The Character of Mephistopheles

When hearing of hell and of devils, the thoughts that come to people’s minds are often dark and terrifying. Yet, in my opinion, Mephistopheles does not appear to be as menacing as one would first think. Faustus conjures Mephistopheles and Mephistopheles does not tempt Faustus into the pact. This is the complete opposite of what a hellish creature is traditionally believed to do – they tempt people away from the innocent. However, we do see Mephistopheles’ character change at intervals within the play, for example with Robin and Rafe; he changes from the almost obeying servant to the typical devilish being. Mephistopheles never shows any joy, so his facial expressions and actions on stage should be conveying constant pain, as he is unable to escape his own fate of being damned to hell.

When we first meet Mephistopheles in Act 1, scene 3, his first line is a question: ‘Now, Faustus, what wouldst thou have me do?’ If it was unclear who Mephistopheles was, it could appear that he is Faustus’ servant. This is a confusing aspect of the character of Mephistopheles – is he not meant to be a fearing devil who people cower from? However, it may be introducing the fact that Faustus is not like other humans, rather than Mephistopheles is not like other devilish creatures. In addition: ‘I charge thee’, ‘Speak.’ – Faustus’ demands demean Mephistopheles into the servant persona. In the traditional biblical story, the devil tempted man with its powers, but here, Faustus is tempting the devil. Mephistopheles may be stood on stage as a menacing character, but it could be portrayed that Faustus is oblivious to this, just as he is oblivious to the pact he makes. On the other hand, a more terrifying idea would suggest that this is part of the devil’s plan – trick Faustus into believing he is powerful and, under false pretence, he will make the deal with even more ease and satisfaction.

Furthermore, Mephistopheles does show to have great power and influence over others in the play, so allowing Faustus to make his demands in order to trick him is a valid argument. When Robin and Rafe, the two comedy characters of the play call on Mephistopheles, the first instance of anger from the character appears: ‘Monarch of hell, under whose black survey Great potentates do kneel with awful fear’. On stage, Mephistopheles can be surrounded by smoke and flashing lights to show his hostility towards Robin and Rafe. His voice should boom out with maybe an echo to make him seem more fearful. It can show that the devil is within him and if he is unhappy, there are consequences. Yet, contradicting this view is that there are many less instances (one or two) where this side of Mephistopheles appears, rather than seeing him as the obeying right hand man. If he is a true devilish character, this persona would show much more readily. We must question why Mephistopheles is like this.

One argument would suggest that as Mephistopheles has been damned and essentially been through what Faustus’ fate will be, he is cautious of Faustus making the deal, and when he does he is saddened by this. ‘Why, this is hell’ – Mephistopheles explains that even the physical world is hell; nothing can ever be like heaven. This could be Mephistopheles warning Faustus to not make the pact, so he can experience the wonders of heaven. Mephistopheles sounds saddened rather than angry – does he regret his actions? If he does, Mephistopheles becomes a more human entity than Faustus – Faustus arguably does not regret his actions unless he is probed into it by another character.  

In order to study the character of Mephistopheles, it is vital to study the character of Faustus. It can be argued that Faustus is mentally ill, which is the reason he is so unafraid of the pact and why he so easily conjures up something which so many others fear. Mephistopheles and Faustus develop a close relationship with each other and Faustus refers to him as ‘sweet Mephistopheles’. ‘Sweet’ is in fact the opposite of what a devilish being is, so the audience do have to consider why Faustus calls him this. It can be concluded that Mephistopheles is Faustus’s alter-ego. Evil spirits take advantage of this and drag Faustus down to hell. This idea is reinforced through the parallels that are made between the characters – the old man calls Faustus ‘sweet Faustus’ and then Faustus again calls Mephistopheles ‘sweet Mephistopheles’, all in Act 5, scene 1. Finally, Faustus’ final words before he is dragged down to hell are ‘Ah Mephistopheles!’ We must question why Mephistopheles is his last thought. It could be that it is a cry for help from his ‘friend’, or it could be that Mephistopheles was inside his mind all along.

