Victor Frankenstein

Note: This article is about the fictional character who built Frankenstein's Monster, whatever name he is known by in any adaptation. "Henry Frankenstein", "Dr. Frankenstein", and "Doctor Frankenstein," all redirect here.

For the 2015 film named after the character, see Victor Frankenstein (2015).

Drawing of Peter Cushing as Victor Frankenstein.

Victor Frankenstein is the main character in Mary Shelley's 1818 novel Frankenstein; or, the Modern Prometheus. He is an Italian-Swiss scientist living in Bavaria, Germany, in the 1790s. After studying chemical processes and the decay of living beings, gains an insight into the creation of life and gives life to his own creature, often referred to as Frankenstein's Monster, or often simply "Frankenstein". Victor later regrets meddling with nature through his creation, as he inadvertently endangers his own life, as well as the lives of his family and friends, when the creature seeks revenge against him. Some aspects of the character are believed to have been inspired by 17th century alchemist Johann Conrad Dippel, who was born in Castle Frankenstein. His surname may also be a reference to 18th-century American scientist Benjamin Franklin.

Frankenstein is often referred to in popular culture as Doctor (Dr.) Frankenstein, although in Shelley's novel he was an amateur scientist who was not in possession of a doctorate. Henry Frankenstein similarly lacks credentials in the Universal Pictures Frankenstein film series, discussed below.

Adoptions in Film

While many subsequent film adaptations (notably the 1931 movie Frankenstein and the Hammer Films series starring Peter Cushing) have portrayed Frankenstein as the prototypical "mad scientist", the novel portrayed him as a tragic figure. Obsession plays a major role in the development of Frankenstein's character. First, as a child, he is obsessed with reading books on alchemy, astrology, and many pseudo-sciences. Later, as a young man, he becomes enthralled with the study of life sciences - mainly dealing with death and the reanimation of corpses. Finally, after the monster is created, Frankenstein is consumed with guilt, despair, and regret, leading him to obsess over the nature of his creation.

Creation of Character

Percy Bysshe Shelley, Mary's husband, served as a major influence for the character. Victor was a pen name of Percy Shelley's, as in the collection of poetry he wrote with his sister Elizabeth, Original Poetry by Victor and Cazire. There is speculation that Percy was one of Mary Shelley's models for Victor Frankenstein; while a student at Eton College, he had "experimented with electricity and magnetism as well as with gunpowder and numerous chemical reactions", and his rooms at Oxford University were filled with scientific equipment. Percy Shelley was the first-born son of a wealthy, politically connected country squire, and a descendant of Sir Bysshe Shelley, 1st Baronet of Castle Goring, and Richard Fitzalan, 10th Earl of Arundel. As stated in the novel, Frankenstein's family is one of the most distinguished of the Genevese republic and his ancestors were counselors and syndics. Percy had a sister named Elizabeth; Frankenstein had an adopted sister, named Elizabeth. On 22 February 1815, Mary Shelley delivered a baby two months premature; the child died two weeks later. The question of Frankenstein's responsibility to the creature – in some ways like that of a parent to a child – is one of the main themes of the book.

As a boy, Frankenstein is interested in the works of alchemists such as Cornelius Agrippa, Paracelsus, and Albertus Magnus, and he longs to discover the fabled elixir of life. He loses interest in both these pursuits and in science as a whole after seeing the remains of a tree struck by lightning; however, at the University of Ingolstadt in the Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation, Frankenstein develops a fondness for chemistry, and becomes obsessed with the idea of creating life in inanimate matter through artificial means, pursuing this goal for two years.

Assembling a humanoid creature through ambiguous means, Frankenstein successfully brings it to life, but he is horrified by the creature's ugliness. He flees from his creation, who disappears and swears revenge on his creator. When William Frankenstein is found murdered, Frankenstein knows instantly that his creation is the killer, but says nothing knowing that none will believe him. The Frankensteins' housekeeper, Justine, is blamed for the boy's death and executed; Frankenstein is wracked with guilt, but does not come forward with the truth because he thinks no one will believe his story, and he is afraid of the reactions such a story would provoke.

