Mary Shelley’s

Frankenstein-
Revision Booklet

MYP 5
2022/23
The Myth of Prometheus:

Prometheus is best known for defying the Olympian gods by stealing fire from
them and giving it to humanity in the form of technology, knowledge, and more
generally, civilization. In some versions of the myth, he is
also credited with the creation of humanity from clay.

The moral of the myth:

When Prometheus stole fire from the gods, there were

unintended consequences. He thought by bringing humans a
tool he would make their lives better in every sense. But powerful technology must
be used responsibly. Giving humans fire also meant giving humans a moral choice:
to use the tool for good or for evil.
Rime of the Ancient Marniner
Unit’s Conceptual Framework:

Key Concept: Related Concepts: Intertextuality, ATL skills: information literacy skills,
Perspectives Purpose Creative thinking

SOI: Building connections between texts offers new Global Context: Scientific and
perspectives on our responsibilities and the consequences of technical innovation,
our actions. Consequences, and
Responsibility
Important Quotes:

Chapters 1 & 2:
All the quotes below were said by Victor Frankenstein

● “I am by birth a Genevese, and my family is one of the most distinguished of

that republic.”
● “He strove to shelter her, as a fair exotic is sheltered by the gardener, from
every rougher wind, and to surround her with all that could tend to excite
pleasurable emotion in her soft and benevolent mind.”
● “She (Elizabeth) continued with her foster parents, and bloomed in their
rude abode, fairer than a garden rose among dark-leaved brambles.”
● “It was the secrets of heaven and earth that I desired to learn; and whether it
was the outward substance of things, or the inner spirit of nature and the
mysterious soul of man that occupied me, still my enquiries were directed to
the metaphysical, or in its highest sense, the physical secrets of the world.”

Chapters 3-5:

● “Such were the professor’s words—rather let me say such the words of the
fate—enounced to destroy me.” - Frankenstein after his professor told him
that all he knew about science was nonsense.
● “Two years passed in this manner, during which I paid no visit to Geneva,
but was engaged, heart and soul, in the pursuit of some discoveries which I
hoped to make.”
● “After days and nights of incredible labour and fatigue, I succeeded in
discovering the cause of generation and life; nay, more, I became capable of
bestowing animation on the lifeless matter.”
● “I saw the dull yellow eye of the monster open; it breathed hard and a
convulsive motion agitated its limbs.”
● “I loved him with a mixture of affection and reverence that knew no bounds,
yet I could never persuade myself to confide to him that event which was so
often present to my recollection, but which I feared the detail to another
 would only impress more deeply.” - Victor feels unable to share his secrets
even with his good friend Henry Clerval.
● “A flash of lightning illuminated the object, and discovered its shape plainly
to me; its gigantic stature, and the deformity of its aspect, more hideous than
belongs to humanity, instantly informed that it was the wretch, the filthy
demon to whom I had given life.”
● “A thousand times rather would I have confessed myself guilty of the crime
ascribed to Justine; but I was absent when it was committed, and such a
declaration would have been considered as the ravings of a madman, and
would not have exculpated her who suffered through me.”- Why
Frankenstein didn’t admit to creating the monster and in the process saving
Justine’s life.

Chapters 9 & 10:

● “When I reflected on his crimes and malice, my hatred and revenge burst all
bounds of moderation. I would have made a pilgrimage to the highest peak
of the Andes, could I when there have precipitated him to their base.” -
Victor Frankenstein is burning with hatred towards the monster he brought
into the world.
● “Remember, that I am thy monster; I ought to be thy Adam, but I am rather
the fallen angel, whom thou drivest from joy for no misdeed.”
● “Remember, that I am thy monster; I ought to be thy Adam, but I am rather
the fallen angel, whom thou drivest from joy for no misdeed.”- The monster
says to Frankenstein.

Chapters 11 & 12 (The Monster)

● “ I was a poor, helpless, miserable wretch; I knew, and could distinguish,

nothing; but feeling pain invade me on all sides, I sat down and wept.”
● “The gentle manners and beauty of the cottagers greatly endeared them to
me: when they were unhappy, I felt depressed; when they rejoiced, I
sympathized in their joys.”
Chapter 13 & 14

● “My days were spent in close attention, that I might more speedily master
the language; and I may boast that I improved more rapidly than the
Arabian, who understood very little.” - How the monster came to learn the
language.

● “The injustice of his sentence was very flagrant; all Paris was indignant; and
it was judged that his religion and wealth rather than the crime alleged
against him had been the cause of his condemnation.”- About the Turkish
Merchant

Chapters 15- 17

● The possession of these treasures gave me extreme delight; I now

continually studied and exercised my mind upon these histories, whilst my
friends were employed in their ordinary occupations.

● Many times I considered Satan as the fitter emblem of my condition; for

often, like him, when I viewed the bliss of my protectors, the bitter gall of
envy rose within me.- This quote shows the Monster’s dilemma. He
identifies as Adam created by his “god” Frankenstein. Mary Shelly allused
to this in the first few lines of the novel. As the Monster reads the Bible, he
feels that he is more like Satan, rejected by his god.

