Mary Shelley’s ‘Frankenstein’

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Worksheet

Kenneth Branagh’s ‘Frankenstein’

Based on Mary Shelley’s ‘Frankenstein’

Mary Shelley's ‘Frankenstein’ is the most interesting, strong, flawed novel with the frequent clumsiness in its narrative and characterization. The work affords a unique introduction to the archetypal world of Romanticism. And the most faithful movie adaption (with some changes in the plot though)  of the book is “Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein” – a 1994  horror drama film directed by Kenneth Branagh. starring Robert De Niro, Kenneth Branagh, Tom Hulce, Helena Bonham Carter, Ian Holm, John Cleese, and Aidan Quinn. Watch the trailer if you have missed the film ‘Kenneth Branagh's movie Frankenstein’.  (Click on the link)

Here is the list of cast-

                                  This blog is formed as an answer sheet based on a worksheet (Pre-viewing tasks, while-viewing tasks, Post- viewing task) assigned by Dr. Heenaba Zala ma’am, visiting lecturer at English Department, M K Bhavnagar University. Click on the link to navigate the worksheet of Dr. Heenaba Zala ma’am on Mary Shelley's Frankenstein v/s Kenneth Branagh's movie Frankenstein. 

Pre-viewing tasks:

1. What is gothic scientific fiction?

         Gothic scientific fiction or Gothicism has its roots in the “Goths” or ‘medieval’ which came from Germanic tribe.

Gothic scientific fiction has the following characteristics-

1. It develops a brooding atmosphere of gloom and terror
2. It deals with aberrant psychological state
3. It represents events that are uncanny or macabre or melodramatically violent
4. It lacks the exotic setting of earlier romances
5. Often an innocent heroine and a cruel and lustful villain

Here are some of the examples-

• William Godwin’s “Caleb Williams” (1794)
• Mary Shelley’s “Frankenstein” (1817)
• Charlotte Bronte’s “Jane Eyre”
• Emily Bronte’s “Wuthering Heights”

2.  What is a frame narrative?

Frame narrative is a kind of story within a story technique, in which there is a main narrative flowing to set a setting that supports or urge a setting of the second narrative. In this way, the first frame leads the reader to the second narrative and so on. The frame narrative has a shift of perspective and a point of view and this indirectly serves its purpose of creating a verisimilitude. It’s a “box within a box effect”.

Some of the examples of frame narrative are-

• ‘Heart of Darkness’ by Joseph Conrad
• ‘Frankenstein’ by Mary Shelley
• ‘Canterbury Tales’ by Geoffrey Chaucer

Well here is the illustration of the frame narrative in Mary Shelley’s ‘Frankenstein’-

• The first layer or frame of the story- Robert Walton (captain) to his sister Margaret Saville

• The second layer or frame informs the readers about  Victor Frankenstein.

• The third layer of the story reveals insightful feelings of the Monster. 

Source- Frankenstein 

3. What is the point of view of the author?

The point of view is a style in which a story is told to the readers. In the words of Abrams,

“The mode established by an author by means of which the reader is presented with the characters, dialogue, actions, setting, and events which constitute the narrative in a work of fiction.”

There are three different types of narrative or point of view-

• First Person point of view
• 
  
• Second Person point of view
• 
  
• Third Person point of view

The external form of the novel seems to be an unrecognized device as it is in form of letters. In Frankenstein, letters appear occasionally within the novel but are especially important at the beginning and the end of the book, with the extensive letters of Captain Walton to his sister. These letters tell a tale of Victor Frankenstein and his creation of a creature.

Hence, it can be said that the point of view maintains its very flow with the characters and therefore it seems to be constantly shifting. It is narrated in First Person point of view (I, my,...) with shifting point of views from Captain Walton to Victor Frankenstein to the monster.

4. What are the viewpoints of different characters?

With the narrative change, the point of view changes from time to time and so the viewpoints obviously has to change! There three central male characters with different views and perceptions of the things happening to or around them.

