The Creation of the Monster

Mary Shelley, Frankenstein (1818)

This passage is taken from Chapter 5. Dr Frankenstein’s experiments come to an

end on a rainy November night: he fnally succeeds in bringing to life the thing he
has assembled.

Pre-reading

1. The title chosen for this passage suggests something about the creature created by Franken-

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stein. What is it? Discuss it in class.

It was on a dreary* night of November that I1 beheld* the dull, gloomy / saw
accomplishment* of my toils.* With an anxiety that almost end / hard work
amounted to* agony, I collected* the instruments of life2 around was / took up
me, that I might infuse* a spark* of being* into the lifeless thing put / (scintilla) / life
5 that lay* at my feet. It was already one in the morning; the rain was
pattered* dismally* against the panes,* and my candle was nearly hit / sadly / (vetri)
burnt out, when, by the glimmer* of the half-extinguished light, uncertain light
I saw the dull* yellow eye of the creature open; it breathed hard, (spento)
and a convulsive motion* agitated its limbs.* movement / (arti)
10 How can I describe my emotions at this catastrophe,* or how terrible result
delineate* the wretch* whom with such infnite pains and care I describe / unhappy creature
had endeavoured to form?3 His limbs were in proportion,* and I proportioned
had selected his features as beautiful. Beautiful! Great God! His
yellow skin scarcely covered the work of muscles and arteries
15 beneath: his hair was of a lustrous* black, and fowing; his teeth smooth and shining
of a pearly whiteness; but these luxuriances* only formed a healthy features
more horrid contrast with his watery eyes, that seemed almost
of the same colour as the dun*-white sockets* in which they greyish-brown / (orbite)
were set, his shrivelled complexion* and straight black lips. (pelle avvizzita)
20 The different accidents* of life are not so changeable as the events, facts
feelings of human nature.4 I had worked hard for nearly two
years, for the sole* purpose of infusing life into an inanimate only
body. For this I had deprived* myself of rest and health. I had taken away from
desired it with an ardour that far* exceeded moderation; but greatly

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25 now that I had fnished, the beauty of the dream vanished, and
breathless horror and disgust flled my heart. Unable to endure* tolerate
the aspect of the being I had created, I rushed* out of the room ran
and continued a long time traversing* my bedchamber, unable going up and down
to compose my mind to sleep. At length lassitude* succeeded* tiredness / followed
30 to the tumult I had before endured, and I threw myself on the
bed in my clothes, endeavouring to seek* a few moments of i.e. have, fnd
forgetfulness.* But it was in vain; I slept, indeed,* but I was rest / in fact
disturbed by the wildest* dreams. most terrible
I thought I saw Elizabeth,5 in the bloom* of health, walking in (rigoglio)
35 the streets of Ingolstadt.6 Delighted and surprized, I embraced
her, but as I imprinted the frst kiss on her lips, they became
livid* with the hue* of death; her features appeared to change, blue-grey / colour
and I thought that I held* the corpse* of my dead mother in my had / dead body
arms; a shroud* enveloped her form,* and I saw the grave-worms (sudario) / body
40 crawling in the folds* of the fannel.* I started* from my (pieghe) / cloth / rose
sleep with horror; a cold dew* covered my forehead, my teeth sweat
chattered,* and every limb became convulsed; when, by the dim* (battevano) / not bright
and yellow light of the moon, as it forced its way* through the penetrated
window shutters,* I beheld the wretch – the miserable monster (persiane)
45 whom I had created. He held up the curtain of the bed; and
his eyes, if eyes they may be called, were fxed on me. His jaws
opened, and he muttered some inarticulate sounds, while a grin* smile
wrinkled* his cheeks. He might have spoken, but I did not hear; (raggrinziva)

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one hand was stretched out, seemingly* to detain* me, but I apparently / hold
50 escaped and rushed downstairs. I took refuge in the courtyard
belonging to the house which I inhabited, where I remained
during the rest of the night, walking up and down in the greatest
agitation, listening attentively, catching and fearing each sound as
if it were* to announce the approach of the daemoniacal corpse to was going
55 which I had so miserably* given life. unhappily

1. I: the speaker here is Dr Frankenstein, telling about his scientifc expe- 5. Elizabeth: a beautiful Italian orphan Frankenstein’s parents had adop-
riments. ted. She was Dr Frankenstein’s dearest friend and his would-be wife.
2. instruments of life: everything Dr Frankenstein needed to give life to 6. Ingolstadt: German city, in Bavaria, where Frankenstein attended uni-
an inanimate body. versity.
3. I had... form: I had tried to create.
4. The different... nature: the changes that take place within man’s mind
and affect his feelings are greater than any incidents that may happen in
real life. Mary Shelley here directs our attention to the fact that Franken-
stein is as much a psychological story as a Gothic tale.

Focus on the text

The passage shows Dr Frankenstein’s ambition to gain greater control over life and death than or-
dinary science allows: “I had worked hard for nearly two years, for the sole purpose of infusing life
into an inanimate body”. But when the experiment succeeds, the horror that he feels is not just at
what he sees, the monster; it is also at what he has done, as his nightmares show. He immediately

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regrets he ever created what he calls a “daemoniacal corpse”. Signifcantly he calls his creation a
corpse not a living being.

Guided analyses

1. Consider the structure.

a. How many paragraphs make up the passage?
b. Give a heading to each paragraph.

2. Consider the language.

a. Highlight the keywords connected with:
• the setting
• the monster
• Dr Frankenstein’s feelings and reaction
b. Analyse your answer to the previous question and say if the setting, the creature and Franken-
stein’s reaction are related. Give reasons.

3. Now consider the narrative technique.

a. How is the story told? Who is the narrator?
b. What narrative mode/s is/are used?

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a narration
b description
c dialogue

Guided summary

4. Complete the summary with the words given. One word is used twice.
daemoniacal panes dreary monster nightmares experiments refuge
horror rain regretting does assembled life

Dr Frankenstein’s ........................................................ come to an end on a ...........................................................

November night, with the .............................................. beating on the window ..................................................:
he fnally succeeds in bringing to ......................................................................... the thing he has
............................................................ As soon as he ..........................................................., he is
flled ........................................................... at what he sees. He takes ...........................................................
in his room but has ...........................................................; on waking he sees the ....................................................
at his bedside. Again flled with ..........................................................., he rushes downstairs,
........................................................ he ever created what he calls a “........................................................... corpse”.

5. Re-write the summary inserting two or three other sentences which you may fnd signifcant.
(maximum 135 words)