In conclusion, I believe that Mephistopheles is not the typical devil character that one would first assume. He does show a menacing side, but he shows a more ‘friendly’ side more often – he offers Faustus a dagger, which could be seen as a gesture to help Faustus take control of his death personally. Mephistopheles could be played as a voice over on stage and not actually as a presence on stage. This could therefore leave the audience to interpret whether or not Mephistopheles is a spirit, a servant of the devil, or purely a figure of Faustus’ mind and imagination.

Reading Journal, Act 5, 'Dr Faustus'

Scene 1:

• Wagner reveals that Faustus is nearing the end of his 24 years. He is sharing a last supper – parallels with the Bible, but yet this is the complete opposite. Faustus is going down to hell, rather than up to heaven.
• ‘Belly-cheer’ – associated with the lower class, Faustus is going ‘back to his roots’. Also the theme of greed again – ‘glutted’ etc.
• ‘Belike the feast is ended.’ – metaphorical for Faustus’s life.
• Faustus is asked to conjure up Helen of Troy.
• An Old Man enters. He could be the morality figure of the play as he is focussed on God and decency and resists the devil.
• ‘Where art thou Faustus?’ – Faustus is having an epiphany? Yet he could also be sarcastic due to the punctuation used.
• Mephistopheles hands him a dagger – this could be an act of kindness. He is allowing Faustus to take control of his death – he can choose when he dies, rather than waiting on Lucifer.
• ‘I go sweet Faustus’… ‘Sweet Mephistopheles’ – the characters are closer than ever. Comparable qualities or personalities they share?
• Helen of Troy is conjured again.
• Faustus makes the most beautiful speech within the play; full of beauty and emotion – we have never seen this aspect of Faustus’s personality before. Is this his desperation to be ‘human’?
• However, this part of the scene is upsetting as Faustus can only raise a vision, not the actual person. His pleasure is unfulfilled.

Scene 2:

• The scholars ask what ails Faustus.
• ‘Faustus’ offence can ne’er be pardoned’ – Faustus knows what will come of him and has lost all of hope of ever trying to regain his humanity.
• ‘The serpent that tempted Eve’ – Biblical reference, fall of humanity – just as Faustus has done. He was tempted by the idea of knowledge and power.
• The scholars promise to pray for Faustus – could also be morality figures of the play. Show forgiveness and hope.
• Page 109 – Faustus’s speech links with his first speech through the quoting of Latin, yet they are both drawn apart from the hugely different situation.
• ‘Thunder and lightening’ – typical Gothic convention of the weather. Pathetic fallacy.
• ‘My God, my God’ – Faustus’s vision which show him he is moving further and further away from heavenly bliss into eternal torment.
• ‘Adders and serpents’ – the devils in monstrous form that have come to take him.
• ‘Ugly hell’ – the entrance to hell itself.
• ‘Ah Mephistopheles!’ – Faustus’s last cry before he is dragged down to hell. Is this him calling out to his companion to save him?

Epilogue:

• The Chorus tell us of Faustus’s wasted potential.
• The Chorus treat Faustus’s fate as a warning to the audience – the Chorus could now also be the morality figure of the play?

Reading Journal, Act 4, 'Dr Faustus'

Chorus:

• The Chorus explains Faustus is now famous.
• He is a common celebrity among people in Germany. This is risky – Faustus could use this in a negative way, or in a positive way. We’ve seen Faustus do ‘good’ acts – climbing Mount Olympus, but also ‘bad’ acts – teasing the Pope.

Scene 1:

• ‘I am ready to accomplish your request’ – Faustus is drunk on power.
• The Knight sees straight through Faustus, but Faustus punishes him by causing horns to sprout from his head – F could do anything in the world, yet he has resorted to playing cheap tricks – makes him unlikeable. Yet, Faustus has showed he has seen and learnt almost everything there is to know, so we cannot blame him, as there is nothing left for him to do.
• ‘Calls for the payment of my latest years’ – F knows time is running out, saddening.
• Faustus agrees to sell his horse for forty dollars and warns the man not to ride through water, the horse-courser then returns having ridden the horse into water, the horse-courser pulls at Faustus’s leg, which then comes off and the man then agrees to pay forty dollars more.

