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).

Second Coursework Ideas

I saw 'Romeo and Juliet' at the Nuffield theatre last week, so, as I feel I know the play better, and have seen it acted, I would like to use 'The Meaning of Metaphor' section from the critical anthology and apply it to Mercutio's Queen Mab speech. Obviously, it is full of sexual innuendo's, but the effect of the metaphors used is important in altering the tone and dimension of the play and ultimately defining Mercutio's character. He twists all his comments about love into sexual metaphors and I would like to examine the importance of this. In the critical anthology it says how metaphor is important because of its functions - explaining, clarifying, describing, expressing, evaluating and entertaining. I will discuss if the metaphors used are effective in these functions, or whether or not Shakespeare goes too far. I would also like to briefly refer to the symbolism and allegory section as the whole of the speech is a symbol and allegory surrounding sex and love. I shall also consider these different aspects in relation to the acting and how it could be presented on stage.

Critical Anthology Coursework Ideas

I have decided to use 'The Meaning of Metaphor' idea from the Critical Anthology. I am considering applying this to the famous 'To be, or not to be' speech from Hamlet, as there is a lot of this speech that can be misunderstood, or just not understood at all, unless the metaphor is known. The speech is extremely famous and this is part of the reason I have chosen it - do people really know the metaphors within the speech? As it is quoted, and even applied to everyday language, many people may not grasp the true concept. I will consider this in my essay and discuss whether or not a person quoting the lines needs to understand the metaphors, or if the beauty of the words are enough. I am also going to consider whether or not the metaphors in this speech are important, whether there are too many for readers who do not normally read Shakespeare to understand the concept of the speech and whether or not it adds a new dimension to the rest of the play. Because the symbols in the speech can be interpreted many different ways, I will consider that because there is no definite idea and a lot of unsurity in some plarts if this reduces, or adds anything to the play.

However, this is not a final decision, but because there will be a lot of wider reading to do, I feel I will have a lot to write about, especially when considering the different viewpoints and if they are valid. Also, I am not sure if I should do the whole of Act III scene 1, or just this speech?

Frankenstein, Reading Journal, Volume 1, Chapters 1-8

After the letters, we begin chapter 1 with Victor’s narrative embedded within the frame narrative of Walton. We are caused to question how accurate this account is, and whether we can trust Walton’s tale of the events. Despite this, we are forced to have belief in Walton as there is no ambiguity in his story.

We are told of Frankenstein’s upbringing; an educated, yet sheltered background. For Victor, it suggests that science gives him a challenge, as before everything was given to him. Elizabeth becomes Victor’s ‘beautiful and adored companion’, however, a darker tone enters the narrative with his closing comment: ‘my more than sister, since till death she was to be mine only’. During the novel, we see a deterioration of Frankenstein’s state of mind, and this is our first introduction to seeing this descent.

In chapter 2, we hear more of Frankenstein’s passion for science and how he wants to know more, which, later, we find becomes too much. Victor describes his first rebellion to his father who tells him to ‘not waste his time on such sad trash’. We see a side to Frankenstein that shows he does not stick to the rules; a foreshadowing that he will not commit to the laws of science either. Throughout this chapter is a sense of male dominance as, for instance, Elizabeth is limited to the family circle. Victor describes himself as a Promethean ‘overreacher’, which links to the subtitle of the novel ‘The Modern Prometheus’. For Victor, this is him creating life out of death and going against the natural order.

Chapter 3 describes Victor’s experience at university. We hear that his mother died and Elizabeth falls ill from Scarlett fever. He leaves his family and continues his thirst for knowledge. He describes M. Krempe as ‘a little squat man with a gruff voice and a repulsive countenance.’ It presents to us that, for Victor, physical appearance and beauty is important; paralleling his design for his creature. ‘Thus ended a day memorable to me; it decided my future destiny’ - the last line of the chapter causes an almost chilling feeling for readers, as it is in a paragraph of its own. Victor does not explain what he means; what his future destiny is. Tension is therefore also built.