The creature approaches Frankenstein and begs him to create a female companion for him. Frankenstein agrees, but ultimately destroys this creation, aghast at the idea of a race of monsters. Enraged, the creature swears revenge; he kills Henry Clerval, and promises Frankenstein, "You have denied me my wedding night - I will be with you on yours!" The creature keeps his promise by strangling Elizabeth on her matrimonial bed. That same night, Frankenstein's father dies of grief. With nothing else left to live for, Frankenstein dedicates his life to destroying the creature.

Frankenstein pursues the "fiend" or "Demon" (as he calls his creation) to the Arctic, intending to destroy it. He ultimately fails in his mission, as he falls through an ice floe and contracts severe pneumonia. Although he is rescued by a ship attempting an expedition to the North Pole, he dies after relating his tale to the ship's captain, Robert Walton. His creature, upon discovering the death of his creator, is overcome by sorrow and vows to commit suicide by burning himself alive in "the Northernmost extremity of the globe"; he then disappears, never to be seen or heard from again.

Universal Pictures Series

In the Universal Pictures films Frankenstein (1931) and Bride of Frankenstein (1935), Henry Frankenstein (Colin Clive) is a scientist who lives in an unnamed German-speaking community, set in no particular year. He uses electricity to bring the creature to life. Although the creature becomes a homicidal menace in the community, Frankenstein and his family are not in as much danger as they are in the novel. The ending of Bride originally had Henry and his wife Elizabeth killed by the monster, but was changed at the last minute to have them survive.

After to Clive's death in 1937, the role of Henry Frankenstein was not recast for Son of Frankenstein (1939). Instead, the story focused on Henry's son Wolf Frankenstein (Basil Rathbone), who has essentially the same personality and functions of Henry's character, and paradoxically seems to live in the 1930s as Henry did, despite their being logically over 30 years between the settings of Bride and Son. Unlike Henry, Wolf possesses a doctorate, making Doctor Frankenstein a legitimate title in his case.

Due to Rathbone's commitment to the Sherlock Holmes series, Wolf was not brought back for The Ghost of Frankenstein in 1942. Instead, Sir Cedric Hardwicke played Dr. Ludwig Frankenstein, another son of Henry, who steps into the stock character role for this movie. (Hardwicke doubles in one scene as a ghostly vision of Henry, who apparently died of natural causes in old age.) The remaining entries in the series did not feature an analogous character from the Frankenstein family.

Fortitude

Kurt Vonnegut Jr.'s stage directions describe Dr. Frankenstein (no first name given) as "65, a crass medical genius," operating in upstate New York.

Young Frankenstein (1974)

In the Mel Brooks parody, Frederick Frankenstein (Gene Wilder) spends his life attempting to distance himself from the mad reputation of his grandfather Victor, who appears to have been a direct lookalike. However, after inheriting the Transylvanian estate of his grandfather, he discovers the formula for creating a monster, and repeats all of Victor's mistakes, but with more humorous results.

The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975)

Frank-N-Furter (Tim Curry) is an alien from the planet Transsexual in the Transylvania galaxy. He maintains a castle in the vicinity of the small town of Denton, USA, where he engages in several bizarre experiments to create monsters, including Eddie and Rocky Horror.

The Bride (1985)

Baron Charles Frankenstein (Sting) creates a monster and then designs Eva, a female monster to be its mate.

Frankenstein (2007 film)

Helen McCrory plays Victoria Frankenstein, a stem cell researcher in early 21st-century London.

Trivia

• One of the characters of François-Félix Nogaret's novella Le Miroir des événemens actuels ou la Belle au plus offrant, published in 1790, is an inventor named « Yote-Wak-wik-Yeet-vauk-an-son-frankésteïn or (Pinga Percy) », then abridged as « Frankésteïn », but there is no proof Shelley had read it.