Scene 2:

• Faustus meets the Duke of Vanholt – does Faustus need human interaction after being in the company of Mephistopheles for so long?
• ‘If it like your Grace…’ – this speech emphasises Faustus’s great intelligence.
• Faustus is ‘nice’ in this scene – he brings the Duchess grapes, however, it is impossible to truly like him because his deeds are really purely the work of the devil.
• The Duchess’s stage presence is symbolic – as she is pregnant, it represents new life, innocence and fertility. Faustus lost all of these since he made his pact.
• ‘Come Master Doctor, follow us and receive your reward.’ – what is Faustus’s reward? – is it his fame? Is it money? Or is it imbued irony foreshadowing that Faustus will get what he deserves?
• Faustus in this scene is drunk on invincibility.

Reading Journal, Act 3, 'Dr Faustus'

Chorus:

• Wagner gives an account of Faustus’s travels to see the world – he tells of a lot of achievement which indicates there has been a jump in time.
• ‘Did mount himself to scale Olympus’ top’ – Faustus is still reaching high, this is where the Gods are so Faustus is given a God-like power.
• ‘Yoky dragons’ necks’ – theme of fire is continued, shows Faustus’s fate drawing ever closer.
• ‘He now is gone to prove cosmography’ – F is using his power to carry on his intellectual enquiry. This is a ‘good’ act and we can admire him for not committing evil with his abilities.
• ‘To see the Pope’ – faith does not like to be challenged by science. Faustus wants to talk about intellectual aspects and wants the opportunity to redeem himself. It could also be a way of him completing Lucifer’s deeds on Earth. 

Scene 1:

• Faustus tells us of the sights he has seen. He is clearly amazed by the world – ‘passed with delight’, ‘are set with groves of fruitful vines’, ‘fair and gorgeous to the eye’. Faustus is not worrying about the deed because of all the joy it is bringing him at this moment in time. 
• Faustus and Mephistopheles discuss how they can be involved with the celebration of ‘holy Peter’s feast’. This is a quick change from only a short time ago when Faustus was amazed by the wonders of the world. Has he seen everything and is now bored? Again, his behaviour resorts back to a childlike state.
• The Pope part of this scene would have been comedic to the audience. However, in reality, being haunted by a ghost and an invisible being is most people’s worst nightmares. Particularly in the Elizabethan era, with much focus on witches, the supernatural played an important role. Marlowe here makes something that would have been terrifying into something funny.
• This is a different side to Faustus that we haven’t seen before.
• ‘How? Bell, book, and candle, candle, book and bell’ – this can be seen as a joke, yet it also sounds similar to a chant due to the rhythm of the words. Parallels with the witches in Macbeth.

Scene 2:

• Another Robin and Rafe scene to parallel the events that Faustus involves himself in.
• These scenes can be seen to be ridiculing, blaspheming and mocking tradition.
• ‘Enter to them Mephistopheles’ – the crossing over, Faustus descent into sin.
• Mephistopheles has been pleasant to Faustus – in this scene we see a different side to him. However, is this the ‘real’ Mephistopheles? This makes Robin and Rafe less comic.
• Robin and Rafe are pleased to be turned into a dog and an ape – helps us to appreciate how deluded Faustus is to be satisfied with being turned into a spirit, (Act 2, scene 1, line 97).

Reading Journal, Act 2, 'Dr Faustus'

Scene 1:

