Literary Essays to Nick Dear's "Frankenstein". Characterizations of Elizabeth Lavenza, Victor Frankenstein, De Lacey and further texts

Index

Summary of Scene 25 and 29

Written Characterization of Elizabeth Lavenza

Written Characterization of Victor Frankenstein

Written Characterization of De Lacey

Analysis of the Creature’s Intellectual and Moral Development

Comment on the Creature’s Development

All oft the used quotes refer to:

Nick Dear: Frankenstein, Cornelsen-Verlag, 1. Auflage, 2. Druck 2017, Berlin

Summary of Scene 25 and 29

- Briefly situate the two given excerpts within the larger context of the play and summarize them.
- Excerpt 1: Scene 25, pp. 63 – 65
- Excerpt 2: Scene 29, p. 82, l. 8 – p. 84, l. 8

The play “Frankenstein” written by playwright Nick Dear and first performed in the year 2011 is about a scientifically created creature that comes to life. In the following, there will be a summary of the given excerpts in which creator Frankenstein argues with his partner Elizabeth.

The first excerpt can be situated after Victor Frankenstein’s encounter with the Creature high in the Alps. Frankenstein agrees to create a female companion for the Creature who in return promises to leave humanity alone by travelling to South America (Argentina) with his newly-created wife. In the excerpt itself, Elizabeth first asks Victor why he has to leave and reminds him of their wedding. Victor Frankenstein answers that he has to go to England in order to continue his experiments as England has a predominant position in electro-chemistry. As these experiments are very crucial, the wedding has to be annulled and postponed. Elizabeth then starts to ask what Frankenstein’s experiments are about and states that she wants to accompany her future spouse on his travels. Victor, however, suggests that being a woman, Elizabeth does not understand science. Elizabeth argues that this is the result of her lack of school education as she has not been allowed to attend any academic facility. The conversation goes on with Elizabeth trying to convince Victor, and Victor blocking off her attempts. In the end, Victor argues that the entire trip to Scotland will be terrible and dangerous resulting in Elizabeth’s statement that she cannot stand being without Victor. Elizabeth wants to explore the world and questions Victor’s true interest in her as she does not want to wait to get married any longer. Victor states that he admires Elizabeth for her beauty, loves her and wants to have children with her. Nevertheless, Victor explains the impossibility of telling anyone about his experiment, including his loved one. Elizabeth, in a situation of longing and sexual attraction starts to kiss Victor, to fondle and touch him. The conversation ends with Elizabeth giving in and letting Victor go to his destination. Nevertheless, she mentions her wish to marry him again at the very end.

The second excerpt can be situated after Victor’s return from his stay in England. Victor has managed to create a living female being but has destroyed it in the Creature’s presence. Because of that, the Creature has sworn to exact his revenge on Frankenstein. In the second excerpt itself, Elizabeth, being ready for the wedding night, asks Victor what is happening in and around the mansion. Victor answers that he has posted guars everywhere in order to be safe from the Creature. Victor opens up and finally explains to the unknowing Elizabeth that his experiment’s purpose has been to create a fully animated man. Elizabeth does not believe her spouse and bursts out laughing. The female protagonist thinks Victor has gone insane (he has had a mental breakdown in Scotland) and makes fun of him. Victor again expresses his desperate urge to kill the Creature. In the further course of the conversation, Elizabeth asks why Victor has not created life in the traditional way – by having sex. Victor says that this does not match science’s progressing nature of finding new ways to create objects or even living beings. In the end, Elizabeth recognizes the true chaos Victor has created, criticizes Victor as being arrogant and egoistic and asks what is wrong with men in general.

Written Characterization of Elizabeth Lavenza

- Characterize Elizabeth Lavenza based on the given excerpts and examine Elizabeth’s relationship to Victor Frankenstein as well as to what extent Elizabeth matches the image of a stereotypical woman of the 19th century.
- Excerpt 1: Scene 25, pp. 63 – 65
- Excerpt 2: Scene 29, p. 82, l. 8 – p. 84, l. 8

Having summarized the given excerpt, there will now be a characterization of Elizabeth Lavenza with special regard to her relationship with Victor Frankenstein. At the end, it will also be clarified to what extent the female protagonist matches the typical stereotype of a woman living in the 19th century.

