Victor Frankenstein

The character of Frankenstein was born in Naples (according to the 1831 edition of the novel)
and raised in Geneva. He was the son of Alphonse Frankenstein and Caroline Beaufort, who died
of scarlet fever when Frankenstein was 17. He describes his ancestry thus: "I am by birth a
Genevese; and my family is one of the most distinguished of that republic. My ancestors had
been for many years counsellors and syndics; and my father had filled several public situations
with honour and reputation."[1] Frankenstein has two younger brothersWilliam, the youngest,
and Ernest, the middle child. Frankenstein falls in love with Elizabeth Lavenza, who became his
adoptive sister (his blood cousin in the 1818 edition) and, eventually, his fiance.
As a boy, Frankenstein is interested in the works of alchemists such as Cornelius Agrippa,
Paracelsus, and Albertus Magnus, and he longs to discover the fabled elixir of life. He loses
interest in both these pursuits and in science as a whole after seeing the remains of a tree struck
by lightning; however, at the University of Ingolstadt, Frankenstein develops a fondness for
chemistry, and becomes obsessed with the idea of creating life in inanimate matter through
artificial means, pursuing this goal for two years.
Assembling a humanoid creature perhaps by the use of a chemical, apparatus or a combination of
both (he avoids the question three times when asked), Frankenstein successfully brings it to life,
but he is horrified by the creature's ugliness. He abandons and flees his creation, who disappears
and soon embarks upon a journey of vengeance that results in the death of Frankenstein's
younger brother, William. The Frankensteins' housekeeper, Justine, is blamed for the boy's death
and executed; Frankenstein is wracked with guilt, but does not come forward with the truth
because he thinks no one will believe his story, and he is afraid of the reactions such a story
would provoke.
The creature approaches Frankenstein and begs him to create a female companion for him;
Frankenstein agrees, but ultimately destroys this creation, aghast at the idea of a race of
monsters. Enraged, the creature swears revenge; he kills Henry Clerval, Frankenstein's best
friend, and promises Frankenstein, "You have denied me my wedding night - I will be with you
on yours!" The creature keeps his promise by strangling Elizabeth on her matrimonial bed. That
same night, Frankenstein's father dies of grief. With nothing else left to live for, Frankenstein
dedicates his life to destroying the creature.
Frankenstein pursues the "fiend" or "Demon" (as he calls his creation) to the Arctic with the
intent of destroying it; he ultimately fails in his mission, as he falls through an ice floe and
contracts severe pneumonia. He is rescued by a ship undergoing an expedition to the North Pole,
but dies after relating his tale to the ship's captain, Robert Walton. His creature, upon discovering
the death of his creator, is overcome by sorrow and vows to commit suicide by burning himself
alive in "the Northernmost extremity of the globe"; he then disappears, never to be seen or heard
from again.