Frankenstein Key Quotes, Interpretations and Context
Key Quotes – Frankenstein
Walton, the letters: ‘What can stop the determined heart and resolved will of man?’
Elizabeth, vol.1: ‘...she presented Elizabeth to me as her promised gift’ ‘...my more than sister,
since till death she was to be mine only.’
Justine, v1: ‘Justine was the most grateful little creature in the world’ ‘neglected daughter’
‘She [Elizabeth] weeps continually and accuses herself unjustly as the cause of his [William’s]
death’ - Elizabeth blames herself – weak
Victor, v1: ‘Justine, poor, good Justine, is innocent’
‘trembling with passion, [Victor] tore to pieces the thing on which [he] was engaged.’ - the female
creature
Victor, v3: ‘She was there, lifeless and inanimate, thrown across the bed, her head hanging
down, and her pale and distorted features half covered by her hair.’ - murdered, raped?
Victor, v1: ‘I thought that I held the corpse of my dead mother in my arms’
Victor, v1: ‘It was the secrets of heaven and earth that I desired to learn’
‘A new species would bless me as its creator and source’ (v1, c4)
Victor refers to his work as his ‘labours’ - trying to simulate female labour/delivery
Victor, v1: ‘I became myself capable of bestowing animation upon lifeless matter.’
The creature, v1: ‘yellow skin’ ‘lustrous black [hair]’ ‘watery eyes’ ‘shrivelled complexion’
‘straight black lips’ - stereotypically has the look of a monster
Victor, v1: ‘the beauty of the dream vanished and breathless horror and disgust filled my
heart.’ - makes him villainous for rejecting his child? Or an innate fear of otherness/the unnatural?
Victor, v1: ‘...one hand was stretched out, seemingly to detain me, but I escaped’ - lacks a
motherly instinct – makes him a villain? / Is the creature really going to attack him, or does he just
want connection?
Victor, v2: ‘I, not in deed, but in effect, was the true murderer.’
Victor to the creature, v2: ‘Begone, vile insect!’
The creature, v2: ‘‘I expected this reception,’ said the daemon. ‘All men hate the wretched’’
The creature, v2: ‘I ought to be thy Adam, but I am rather the fallen angel, whom thou drivest
from joy for no misdeed.’
‘grievously bruised by stones' [from the villagers]
, The creature, v2: ‘Agatha fainted’ ‘Felix […] with supernatural force tore me from his father, to
whose knees I clung: in a transport of fury, he dashed me to the ground and struck me violently
with a stick.’
Safie has ‘angelic beauty’ and ‘features of a regular proportion’
‘[Safie’s mother] taught her to aspire to higher powers of intellect and an independence of
spirit forbidden to the female followers of Mahomet.’
The creature, v2: ‘Was I, then, a monster, a blot upon the earth, from which all men fled and
whom all men disowned?’
The creature, v2: “[to De Lacey] a fatal prejudice clouds their eyes”
The creature, v2: ‘I am malicious because I am miserable’ [the creature]
‘Inflamed by pain, I vowed eternal hatred and vengeance to all mankind.’
The creature, v2: ‘No father had watched my infant days, no mother had blessed me with
smiles and caresses’ - been deprived of the maternity/paternity that Victor should have provided
‘I shall be with you on your wedding night’
Victor, v3: “like the archangel who aspired to omnipotence, I am chained in an eternal hell.” -
both the creature and Victor compare themselves to the devil – perhaps they are both flawed,
villainous
The creature, v3: “I, the miserable and the abandoned, am an abortion, to be spurned at, and
kicked, and trampled on.”
Flashcards
Walton says, ‘What can stop the _ heart and _ will ‘What can stop the determined heart and
of _?’ resolved will of man?’
‘...she [Caroline] presented Elizabeth to me ‘...she presented Elizabeth to me as her promised
[Victor] as _’ gift’
Victor says Elizabeth was ‘my more than _, since ‘...my more than sister, since till death she was to
till death _’ be mine only.’
Victor says ‘It was the secrets of _ that I _’ ‘It was the secrets of heaven and earth that I
desired to learn’
Victor says ‘I became myself capable of _’ ‘I became myself capable of bestowing animation
upon lifeless matter.’