In chapter 4 we hear that Victor has already created his creature in his mind – he becomes capable of ‘bestowing animation upon lifeless matter’. ‘I am not recording the vision of a madman.’ We are reminded that Robert, the narrator is untrustworthy. This chapter is another example of crucial evidence that Victor is unwell; physically and mentally. His ambition could be argued to be heroic, yet the horrific images of his ‘secret toil’ show his work is more sordid than anything else. This links with the traditional gothic theme of pushing boundaries and going beyond the norm.

Victor is repulsed by his creation in chapter 5, by calling it a ‘wretch’. We see how far Victor is out of his depth and is caught up into something he cannot control. He tries to hide this to his friend Henry, but does not admit anything. He is extremely relieved when the monster has disappeared: ‘great fortune’.

Chapter 6 tells much of Victor’s convalescence as he can no longer bear to think of his scientific discoveries. ‘A servant in Geneva does not mean the same thing as a servant in France and England.’ Elizabeth’s description of treatment of servants could be interpreted as Shelley’s comment on social injustice; a major issue at the time it was written. This links to how the monster is enslaved by Frankenstein. ‘I bounded along with feelings of un-bridled joy and hilarity’. Unlike chapter 3, chapter 6 ends filled with hope – possibly Frankenstein’s hope that his disastrous scientific experiment will come to an end.

Chapter 7 shows repeating evidence of Frankenstein’s guilt: ‘I threw the letter on the table and covered my face with my hands’. He knows what really happened to William and feels a very human trait of remorse. We can sympathise with him. There are also many references to nature, a typical feature of Romanticism. ‘Dear mountains’: Victor further personifies nature, emphasising how alone he is. There are contrasts of feelings in this chapter. In one paragraph there are there are more positive words, such as ‘happiness’, ‘pleasure’ and ‘beloved’. But in the next immediate paragraph there are pessimistic words, such as ‘grief’, ‘fear’ and ‘gloomily’. These extreme polars of emotion prove that emotion is controlling Victor, rather than him controlling them. It could be argued this is because of the loss of William, but in my opinion, this is as a result of Victor’s obsession and creation of the monster. Furthermore, there is also evidence of Mary Shelley criticising science. The chapter describes art the ‘picture of my mother’, ‘dignity and beauty’. Some may argue this is mocking Victor – why couldn’t he do something fabulous, yet safe, instead of the dangerous experiment he achieves.

There is a very long account of the trial in chapter 8, which has the effect of incorporating the whole picture, allowing Victor to come to terms with his guilt. ‘I bore a hell within me.’ Victor echoes Satan in Paradise Lost and suggests the true horror lies inside us, in the mental agonies and torments we inflict upon ourselves.

Reading Journal, Act V, 'Macbeth'

Scene 1:

• ‘Out, damned spot! Out I say!...Hell is murky!’ – Lady Macbeth is ridden with guilt and has shown to have driven her to insanity. ‘Hell is murky’ could portray that she knows where she is going after being responsible for so much blood-shed.
• This is unexpected, as before Lady Macbeth was shown to be masculine and showed little compassion for anyone. Possibly showing she was not as strong as she first was presented.
• Her words are ironic after previously telling Macbeth that ‘a little water clears us of this deed.’ This links to the first murder, could she be replaying Duncan’s death again?

Scene 2: 

• ‘Some say he’s mad. Others, that lesser hate him, Do cal it valiant fury; but for certain He cannot buckle his distempered cause Within the belt of rule.’ Cathness depicts Macbeth as the opposite of how he was described when we first met him.

Scene 3:

• ‘Cream-faced loon!’ – Anger, or is Macbeth trying to hide his fear for what he knows is about to happen?
• This adds to the role reversal between him and Lady Macbeth. Lady Macbeth was firstly the strong one, but she is no longer fearless; Macbeth showed trepidation at first, now he is showing courage. This fluctuation possibly could show that they are two sides of one character, almost similar to Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde.
• Macbeth talks of purging – ‘find her disease and purge it to a sound and pristine health.’ He knows he is going to die, so is he trying to cleanse his soul to stop himself going to hell?

Scene 4:

• ‘The time approaches that will with due decision make us know What we shall say we have, and what we owe.’ Seyward shows bravery and courage – imitating what all the other soldiers are feeling. Show determination to kill Macbeth – they know what he has done and they will stop at nothing to see him punished; dead.

