crime. When Victor refuses to create a companion for him, the Monster kills Victor's best friend Clerval and new wife Elizabeth.
Victor responds with his own desire for revenge, pursuing the Monster across the globe. Neither character can break free from this cycle of vengeance, which ultimately destroys them both.
Shelley demonstrates that revenge brings no satisfaction, only more pain and destruction. The pursuit of vengeance consumes both characters' lives and prevents any possibility of redemption.
"When I reflected on his crimes and malice, my hatred and revenge burst all bounds of moderation. I would have made a pilgrimage to the highest peak of the Andes, could I when there have precipitated him to their base." - Victor
"Cursed, cursed creator! Why did I live? Why, in that instant, did I not extinguish the spark of existence which you had so wantonly bestowed?" - Monster
Love
Love appears in various forms throughout the novel, serving as both a positive and destructive force depending on how characters express it.
How it works in the novel: Victor's love for his family initially motivates his scientific studies - he wants to benefit humanity. However, his obsessive love of knowledge ultimately harms those he claims to love most.
The Monster desperately craves love and acceptance but never receives it. His unrequited need for love transforms into hatred and violence. When Victor refuses to create a female companion for him, the Monster ensures Victor will experience the same loneliness he suffers.
Elizabeth represents pure, devoted love, but even she cannot save Victor from his destructive obsessions. Her love becomes another casualty of Victor's choices.
"He came like a protecting spirit to the poor girl, who committed herself to his care; and after the interment of his friend he conducted her to Geneva and placed her under the protection of a relation." - Victor about his father
"You must create a female for me with whom I can live in the interchange of those sympathies necessary for my being." - Monster
Exploration and science
Mary Shelley wrote Frankenstein during the Scientific Revolution, when new discoveries about electricity and anatomy captured public imagination. The novel reflects both excitement about scientific progress and anxiety about its potential dangers.
How it works in the novel: Victor represents the ambitious scientist who pursues knowledge without considering ethical consequences. His creation of life from dead matter reflects real scientific experiments of Shelley's time, particularly work with electricity and corpses.
The novel warns against scientific hubris - the arrogant belief that humans can master nature without consequences. Victor's refusal to take responsibility for his creation demonstrates how scientific power without moral guidance leads to disaster.
Shelley doesn't condemn science itself, but rather the irresponsible pursuit of knowledge without concern for its effects on society and individuals.
"I have described myself as always having been imbued with a fervent longing to penetrate the secrets of nature." - Victor
"One of the phenomena which had peculiarly attracted my attention was the structure of the human frame, and, indeed, any animal endued with life." - Victor
Women in Frankenstein
The novel's female characters are portrayed primarily through Victor's male perspective, reflecting 19th-century attitudes about women's roles in society.
How it works in the novel: Most women in the story occupy traditional roles as mothers, wives, and caretakers. Elizabeth exists mainly to provide emotional support for Victor, while Caroline Frankenstein represents the ideal devoted mother and wife.
Justine becomes a victim of the Monster's revenge, wrongly executed for William's murder. Her powerlessness in the face of false accusations reflects women's legal vulnerability during this period.
Only Safie shows some independence, rejecting her father's authority to follow her beloved Felix. However, even her rebellion centres around romantic love rather than personal ambition.
The absence of strong, independent female voices in the novel reflects the limited opportunities available to women in Mary Shelley's time, while also critiquing these restrictions.
Key Points to Remember:
- Fate vs. free will: Characters claim destiny controls them, but they make conscious choices that drive the plot
- Nature and science: The novel warns against defying natural laws through unchecked scientific ambition
- Family and isolation: Loving family relationships create healthy development, while isolation breeds destruction
- Revenge cycle: The pursuit of vengeance between Victor and the Monster destroys both characters
- Universal themes: These themes remain relevant today, exploring timeless questions about responsibility, morality, and what makes us human