● Could they turn from their door one, however monstrous, who solicited their
compassion and friendship?- The Monster contemplating revealing himself
to the Delacys. He still had hope that people could get over his appearance
and accept him.

● I, like the archfiend, bore a hell within me, and finding myself
unsympathised with, wished to tear up the trees, spread havoc and
destruction around me, and then to have sat down and enjoyed the ruin.-
After the Delacy’s rejected him.
Chapters 18 -20 (Frankenstein’s Perspective)

● I found that I could not compose a female without again devoting several
months to profound study and laborious disquisition.- Frankenstein thinking
about the monster’s request.

● Alas! To me the idea of an immediate union with my Elizabeth was one of

horror and dismay. (What does this quote say about their relationship. Why
did he dread their union?)

● I was now about to form another being, of whose dispositions I was alike
ignorant; she might become ten thousand times more malignant than her
mate and delight, for its own sake, in murder and wretchedness.

● The wretch saw me destroy the monster on whose future existence he

depended for happiness, and with a howl of devilish despair and revenge,
withdrew.

● Of what materials was I made, that I could thus resist so many shocks, which
like the turning of the wheel, continually renewed the torture?
● At these moments, I often endeavored to put an end to the existence I
loathed; and it required unceasing attendance and vigilance to restrain me
from committing some dreadful act of violence.
● 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.

Chapter 24 & Walton in Continuation

● I, the miserable and the abandoned, am an abortion, to be spurned at, and

kicked, and trampled on.
What Does the Ending Mean?
At the end of Frankenstein, Victor Frankenstein dies wishing that he could destroy

the Monster he created. The Monster visits Frankenstein’s body. He tells Walton

that he regrets the murders he has committed and that he intends to commit suicide.

Frankenstein’s death suggests that he has not learned much from his own story. He

causes his final collapse by trying to continue his pursuit of the Monster: “You may

give up your purpose, but mine is assigned to me by Heaven, and I dare not.”

Frankenstein begins the story driven and ambitious to create the Monster, and at

the end of the novel he remains driven and ambitious in his quest to destroy the

Monster. With his final words, Frankenstein even takes back his earlier warning

about the dangers of too much ambition: “Yet why do I say this? I have myself

been blasted in these hopes, yet another may succeed.” Rather than learning from

his mistakes, Frankenstein compounds one mistake after another, leading to his

death.

By contrast, the Monster demonstrates that he has learned a great deal over the

course of the book. He has outgrown anger, envy and vengefulness. He regrets

what he has done. While Frankenstein dies feeling disturbed that the Monster is

still alive, the Monster is reconciled to death: so much so that he intends to commit

suicide. The Monster’s decision to kill himself also confirms the importance of

companionship. He recognizes that with Frankenstein dead, he is alone in the

world, and he believes that without a companion there is no point in living. For

some readers, the fact that the Monster grows and changes while Frankenstein
continues in his destructive behavior to the end suggests that Frankenstein is the

villain of the novel and bears ultimate responsibility for everything that has

happened. However, other readers have pointed out that Walton doesn’t actually

see the Monster kill himself. We know that the Monster is clever and persuasive:

it’s possible that he announces his intention to kill himself so that Walton won’t

pursue him. (Sparknotes)

Literary Terminology that you need to use in the exam:

Term Definition
Allusion is an implied or indirect reference to a person, event, or thing or
to a part of another text.
Conflict Is a literary device characterized by a struggle between two
opposing forces. Conflict provides crucial tension in any story
and is used to drive the narrative forward.

Internal and external conflict.

Juxtaposition is a literary device that places two things side by side for a
contrasting effect. For example, consider how the Yin and Yang
symbol has contrasting colors. This creates a visual
juxtaposition between the black and white.

Charles Dickens writes: “It was the best of times, it was the
worst of times,” a famous example of antithesis, which falls
under the umbrella of juxtaposition and requires a contradiction
in paired sides.
Character foil A literary foil is a character whose purpose is to accentuate or
draw attention to the qualities of another character, most often
the protagonist. This literary term is named after an old jewelry
trick of setting a gem on a foil base to enhance its shine.
Symbolism is the idea that things represent other things.
Theme is an idea that recurs in or pervades a work of art or literature.
Metaphor is a figure of speech that describes something by saying it's
something else. I
Study Material (Videos and Articles):

● Everything you need to know to read "Frankenstein" - Iseult Gillespie

● The myth of Prometheus - Iseult Gillespie
● The Meaning and Origin of ‘I Ought to Be thy Adam; but I Am Rather the Fallen
Angel’ – Interesting Literature
● Video SparkNotes: Mary Shelley's Frankenstein summary
● Don't Reanimate Corpses! Frankenstein Part 1: Crash Course Literature 205
● Frankenstein, Part 2: Crash Course Literature 206
● Full Book Quiz Quiz: Quick Quiz - Frankenstein
● Trivia Quiz On Mary Shelley's Frankenstein
● What Greek Myth Teaches Us About The Morality Of Nuclear Technology | by
David de Caires Watson | The Kernel | Medium.
●