• The good angel and bad angel appear again – symmetry of their appearance; they only appear when Faustus is wavering.
• Their role could be to keep the audience’s moral perspective clear.
• Faustus often begins his scenes alone on stage – emphasis on his loneliness – possible reason for selling his soul to the devil? Later in the play, he tends to enter the scene with Mephistopheles – the devil is his only company.
• ‘O, something soundeth in mine ears’ – Faustus knows he is wavering, proves he has a conscience. Why doesn’t he use it?
• ‘And offer lukewarm blood of new-born babes.’ Imagery of children shows innocence, but in Faustus’s context it shows the corruption of innocence.
• Mephistopheles tells Faustus he must sign the deed with his blood – ‘My blood congeals’. This is a chance for Faustus to escape, but he does not take it – is it desperation, or fascination?
• ‘Here’s fire’ – Mephistopheles gives Faustus his first taste of hell.
• Mephistopheles talks ‘aside’ to the audience. This creates a ‘new’ character; he is plotting and reveals his motives.
• ‘Whither should I fly?’ – this is interesting as Icarus has been mentioned before. We know Faustus wants to achieve the ultimate greatness, yet, if he takes the warning of the blood congealing, he could still achieve something great.
• ‘I think hell’s a fable.’ – reason for signing the contract, almost seems childish and too naïve to come from a scholar.
• Faustus asks for a wife. This could be him testing Mephistopheles – it would be easier to retrieve a woman or a mistress and asking for a wife is more difficult; this could show that Faustus doesn’t quite trust Mephistopheles yet.

Scene 2:

• Another comedic scene – could be Marlowe making a societal comment. Robin and Rafe are both base stock characters as Faustus was, yet they do not share the same characteristics of ambition to become a scholar. Yet, Marlowe could be arguing that being of a higher status doesn’t always bring about good – results in greed, as Faustus shows.
• It could also show the naivety of the whole of mankind. Faustus is well educated, but makes the same mistake as people of the lower class. ‘Low’ and ‘high’ people share the same unity.
• This scene is smutty. Could be foreshadowing the parallels between Faustus and Helen of Troy.
• Robin is similar to Faustus – he also wants pleasures. However, he is ‘brought down a level’.

Scene 3:

• ‘Wicked Mephistopheles’ – contrast to previous times when Faustus refers to him as ‘sweet’. What has changed his mind? Is this another realisation that he then ignores?
• Conscience appears and Faustus could be showing evidence of an epiphany: ‘Faustus thou art damned!’ Still, it is a nihilistic epiphany as Faustus ‘cannot repent’.
• Faustus asks many questions in this speech (page 49, lines 19 – 38). Shows his insecurity.
• The seven deadly sins all appear – makes it real for Faustus. Also highlights Lucifer’s great powers – there really is no way out for Faustus.
• Ends with Faustus referring to Lucifer as ‘great’. Chilling remark as this is the devil that drags people to hell. I still question whether or not Faustus truly understands his fate when he says this.

Reading Journal, Act 1, 'Dr Faustus'

Prologue:

• The chorus is generally an actor outside of the drama who is there to inform the audience about the play, characters and the plot.
• Here, the prologue introduces Faustus, describing that Faustus became a great scholar, but brought about his own destruction after practising necromancy.
• ‘Not’ and ‘nor’ – the Chorus tells us that the play is not a play about love, war or politics. Immediately brings questions to the audience’s mind about what the play will be about.
• Faustus isn’t introduced immediately, but as he is named, we know he will be a main character.
• ‘His waxen wings’ – reference to Greek mythology. Parallels Icarus who flew too close to the sun with Faustus who reaches too far and ends in his comeuppance.
• First introduction of the word ‘glutted’ which will be repeated many times in the play. Instantly showing greed.
• I admire Faustus from the Chorus’ description – it mentions how he came from ‘base stock’, yet, through his own perseverance, he still managed to become a great scholar.

Scene 1:

• Includes many Latin phrases – emphasising Faustus’ intelligence. The audience do not need to know what it means though to understand this.
• ‘Yet art thou still but Faustus, and a man’ – Faustus is not content with what he has and this is foreshadowing that he will go to great lengths to achieve the highest level of knowledge and power.
• The good angel and bad angel appear – they are the conscience of the play.
• Faustus conjures up a world of beauty: ‘I’ll have them wall all of Germany with brass’
• Valdes and Cornelius are not characters of persuasion, however, they do tempt him – ‘our experience shall make all nations to canonise us.’ This differs to the character of Lady Macbeth, who almost blackmails by insulting Macbeth’s masculinity into killing.