Scene 5:

• ‘I have almost forgot the taste of fears.’ Macbeth also shows determination. He is not doing down without a fight.
• ‘Life’s but a walking shadow’ – after hearing Lady Macbeth is dead, Macbeth almost shows that she is still in his presence – part of the 2 people in 1 body argument that has continued throughout the play. Implies how heavily he relies on her. Or, an alternative view is that nothing matters to him anymore, life is not important without his wife. Could be argued this is his epiphany – the murders leading up to something, but realised he is the same situation.
• ‘Brief candle’ – as quickly as life begins, it ends, just like when you light and blow out a candle. To Macbeth, life is momentary and he wants to ‘go out with a bang.’
• ‘Signifying nothing.’ Macbeth is very nihilistic, as he realises he means nothing to anyone, and no one means anything to him. This relates to the riddles of the play – Shakespeare now tells us that they meant nothing either.
• ‘Ring the alarum bell!’ Macbeth knows he will die, relates to the porter scene – his words have come true.
• ‘Not flying hence, not tarrying here. I ‘gin to be aweary of the sun’. Possible reference to Greek mythology – Icarus. Showing Macbeth’s downfall from playing with fire. This is a true Gothic element of conservatism – do not want people breaking rules. Macbeth did and he has finally realised that the witches did not influence him as much as he first believed. He cannot blame them anymore as he now knows he is the one with blood on his hands.
• Shows obvious Christian elements – temptation and the fall of man.
• We see a different side to Macbeth, and is this because Lady Macbeth, and her power of persuasion, are not present? He shows courage when he says ‘we’ll die with harness on our back’, however, would he have done the same if she was alive with him. Would she have persuaded him to take a cowards way out and not let him face the consequences of their actions?

Scene 6:

• ‘Abhorred tyrant’, ‘dead butcher and his fiend-like queen’. Descriptions of Macbeth and his wife not just by the speaker, but agreed by everyone, including the audience. Young Seyward and Malcolm are voicing many view points; it is not just them who think it. Shows how alone Macbeth and his wife were. Does this create sympathy, or were their crimes to treacherous to ever forgive?

Reading Journal, Act IV, 'Macbeth'

Scene 1:

• ‘Round about the cauldron go; In the poisoned entrails throw’ ‘Double, double, toil and trouble.’ – is this Shakespeare trying to reiterate to the audience that the witches are still ever present, and powerful? They are casting a spell of some kind – is this presented towards Macbeth again?
• ‘Beware Macduff’. This is the only ‘clue’ the witches give to Macbeth, but immediately he will ‘make assurance double sure, And take a bond of fate.’ – he vows to kill Macduff. The witches do not give Macbeth a reason, but he jumps straight to conclusions which shows either how much he trusts the witches, or how much of a hold they have over him; or a mixture of both.
• An obvious difference with this scene between the plans to kill Duncan is that Lady Macbeth is not present. She played an extreme role in persuading Macbeth to kill Duncan after hearing the witches’ prophecy, however, now, Macbeth has taken it upon himself. This shows he is more self-assured than originally thought. However, it could be argued it is due to the deterioration of his mind.
• This is further developed through the speed of the scene. The speed of carrying out and deciding to carry out the deeds is significantly faster than making the decision to kill Duncan. This is also portraying Macbeth’s downfall and his sanity declining.

Scene 2:

• The killing of Lady Macduff and her children can be portrayed in some interpretation as very shocking and horrifying to watch – perhaps to reiterate the horror of Macbeth’s deeds.
• ‘I have done no harm’ – Lady Macduff shows innocence, which adds to the shock and emotion of the scene.