Their 

5. Do you have confusion about the title of the novel?

Well the title of the novel seems to be somewhat mysterious to me and so it creates a kind of tension between the characters after which it is must be named for. Frankenstein, to most readers, is the name of a monster rather than of a monster’s creator. 

6. Who do you think is the real monster, the Creator or the Creature?

Well, to narrow down to a particular and mono perspective would rather be a tardy thing to do. Instead it’s a subject of debate that who can be called a real monster or is it necessary to mean someone as a monster just because someone looks like a monster.   To cut a long debate short, I would like to give an illustration to support my statement that if by mere appearance one person has a dark tone would we name him/her ‘black’ and if by our grace s/he is named black then is it necessary that we won’t be able to recognize him/her in light or at night???

The thing is that there is, in fact, no monster in Frankenstein. It can be said that an orphan of science, created and abandoned, the Monster who threatens to take out its anger and rejection on the species of man. an

As such the Monster is, on the deepest and the most personal level, a projection of Mary Shelley’s feelings of isolation and hatred.   

7. What is tabula rasa?

The dictionary meaning says that,

“Tabula rasa is the notion that individual human beings are born "blank" (with no built-in mental content), and that their identity is defined entirely by events after birth.”

Tabula Rasa is actually the theory of knowledge, it curiously explains what knowledge is and how it can be achieved. In some way it describes nurturing and natural process. 

The aspects which it counts- 

1. Individual's personality,
2. Emotional behavior 
3. Psychological development 

8. What is the significance of the subtitle "The Modern Prometheus"?

Well, the subtitle “The Modern Prometheus” signifies the Greek myth of Prometheus (a mythical character from Greek tales).

Here is a video which explains the myth of Prometheus

To quote Percy Bysshe Shelley,

“Prometheus is the type of the highest perfection of the moral and intellectual nature, impelled by the purest and the truest motives to the best and noblest ends”

Prometheus became an archetypal image who represented human striving and the quest of the scientific knowledge to improve human existence which then results in tragedy. In a similar way, Victor Frankenstein creates ‘a creature’ and for a moment he takes the superior place among mankind just so save humans from death and he believes that no more death will occur resulting in fewer sufferings.

9. Do you think Mary Shelley's Frankenstein stands on the brick of revolutionary changes?

Yes, I think that Mary Shelley's Frankenstein stands on the brick of revolutionary changes as it has been interpreted, by some critics, as an allegory of the French Revolution.

David Ketterer asserts that-

“if the monster can be associated with unconscious ideas, it is but a small step to equate repressed levels of mind with the lower classes, the [French] revolutionary masses”

While-viewing the movie:

10.  How is the beginning and the end of the movie?

The way the movie begins and ends is very symbolic. To describe the scenes of beginning and end words like ‘snow’, ‘ice’, ‘winter’, ‘cold’ can be used and these words if we deeply observe gives a sign of ‘death’. So, indirectly

“the setting of the first scene gives a sense of terror which the last scene fulfills by death!”

The end of the movie seems to be an insightful imagination of Kenneth Branagh but the very first scene begins with the narration in the voice of Mary Shelley: 

"I busied myself to think of a story which would speak to the mysterious fears of our nature and awaken thrilling horror; one to make the reader dread to look around, to curdle the blood, and quicken the beatings of the heart."

Hence, the first scene can be securely said to be faithful to the text (book of Mary Shelley).

11. Do you feel the effect of horror in the movie?

Yes, Kenneth Branagh has weaved each and every scene with amazement and horrifying elements. I have experienced the horrific effect when Victor gives life to his creature and the way the creature raises and comes out of the box with the birth fluid in which he slips and Victor helps him to create balance and the way he runs for Victor is like ‘a kid running for his mother’. This scene on one hand gives a scornful effect and on the other hand it creates an emotional outburst in the mind of the viewer.

12. What do you think about the character of the monster in the movie?

The monster possesses more creative capability than his creator Victor Frankenstein. Despite of his ugly and scornful looks, he seems to be more pathetic character than any other in the movie or novel. It can be said that,

“The monster is at once more intellectual and more emotional than his maker; indeed he excels Frankenstein as much (and in the same ways) as Milton’s Adam excels Milton’s God in Paradise Lost.”