Scene 2:

• The scholars become worried that Faustus is dining with Valdes and Cornelius.
• When the scholars ask where Faustus is, Wagner replies ‘God in heaven knows’ – this is ironic, as we know that Faustus will never reach heaven.

Scene 3:

• Faustus calls on Mephistopheles as a friar – ironic and satirical.
• Interesting aspect of the play is that Faustus makes the demands – ‘I charge thee’.
• Mephistopheles does not have to persuade or tempt Faustus into the bargain.
• ‘This is hell’ – Mephistopheles describes even Earth as hell, as nothing will ever be as great as heaven.

Scene 4:

• This is another comic scene of the play between Wagner and Robin.
• Wagner is a comic character, yet he still remains authoritative: ‘Sirrah boy’. ‘Sirrah’ is a term to address someone inferior. Robin dislikes this and throws it back in his face – at first Robin does not approve of Wagner, but at the end of the scene Wagner then serves him. This could parallel between Faustus and Mephistopheles – at the end of their first meeting, Mephistopheles must serve Faustus anything he wants.
• It is important to focus on the staging of the scene. I believe that, as a comic scene between two people of low status, it should be over exaggerated and very visual. This will add to the comedy.
• The stage direction: ‘to the audience’ makes the play more personal.
• ‘Balioll’ – mispronunciation is comedic – provides entertainment for the audience.
• This scene could be setting up what will happen to Faustus later in the play and provide a perspective from which to view Faustus’s actions in scene 1 and scene 3.

Reading Journal, 'Frankenstein', Chapters 18 - 24

Chapter 18:

·         Victor learns that his father wants him to marry Elizabeth, but he is filled with ‘horror and dismay’. We know Victor is lonely, so it is questionable as to why he feels this way. This could be because he knows the monster may hurt Elizabeth.

·         Victor never refers to the marriage with Elizabeth as a ‘marriage’, but as a ‘union’. This emphasises his fear.

·         However, Victor does say that he loves Elizabeth that he ‘loves his cousin dearly’. Must question why Victor would accept the proposal and put her in danger. Yet this could explain the fear I mentioned above.

·         Shelley quotes Wordsworth’s ‘Tintern Abbey’ poem. The section she chooses is refers to mountains, just as Victor has done on many occasions.

·         Victor travels to England with Clerval and Victor makes it obvious that Clerval will be his next victim.

Chapter 19:

·         Victor begins to create the female monster.

·         Yet he is filled with dread as he begins: ‘it became everyday more horrible and irksome to me.’

·         There are clear differences between the creation of the female and the first monster. For one, there is much less description – there is only a page about it and also Victor shows his anxiety – ‘I grew restless and nervous’.

Chapter 20:

·         Shelley uses images of places in this chapter that reflect Victor’s state of mind, for example the image of his laboratory. Shelley then switches back to present day. This could show how Victor’s mind is uncontrollable and will not rest.

·         The significance of the moon could be important here – ‘eye of the quiet moon’. Victor personifies the monster; it is almost as if he is paranoid. 

·         There is a lot of changing between night and day. Time is clearly passing quickly, yet, for Victor it all merges into one. ‘Sun rose’ then the ‘sun descended’, Victor is lost emotionally.

·         When Victor meets the monster in this chapter, there is a major difference from when they previously met. Here, the monster is in control, rather than Victor: ‘I am your master’ and ‘obey’.

·         In chapter 17, we could sympathise with the monster, yet here I can sympathise with Victor more. The monster is applying the typical ‘monstrous’ traits by making threats: ‘I will be with you on your wedding night’.

·         There is reference to bonds between people in chapter 20. For the monster and Victor it is almost like a parent to child bond that has been broken. Some psychologists would suggest that this would be the cause of the monster’s horrific actions.

Chapter 21:

·         A body is found on the shore and Victor learns it is Clerval.

·         Victor is arrested and then released, but he is still stricken with guilt.

·         Clerval’s death could make prominent the corruption of innocence, as well as the monster’s being.

·         ‘A gloom and black melancholy…Clerval was forever before me.’ – links with Macbeth seeing Banquo’s ghost.