Scene 3:

• ‘Tis called the Evil – A most miraculous work in this good king…he solicits heaven…pitiful to the eye…sundry blessings.’ – Malcolm compares King of England to Macbeth – he is every Macbeth is not.
• Ross first says that Macduff’s wife and children are ‘why, well’. He avoids telling Macduff straight away perhaps because it is a terrible message to bring. Shakespeare shows evidence of human nature here. Ross then pulls himself together and tells him.
• ‘Sinful Macduff’ – Macduff blames himself for the murders. It is important that the audience see Macduff’s reaction as it makes the revenge more prominent. It is the first time we see the consequences of a murder, which is heart-hitting. Enforces moral stance by the audience. Macduff now has personal reasons to overthrow the King.
• We are caused to question whether Macduff’s reaction or the murder is more important. Obviously this depends on interpretation, but Macduff’s reaction puts a human element into the play and detracts it from just mindless murder.  His guilt adds another dimension. However, the killing of an innocent woman and her children takes Macbeth’s murders to a new level – he had no reason himself to kill him and only went on the words of ‘Beware Macduff’. This is a chilling outcome to another of the witches’ prophecies.

Reading Journal, Act III, 'Macbeth'

Scene 1:

• ‘Thou playedst most foully for’t’ … ‘But hush! No more!’ Banquo shows he is suspicious of the King, but knows to be quiet.
• ‘Our fears in Banquo stick deep’, ‘My genius is rebuked.’ – Macbeth shows he fears Banquo knows of his deeds and is possible contemplating how to ‘solve this’; to kill him.
• This is emphasised as the witches’ prophesised that Banquo’s children will become King – Macbeth now fears that someone will kill him.
• ‘Come fate into the list…’ Macbeth calls on the witches to change Banquo’s prophecy. Is this because he dreads having to kill again?
• ‘Barren scepter’ could also connotate a fruitless crown. Is this a reference that Macbeth cannot have children. Lady Macbeth has possible mentioned she once had children as she has ‘given suck’. A scepter is also a phallic object which relates to Macbeth’s masculinity – is he trying to prove something to anyone, or just to himself? This adds to his dear of losing his crown, and therefore his status.
• Macbeth speaks to the murderers as he cannot, or will not kill Banquo himself. Is this cowardly? Also this could make Macbeth an even worse character as he cannot do it himself and pays two citizens to do the deed. Talking to the murderers also convinces him, as if he is trying to justify it.

Scene 2:

• Lady Macbeth speaks in rhyming couplets – just like the witches, which is poetic and charming.
• ‘Destroy ‘destruction dwell’ ‘doubtful’ – alliteration, which emphasises Lady Macbeth’s power of speech.
• ‘O, full of scorpions is my mind, dear wife!’ – Macbeth shows evidence and imagery of a tortured mind as he seems to speak of being in pain. Normally this would cause the audience to sympathise, but because of Macbeth’s deeds, we cannot.

Scene 3:

• We see Banquo’s murder on stage, unlike Duncan’s, which shows the haste and lack of planning it had compared to the first murder. This portrays the mess and drastic measures Macbeth and Lady Macbeth have to go to now, and it will not stop here.
• ‘Tis he.’ ‘Stand to’t’. The scene is very fast and this is shown through the short dialogue between the two murderers. Creates panic and tension – what Macbeth and his wife are feeling?

Scene 4:

• Just like Macbeth’s dagger soliloquy, this scene relies heavily on interpretation with regard to if the audience see Banquo’s ghost or not. It could be decided that the dagger cannot be seen, yet Banquo’s ghost can be seen, subtly showing the downfall of Macbeth’s state of mind.
• ‘My Lord is often thus, and hath been from his youth’ – Lady Macbeth shows herself again as a convincing actor. She also shows her incredible power of persuasion, not only with Macbeth, but with others too.
• ‘Thy bones are marrowless, thy blood is cold.’ Macbeth is showing how he is reddened with guilt. Questionable whether he is talking about Banquo’s dead body, or himself, as he is shown to be so heartless, he could be described as ‘cold-blooded’.

Scene 5:

• Evidence of the supernatural, again in ‘thunder and lightning’.
• The three witches are told off by Hecat for ‘trade[ing] and traffic[ing] with Macbeth and being ‘spiteful and wrathful’. Shows to the audience that their meddling with Macbeth was just a game. Shocking as Macbeth took their words so seriously, therefore making all the murders in the play almost worthless as Macbeth was purely a chess piece in their fun.