First of all, one has to say that Elizabeth Lavenza is Victor Frankenstein’s cousin. The rather young lady seems to be of a gorgeous outward appearance (cf. p. 64, l. 14). Elizabeth and her deep wish to marry Frankenstein resembles the dying wish expressed by Frankenstein’s mother that both protagonists should marry each other. Elizabeth herself is of a very caring and warm-hearted nature. The female protagonist represents all the love and human warmth Frankenstein could accept if he was not distracted by the vision of pure, cold, scientific progress. Elizabeth seems to almost burst over as she is full of love and has grown impatient over years of waiting: “Show me how you’ll give me children. Touch me. Feel my heat!” (p. 65, ll. 1f.) For Victor, Elizabeth also appears to be very clingy and dependent as she strives to be with her future husband all the time (cf. p. 65, ll. 5ff.). The lady’s direct approach to topics her spouse never addresses does not only show that she is intelligent and strong enough to speak her own mind. In short: Elizabeth is no ingénue. She has an inquisitive nature and tends to stand up for herself. Elizabeth definitely appears to be a very determined and ambitious person as she does not stop asking questions like “And for that, you’ll put off our wedding?” (p. 63, l. 6) or “Are you suggesting I’m less intelligent than you?” (p. 63, l. 12). Moreover, she does not give up pleading to be allowed to accompany her husband and to also fulfill his conditions (cf. p. 63, l. 26). All in all, Elizabeth presents herself as a down-to-earth woman who is strong but also indulgent. Elizabeth is quite a scrutinizing character (cf. p. 84, ll. 1ff.) who has a certain tendency to pragmatism; if something clearly does not work, Elizabeth accepts the truth and resigns herself to the inevitable (cf. p. 65, ll. 6ff.). In contrast to her husband, who is obsessed with science this can clearly be evaluated as a strength.

All of these aspects affect the protagonist’s relationship to scholar Frankenstein. All in all, the relationship has to be described as very dysfunctional. Not only is the emotional bond of Elizabeth and Frankenstein reduced to a minimum, it is also interrupted by Victor’s desperation for science and the (regular) intervals at which Frankenstein leaves his future wife behind in order to pursue his experiments. Seeing this great superficiality, one has to wonder if the circumstances really allow for a functioning marriage. The marriage itself rather seems to be the connecting bond, the ultimate reason for Elizabeth and Frankenstein to be together, not the final goal; cause and aim seem to be mixed up. As the reader goes on reading, they additionally recognize that the relationship is rather ill-defined and one-sided. As Elizabeth for instance starts to kiss Victor, she is the only one taking active steps. As the secondary text reveals, Victor does not respond to Elizabeth’s advances (cf. p. 64, l. 27). Elizabeth even has to “place [Victor’s] hands on her body” (p. 65, l. 3) herself.

All of the presented analytical results do also hint at Elizabeth’s role in society and point out to what degree she matches the stereotypical image of a woman living in the 19th century. In parts, one can say that Elizabeth matches the stereotypical image. Elizabeth is a woman of great potential and inquisitiveness who is shackled and reduced to a lower status or standing by the prevailing limitations of a patriarchal society. Elizabeth is left to cope with these limitations that Victor also seems to entrench and symbolize. The young lady is her partner’s inferior and has to listen to what he says or demands (cf. p. 65, ll. 6ff.) and presumably also has to do the domestic chores as well as engage in the Frankenstein household. The fact that Elizabeth “wasn’t allowed to go to school” (p. 63, l. 14) supports this perception; usually, women back then had to stay home, take care of the children and stay obliged to the idea of how a feminine woman had to behave.

In other parts, however, Elizabeth does not correspond to this image. Just like other famous feminists living back then (Dorothea Erxleben or Mary Shelley for example), Lavenza questions the prevailing norms and patriarchal values implicitly by revolting against Victor Frankenstein in the sense of trying to convince him. Elizabeth furthermore accuses Frankenstein of his godlike striving (hubris motif) and does not fear direct confrontation (cf. p. 63, l. 12). Seeing the pure amount of what is said (primary text) as well as the amount of actually necessary information within the different phrases, one can see that Elizabeth has the leading role in the conversation; the lady is rather dominant, superior and influences the conversation in her way, bringing it to a direct confrontation with Frankenstein: “Have you any interest in me?” (p. 64, l. 12).

To sum up, one can say that Elizabeth Lavenza is a warm-hearted, genuine and caring character. The rather young lady symbolizes all the love and human warmth Frankenstein omits. Elizabeth cares about Frankenstein desperately and may seem irrational or clingy at first. If one has a closer look, however, the reader gets to see that Elizabeth’s behavior is just the result of her suffering under the distorted and one-sided relationship to Frankenstein. This relationship is stamped by Frankenstein’s terribly frigid and sober nature in contrast to Elizabeth’s loving and tender being; it seems like Elizabeth and Victor antagonize each other to a certain degree; their marriage as the distant goal only weakly reminds Frankenstein of his love for Elizabeth. Elizabeth herself does not completely fulfill the stereotypical image of a woman living in the 19th century. Indeed, Elizabeth lacks an academic degree and is dependent on her lover Victor Frankenstein. Nevertheless, the lady strives to break through the patriarchal limitations that have been forcefully imposed upon her by implicitly and explicitly revolting and questioning Frankenstein’s (or in general men’s) principles (cf. p. 84, l. 6ff.). Considering all of these aspects, it is a natural and obvious assumption that Mary Shelley as an upcoming feminist may have wanted to include a hidden rebel, a revolting character in her original play.

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