·         ‘Dream’ is repeated – confused state of mind?

·         The nightmares that haunt Victor suggest the horror is in his psyche.

Chapter 22:

·         Frankenstein returns to Geneva and marries Elizabeth.

·         ‘But the apple was already eaten’ – foreshadowing. Victor knows Elizabeth’s fate. This is also a biblical reference in the Garden of Eden.

·         It could be argued that the foreshadowing reveals too much so that readers guess quickly what will happen. This results in the fact that Elizabeth’s death is not as shocking.

·         Reference to ‘paradisiacal dreams’: this indicates that Victor sees himself as Adam and Elizabeth as his Paradise. But because Victor has already eaten apple, his paradise is lost to him.

Chapter 23:

·         Elizabeth is murdered and Victor is determined on revenge.

·         Shelley describes a storm. This pathetic fallacy predicts the monster’s arrival.

·         Can we sympathise with Victor?

·         Yes – all his loved ones are dead and he is in turmoil.

·         No – he left and abandoned the monster (and created it in the first place).

Chapter 24:

·         Victor tells Walton of his pursuit. He sees the monster in a graveyard and Victor tells Walton to kill the monster if he fails to do so himself.

·         Significance of sleep – Victor can only be with his family when he sleeps; he dreams of Elizabeth.

·         Victor travels far, however, nature only marks these travels, not his emotion.

·         Less references to nature as a whole, Victor is solely focussed on revenge. Changes the novel to more Gothic than Romantic.

·         ‘If you have known me as I once was you would not recognise me in this state of degradation.’ – Victor is sorrowful and it is clear he is full of regret.

·         ‘Seek happiness in tranquillity and avoid ambition’ – before Victor dies, he warns Walton of the destruction of ambition. He cannot die in peace.

·         When the monster realises Victor is dead, he finds that despite their hate for each other, they only had each other. For the monster, Victor was hope – the chance of a companion.

·         Walton is the only person who actually speak to the monster and does not try to kill him.

·         ‘I was the slave’ – the monster takes no responsibility for his actions, unlike Victor. We feel less sympathy towards him.

Reading Journal, 'Frankenstein', Chapters 9 - 17

Chapter 9:

·         Victor is obviously guilty for his actions, yet instead of taking action to put things right, he wallows in self-pity – ‘I was seized by remorse and the sense of guilt’

·         He does not appear to try and ‘solve’ the problem, because Victor considers suicide – is this cowardly, or is he just out of his depth?

·         Victor has shown solitude in nature and even when considering suicide, nature is a part of it – ‘I was tempted to plunge into the silent lake that the waters might close over me and my calamities forever’. Nature gives Victor peace, yet could also end all his suffering.

·         ‘But now misery has come and men appear to me as monstrous thirsting for each other’s blood’ – this quote interests me, as I interpret this as Shelley making a social comment about social injustice – there is a blur between the boundaries between men and monsters. Are we all just the same? Why do some have more power in society over others, just because of their appearance, gender, status and financial situation? (Shelley was brought up as a feminist so this could be her way of speaking out about the inequality between men and women).

·         ‘He walks about the world free, and perhaps respected’ – questioning whether it is Frankenstein or the monster who is more atrocious.

·         Many more references to finding peace in nature – emphasises the Romantic elements of the novel. Is the novel more Romantic than Gothic? At this point in the novel, I believe it is Romantic with elements of the Gothic within.

·         ‘For a short space of time I remained at the window, watching the pallid lightnings that played about Mont Blanc.’ – Victor is almost expecting the monster to visit him, he just doesn’t know when – foreshadowing.

Chapter 10:

·         ‘Valley’, ‘summit’, ‘vast mountains’ – description of immense size. Shows how overwhelmed Victor is. He went against the laws of nature, yet it is the only consolation.

·         ‘Dark melancholy clouded every thought’ – Victor cannot rest physically or mentally, the monster is not with him, but still tortures him. (links to Macbeth’s sleep deprivation).

