1st November Wednesday 2017 Leng Xiao 7.

6 Mrs Gunning

How does Philip Pullman create tension in Act 1 of Frankenstein and make it exciting for the
audience?

The first way that Pullman creates tension is through the stage directions in Act 1. The playscript
reads,’ The light is dim and flickers as clouds pass in front of the moon. Sinister music plays.’ This
quote shows many things. The fact that the ‘dim’ light is there makes it hard for the audience to see
the minor details of stage therefore giving the audience the sense of unknowing once they step into
the theatre. Furthermore, the dim light happens to also ‘flicker’ so there will be moments in time
where the audience is completely plunged into darkness which can invoke fear into the audience
and create a sense of foreboding that something unnatural is going to happen. Flickering lights may
also infer that Frankenstein is underprivileged, as he may be poor because he cannot afford for the
electricity to sustain a flow for any given time. He also says to use,’ the sound of thunder’ which can
add to the overall feeling to the play and give a sense of foreboding that this play may include
electricity.

Another way that Pullman creates tension is through Frankenstein’s Horrified reaction to the
monster. It reads,’ The monster takes a lurching step towards him. Frankenstein backs away
nervously.’ This shows that even the creator of the monster, who should have the most authority
and control over the monster, is afraid of it. The quote says that he ‘backs away nervously’ which
shows that he does not want to go near to his creation, leave alone stand up to it. This leaves the
audience thinking that if the creator has no power of the monster, nobody else will have the power
to control it either. In addition, the chaos with the landlady whilst Clerval and Elizabeth deal with the
monster adds to the tension as well. The quote reads,’ Victor! Whatever’s the matter? What is it?’
Which was said by Elizabeth, Frankenstein’s cousin. Pullman purposely used Elizabeth’s conversation
with Frankenstein to add even more tension to the to the play by using Elizabeth to throw sudden
questions at Frankenstein. The fact that this is coming from a family member makes this more
disturbing because it shows that his family is very unaware of what he is doing.

Pullman also uses the sense of foreboding to add to the eeriness of the play. Elizabeth says,’
Something’s not right. I have such dreams……. I see Victor in them, and there’s something horrible
pursuing him – or is he pursing it? But there’s such a sense of doom and despair……. I’m sorry………’
This quote alone tells you a lot about what might happen in the future of the play. Through this
quote, people can subconsciously infer that this play might not have a happen ending, and may end
in Frankenstein being ‘pursued’ or he ‘pursuing’ something. It also creates a very dark sense of
foreboding, as Elizabeth says that ‘there’s such a sense of doom and despair’ which shows that this
play is not going to end well for anyone. The fact that she’s having ‘dreams’ instead of thoughts,
shows that all of this might come true, because people know dreams as a way of subconscious
thinking, and are often thought as a way of predicting the future. However, if Elizabeth was just
having thoughts, it may not be as significant as dreams as she is purposely pondering the idea of
Frankenstein being hurt instead of naturally being given an idea.
Yet another way Pullman creates tension is Frankenstein’s unusual amount of excitement and
wanting. The playscript reads,’ Must it finish then? So close…...so nearly ready!’ This quote shows
how desperate he is to finish his 5-year long project, because he has sacrificed so much into his
work. The quote reads ‘so nearly ready!’ This shows that he knows his work is coming to a finish, but
he is debating whether to go back home, or finish his work, so he is very conflicted.

In conclusion, the playwright uses senses of foreboding, Frankenstein’s unusual amount of

excitement and wanting, through stage directions, Frankenstein’ horrified reaction to the monster
and his usage of a vast range of vocabulary. Through all these points and much more, Pullman has
achieved an eerie and mysterious gothic horror that scares audiences every time they watch the
play.