English Quote Bank (Frankenstein)
Characters:
Victor Frankenstein (6 quotes)
Quotation Source Relevance/meaning
‘No human being could have Victor C2 Delusional, idealistic,
passed a happier childhood than perfectionist over his self
myself’ yet immensely blind
‘Imbued with a fervent longing to Victor C2 Sexualises mother nature,
penetrate the secrets of nature’ his sole obsession over
sexual relationships
‘Life and death appeared to me Victor C4 Transgressive usurpation of
ideal bounds’ God’s role in attempt to
command mortality,
castigated for arrogance
‘The wretch, the filthy daemon to Victor C5 Malevolent creator, fusion
whom I had given life’ of the Miltonic roles of God
and Satan
‘I thought I held the corpse of my Victor C5 Oedipal connection with his
dead mother’ mother repulses Victor from
female sexuality in
adulthood
Victor’s ‘passion for success Rebecca Despite recognising the
overrides his capacity for Wilson, critic wickedness of his
morality and self-awareness’ transgressive actions, Victor
does nothing to remedy
them
The Creature (6 quotes)
Quotation Source Relevance/meaning
‘Shrivelled complexion and Victor C5 Horrible physiognomy,
straight black lips… demonical prejudice against decaying
corpse’ form (racism)
‘I ought to be thy Adam, but I am Creature C10 Creature latches on to
rather the fallen angel’ Miltonic religion to cope,
though ironically it could
never give him salvation
‘These bleak skies I hail, for they Creature C10 Attuned with nature until
are kinder to me than your fellow- society ostracises him; born
beings’ noble savage
‘No mother had blessed me with Creature C13 Fatal consequences of
smiles and caresses’ superseding role of women
in birthing
‘I vowed eternal hatred and Creature C16 After being shot for saving a
vengeance to all mankind’ drowning girl the creature is
wholly disillusioned with
society
‘The creature is not a monster, Rebecca Creature as the
but a victim of Victor's repressed Wilson, critic embodiment of Victor’s
monstrosity’ repressed subconscious
Elizabeth Lavenza (6 quotes)
Quotation Source Relevance/meaning
, ‘I received as made to a Victor C1 Objectified and treated as a
possession of my own’ possession by hubristic
Victor
‘My more than sister, till death Victor C1 Incestuous, connoting an
she was to be mine only’ Oedipal affiliation with
obsession until death after
Caroline died young
‘Saintly soul shone like a shrine Victor C2 Religious imagery and
dedicated lamp in our peaceful symbolic of purity (‘Angel in
home’ the House’ idea)
‘Elizabeth, my love, you must Caroline C3 Maternal and obedient, lack
supply my place to my younger of own ambition except
children’ motherhood
‘She indeed veiled her grief and Victor C3 Self-sacrificial of her own
strove to act the comforter to us mental health as expected
all’ of women
Women ‘are flat representations, Cameron Elizabeth’s main
existing more as symbols of Dodworth, significance is her impact of
martyrdom than as characters’ critic Victor (upon her death)
rather than her actual
attributes
Henry Clerval (6 quotes)
Quotation Source Relevance/meaning
‘His soul overflowed with ardent Victor C1 Feminine emotional nature
affections’ yet legitimately masculine;
fusion
‘He loved enterprise, hardship Victor C2 Adventurous but not
and even danger, for its own transgressive, tempers
sake’ Victor’s carelessness
‘During all that time, Henry was Victor C5 Caring and morally
my only nurse’ superior, yet subservient to
Victor (feminine?)
‘My murderous machinations Victor C21 Turning point: women and
deprived you also, my dearest children die but Henry is
Henry, of life’ what catalyses Victor’s
revenge (homosexual?)
‘The human frame could no Victor C21 Physical impact of lost
longer support the agonies that I friendship, Romantic
endured’ intensity of grief
‘Henry is a model of conjoined Johanna Henry is ambitious, but
masculine and feminine traits’ Smith, critic selfish and subservient,
almost androgynous
Robert Walton (6 quotes)
Quotation Source Relevance/meaning
‘We were nearly surrounded by Walton, Entrapment and isolation,
ice which closed in the ship on all letters ideal Gothic setting,
sides’ sinister, uncanny
‘Do I not deserve to accomplish Walton, Reflects Victor’s hubris and
some great purpose?’ letters arrogance of a greater
destiny
‘Towards those shores which I so Walton, Linguistically mirrors words
