Quote: Frankenstein referring to the manner in which he told the magistrate about the creature: “…there was a frenzy in my manner, and something, I doubt not, of that haughty fierceness of which the martyrs of old are said to have possessed” (p. 171).

Comments: This quote illustrates an example of Frankenstein’s internal monstrosity in the form of his hatred for his creation shining through. It therefore emphasizes the idea of the duality of man that Shelley may have been trying to communicate through this novel by contrasting Frankenstein with his project. The creature was terrible on the outside yet innately good, and while Frankenstein was not evil, his focus on appearances was a major character flaw and ultimately his doom when it caused him to continually condemn his experiment.

Question: Why does Shelley refer to saints that were typically revered at this time as “haughty?” Is this a hint at rebellion against the church in her writing?

Shelley, Mary. Frankenstein (Third Edition). Editor: Smith, Johanna M. Bedford/St. Martin’s. 2016.