The Monster (a monster, as it is called because of his looks), is ‘more human’ than his creator. He is even more lovable than his creator and equally more to be pitied and more to be feared.  

13. What do you think about the conversation between Victor and the monster?

The conversation between Victor and the monster has philosophical importance. The way the Monster argues with his creator for leaving him so alone at his own and the way he demands to be heard with rational questions to his creator reminds me of Milton’s “Paradise Lost”.

The Monster’s cleaver words say,

“Many times I considered Satan as the fitter emblem of my condition; for often, like him, when I viewed the bliss of my protectors, the bitter gall of envy rose withinin me.”

The Monster compares his life with the experiences of Satan of “Paradise Lost”. What he means to explain is that he feels, like Satan he is excluded from human life and envies the happiness of humans. As Satan has experienced unhappiness is just because of his creator- God, in the same way, the Monster feels that he is doomed like Satan to be left alone just because of his creator – Victor Frankenstein.

14.  Do you think that some scenes are omitted or replaced by other scene? How is the effect of these changes?

Yes, I think that some scenes are omitted or replaced by other scenes. The novel does not affect the reader in the scene of creating the creature but with the process of creation, the movie seems to arouse a kind of curiosity in the minds of audience and the scene also appeal that gives a thrilling effect.

Another scene where I found the terrific effect was the appearance of the Monster and his way of scaring Victor Frankenstein.

15.  Do you think the director has used appropriate symbols in the movie?

Yes, I think that the director has used appropriate symbols in the movie like from the very beginning the cold dreary snow symbolizes winter and frozen state of mind which the last scene of the movie fulfills it by the death of Victor.

Another symbol is fire, fire is used in the movie to symbolize suicide or self –end (self-destruction) the way the female monster ends her life in fire is what we have a sure clue that at the end when Victor’s dead body is burned by the Monster, he doesn’t part from him and the movie ends with the burning scene. So is assumed by the audience that the monster had also died with his creator –Victor. Another scene where the monster burns down the cottage symbolizes his rejection of humanity and his hunger for revenge.

 The book of Milton’, “Paradise lost” symbolizes the conflict between the creator and his creation. Besides this the light symbolizes life

Post-viewing tasks:

16. What is the difference between the movie and the novel?

The movie adaptation provides different characters of De Lacey Family. The Monster observes their ways and learns from them by imitating like a child. The novel informs the reader about a girl Safie, the beautiful Christian Arab love of Felix De Lacey whom he teaches the English language. This is the major change which I have observed and this drastic change had, according to me, lost the real essence of the monster’s desire for a female companion.

17.  Does the movie help you to understand narrative structure of the novel?

Well. I have two opinions regarding this question-

The first is that this movie has a very flat story and incidents seem to be in a very chronological way rather than the very novel of Shelley. The novel “Frankenstein” is in epistolary form and the movie does not include the sister of Captain Walton in any of the scenes. It the sister Margaret Saville with whom Walton begins the tale through letters and in this movie this prime woman is not given any importance.

On the very other hand, the novel has a “story within a story” technique and so this frame narrative seems somewhat complex to understand the plot and this is where the movie becomes beneficial to watch. So, yes, the movie helped me to understand the plot of the novel.

18. Do you think the movie is helpful to understand the viewpoints of different characters?

Yes, I agree that the movie helps to understand the viewpoints of different characters. After the movie screening of Branagh’s “Frankenstein”, it had provided “a face” to all characters which the reading failed to provide. A face that reveals the hidden passion and emotions of characters is excellently portrayed in the movie.

19. Do you think the director is faithful to the novel?

The film begins with the narration in the voice of Mary Shelley: 

"I busied myself to think of a story which would speak to the mysterious fears of our nature and awaken thrilling horror; one to make the reader dread to look around, to curdle the blood, and quicken the beatings of the heart."

But it ends with the imagination of Kenneth Branagh (the director). The movie is considered to be the most faithful film adaptation of Mary Shelley's novel Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus published in 1818.