Frankenstein Characters

Start with the character overview

A useful starting point is “Characters in Frankenstein”. One map introduces Victor, the monster, Robert Walton, and Victor’s parents, Alphonse and Caroline. It also notes that Victor creates the monster before abandoning him. Use those branches to identify the characters you want to study more closely.

For a broader view, “Frankenstein (Mary Shelley)” includes characters alongside themes, symbols, structure and genre. It can help you place character study within the wider Frankenstein unit in Literature.

Focus on Victor and the Creature

The “Victor Frankenstein” map describes Victor as ambitious and connects his desire to defy nature with scientific hubris. It also raises a comparison with Prometheus. Start with those ideas, then consider how the character overview presents his relationship with the monster.

The page also lists maps titled “The Creature”, “Creature” and “Chapter 13 The Creature”. These offer different starting points for studying the character. You can compare a character-focused map with the overview and note which ideas each one brings into focus.

Explore other characters

For individual study, the page lists “Elizabeth Lavenza”, “Captain Robert Walton”, “Alphonse and Caroline Frankenstein” and “De Lacey Family”. A map focused on Walton includes analysis of language used to show his sympathy and compassion toward Victor. “Female characters” offers another way into the page’s character material.

The listed notes on characters, created from a mind map, and the “VF character list” flashcards provide other formats for studying. There are no quizzes on this page, so the maps and flashcards can be used together: review a map, then use the flashcards to revisit the character list.

Explore a map, then make your own version to organize the ideas you want to remember.