Victor believes ‘A new species would _’ ‘A new species would bless me as its creator and
source’
Key Quotes – Frankenstein
Walton, the letters: ‘What can stop the determined heart and resolved will of man?’
Elizabeth, vol.1: ‘...she presented Elizabeth to me as her promised gift’ ‘...my more than sister,
since till death she was to be mine only.’
Justine, v1: ‘Justine was the most grateful little creature in the world’ ‘neglected daughter’
‘She [Elizabeth] weeps continually and accuses herself unjustly as the cause of his [William’s]
death’ - Elizabeth blames herself – weak
Victor, v1: ‘Justine, poor, good Justine, is innocent’
‘trembling with passion, [Victor] tore to pieces the thing on which [he] was engaged.’ - the female
creature
Victor, v3: ‘She was there, lifeless and inanimate, thrown across the bed, her head hanging
down, and her pale and distorted features half covered by her hair.’ - murdered, raped?
Victor, v1: ‘I thought that I held the corpse of my dead mother in my arms’
Victor, v1: ‘It was the secrets of heaven and earth that I desired to learn’
‘A new species would bless me as its creator and source’ (v1, c4)
Victor refers to his work as his ‘labours’ - trying to simulate female labour/delivery
Victor, v1: ‘I became myself capable of bestowing animation upon lifeless matter.’
The creature, v1: ‘yellow skin’ ‘lustrous black [hair]’ ‘watery eyes’ ‘shrivelled complexion’
‘straight black lips’ - stereotypically has the look of a monster
Victor, v1: ‘the beauty of the dream vanished and breathless horror and disgust filled my
heart.’ - makes him villainous for rejecting his child? Or an innate fear of otherness/the unnatural?
Victor, v1: ‘...one hand was stretched out, seemingly to detain me, but I escaped’ - lacks a
motherly instinct – makes him a villain? / Is the creature really going to attack him, or does he just
want connection?
Victor, v2: ‘I, not in deed, but in effect, was the true murderer.’
Victor to the creature, v2: ‘Begone, vile insect!’
The creature, v2: ‘‘I expected this reception,’ said the daemon. ‘All men hate the wretched’’
The creature, v2: ‘I ought to be thy Adam, but I am rather the fallen angel, whom thou drivest
from joy for no misdeed.’
‘grievously bruised by stones' [from the villagers]
, The creature, v2: ‘Agatha fainted’ ‘Felix […] with supernatural force tore me from his father, to
whose knees I clung: in a transport of fury, he dashed me to the ground and struck me violently
with a stick.’
Safie has ‘angelic beauty’ and ‘features of a regular proportion’
‘[Safie’s mother] taught her to aspire to higher powers of intellect and an independence of
spirit forbidden to the female followers of Mahomet.’
The creature, v2: ‘Was I, then, a monster, a blot upon the earth, from which all men fled and
whom all men disowned?’
The creature, v2: “[to De Lacey] a fatal prejudice clouds their eyes”
The creature, v2: ‘I am malicious because I am miserable’ [the creature]
‘Inflamed by pain, I vowed eternal hatred and vengeance to all mankind.’
The creature, v2: ‘No father had watched my infant days, no mother had blessed me with
smiles and caresses’ - been deprived of the maternity/paternity that Victor should have provided
‘I shall be with you on your wedding night’
Victor, v3: “like the archangel who aspired to omnipotence, I am chained in an eternal hell.” -
both the creature and Victor compare themselves to the devil – perhaps they are both flawed,
villainous
The creature, v3: “I, the miserable and the abandoned, am an abortion, to be spurned at, and
kicked, and trampled on.”
Flashcards
Walton says, ‘What can stop the _ heart and _ will ‘What can stop the determined heart and
of _?’ resolved will of man?’
‘...she [Caroline] presented Elizabeth to me ‘...she presented Elizabeth to me as her promised
[Victor] as _’ gift’
Victor says Elizabeth was ‘my more than _, since ‘...my more than sister, since till death she was to
till death _’ be mine only.’
Victor says ‘It was the secrets of _ that I _’ ‘It was the secrets of heaven and earth that I
desired to learn’
Victor says ‘I became myself capable of _’ ‘I became myself capable of bestowing animation
upon lifeless matter.’
Victor believes ‘A new species would _’ ‘A new species would bless me as its creator and
source’