·         Can be compared to Wordsworth’s letters to Coleridge – Wordsworth found his peace, but for Victor, is it merely a temporary distraction.

·         ‘Causing me to forget the passing cares of life’ – Romantic elements change. As it is so fleeting, it cannot be truly Romantic.

·         ‘Thick mists’ – emphasise the barrier between man and divinity. Victor tried to create something, but it can never be perfect.

·         Victor describes beauty, but his descriptions make it sound painful: ‘ragged bare ravine’.

·         ‘Sublime’  is repeated many times, showing that Victor has a desperation, a want and a need for nature or anything else to have the effect he wants (to be relieved of the guilt), but because it is said so many times, it loses its effect and becomes meaningless.

·         Victor meets the monster – he calls him a ‘wretched devil’ and ‘abhorred monster’, yet the monster speaks with formality. Role reversal? Who is the real ‘monster’? We can sympathise with the monster, who is dignified, more than Victor.

Chapter 11:

·         The monster begins his tale, yet, in my opinion, I do not believe there is a big enough character difference between Victor and the monster in the way they communicate to the reader. I think that this is a huge flaw in the novel that Shelley could have completed a lot better. Without Victor introducing the monster’s story, it would have been difficult at the start to realise who was narrating. It could easily be a flashback by Victor.

·         The monster describes how he begins to question the world –he discovers pain and pleasure: ‘I thrust my hand into the live embers, but quickly drew it out again with a cry of pain’.

·         By meeting the De Lacey family, the monster learns about love. Through his descriptions of his learning experience, we understand how lonely and confused the monster is. Because of this we can sympathise with him. 

Chapter 12:

·         ‘I lay on my straw, but I could not sleep’ – we already know that Victor is having problems with his sleep, so this connects the creator and the creation. Possibly could argue that the monster is Victor’s alter ego.

·         The monster learns language through listening to the De Lacey family – the monster is a capable being – more human than we first are led to believe?

·         ‘The pleasant showers and genial warmth of spring greatly altered the aspect of the earth’ – Shelley’s use of pathetic fallacy emphasises that both Victor and the monster are coming to terms with their place in society.

Chapter 13:

·         Through Felix’s lessons to Safie about English, history, politics and religion, the monster learns more.

·         He wonders at the dual nature of man – ‘at once so powerful, so virtuous and magnificent, yet so vicious and base.’ Yet, this could also be Victor’s own view of the monster.

·         ‘What was I?...and I saw and heard of none like me’ – the monster realises he is completely alone and there is no one like him. With his exterior appearance, he knows he can never fit in with humanity as a whole. Could be foreshadowing the monster’s request to Victor to create another monster.

Chapter 15:

·         The monster learns the identity of his creator and approaches the blind father – his appearance will not interfere with the man’s judgement. However, when the rest of the family come home, Felix beats the monster with a stick.

·         Shelley could be here making another societal comment – that even the idyllic nature of the cottage is sustained by the only idea that nothing will threaten it from the outside.

·         When the creature finds the three books, he compares himself to Adam who was thrown out of the garden of Eden.

Chapter 16:

·         We now hear of a different side of the monster – he is full of rage. However, it could be argued that before, as he had no real understanding of emotion, he has felt rage all along, he just didn’t realise it. He acts upon this rage and burns down the De Lacey’s cottage.

·         On the other hand, the contact with humanity could be the turning point for the monster’s rage – after Felix beat him, it could have sparked his anger off, and thus showing that humanity is dangerous.

·         The monster further uses his knowledge to manipulate the law into making it look like Justine is guilty of murder.  

·         This could be Shelley trying to force us to consider how our personalities are formed, and what can transform a man into a monster.       

Chapter 17:

·         Victor agrees to create a second monster and then returns to Geneva.

·         ‘I am content to reason with you’ – the monster does not threaten Victor, but uses reason.

·         Victor still resents the monster and refers to him as a: ‘filthy mass that moved and talked’. We must question why he agrees to create another monster – is it a cowardly way out so he can escape his ‘problem’, or is it the monster’s power of persuasion. (similar to Lady Macbeth).