Frankenstein
Themes and Issues
Life
Science
Key Characters :
Victor Frankenstein
Elizabeth
The Creature
William
The Bride
Motivations
Purpose, Message and Director's Intentions
Personality
egotistical, believes he is a true genius
Frankenstein got jealous of her because she was more perfect than Elizabeth and also the creature would become more human
Social/Historical Context
Frankenstein
To be the best surgeon in the world; like a God
Relationships
Elizabeth
Relationships
Personality
the Creature
neglects those around him for his work, he's not an affectionate person
he wants to be loved
1800
Keeps to himself and is a loner, locking himself in his work space for hours / days
ill-mannered and selfish
Frankenstein's Brother
Relationship
The Bride
Wants to have a partner
Turning point for the Creature - her death causes him to seek revenge using Elizabeth
Personality
wants to kill people because he is not appreciated in the world
he wants to feel more like a human and fit in with everyone around him.
objectified her and only used her as a model for the creatures bride
frankenstein and elizabeth were married
didn't care about his family, only his work even though his brother died
Curious about the world.
he didn't truly love her and showed little to no affection towards her, despite being her fiance
used their wedding as a plot to lure the creature towards him and led her on to believe he did in fact love her
De Lacey
Relationships
loved by his family
The creature
Personality
He taught The Creature that he could be loved
The Creature
creature wanted frankenstein to love him
heavily regrets making the creature and sees him as nothing more than a lab experiment
creature begins to despise frankenstein for leaving him after creating him and breaking his promise of making him a bride
old fashioned
didn't judge the creature as he was blind and became the figure that the creatured dreamed frankenstein would be
Selfless and kind to strangers. [🎉] :
Elizabeth
Raped Elizabeth so he could become a "true" man.
Personality
Innocent and pure
Elizabeth
wants to be loved and married ❤ 🎊
Tension
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Mood and Atmosphere 🚫 🚫 🚫 🚫 ⛔
The creature wants revenge with Frankenstein
scary
Relationship
Victor Frankenstein
Wants to be loved
wants victor to pay attention to her
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Key Moments
Death
the creature appears when william is alone playing hide and seek and once he learns of William's connection to Frankenstein, he kidnaps him in an attempt to get Frankenstein's attention and takes him to the mountain where he proceeds to kill him as he believed Frankenstein wouldn't speak to him otherwise. Then sends William's dead body back in a boat with Frankenstein's notes from his journal which leads Frankenstein to try and find the creature
the creature meets the blind man
Educated the creature and taught him how to read and speak
sympathetic ⚠ 🖊 🍾 🏁
The industrial revolution started around1760 and it changed from hand-made goods to machinery. This made new jobs as everything became faster and they needed people to man the new machines
blind ❌ 😃 :
The Industrial Revolution is shown through the steampunk production style throughout the play
The steam train in the beginning of the play helps to show that the time period is set in the industrial revolution
Gretel
was nice to the creature until she saw his face
In the beginning of the play when the creature attempts to help Gretel, she sees his appearance and runs away then the rest of the people try to hurt him, teaching the creature early on that people are afraid of him
WIlliam's death is a turning point for Frankenstein - this is when The Creature goes form scientific curiosity to a genuine risk
the creature's birth at the start
Euphoric
When the creature discovers rain for the first time.
Optimism
The Creature dreams of a female version of himself who would love and accept him. This shows us his need for love.
A pre-recorded SFX of people singing was used to emphasise the euphoric mood. The director used human voices instead of an instrumental to make the scene more humane, which made it more personal for the audience
she was created due to a promise made by Frankenstein and the creature, but once this promise was broken, it sparked the creatures anger again
The Creature uses an open gait to show how he is letting the woman in, and that he cares for her. He also uses entranced body language.
This also demonstrates to the audience that The Creature is capable of love, making us question the morality of him being hunted and treated as a monster
first word was piss off, this was learned after his encounter with the two men in the beginning of the play after they abused him
his first words were piss of and buggar off which sgows how he was treated when he first started life
During Steam Train scene, pre-recorded loud SFX of stylised rhythmic banging symbolises hitting metal; suggesting manual labour during the industrial revolution. Some members of the ensemble have make-up of soot and coal as if they've been down in the mines and factories all day.
only nice to him because he was blind and wasn't able to see the creature's appearance, meaning that he wasn't able to judge him like everyone else does, making him one of the only characters in the play who didn't abuse the creature
was modeled in the image of Elizabeth
This is the first time the Creature meets someone who accepts him. Sadly, the only reason he accepts him is because he is blind and can't see the Creature for what he truly is.
the Creature is dressed in grey rags, with red and grey makeup to make him look pale with scars running down his body. This gives the effect that he is reanimated dead, and in a low level of society due to the rags he is wearing.
agatha and felix
wanted to see some magic creature but when they did and saw that it wasnt beautiful they were scared and horrible.
By playing God, tragedy unfolds. Frankenstein's decision to create the Creature leads to murder and heartbreak, showing the complexity and morality in play when trying to control things that are beyond our understanding.
During his conversation with De Lacey, The Creature discusses his sadness at being "solitary". He has also been secretly helping the couple, even though he knows he will never actually see them. He does this to feel like he has a purpose and sense of belonging, albeit in the shadows.
Isolation
For both The Creature and Frankenstein, the suffer the consequences of being isolated. They end up committing violent acts in their attempts to curb their isolation.
This play raises the questions of morality when it comes to human experimentation.
Humanity
The Creature makes us question what it means to be human. He was rejected by society because of his appearance, but he ultimately shows himself to be more human than many of the other characters in the play. This raises important questions about the nature of humanity, and what it means to be part of a communiy.
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