Frankenstein Chapters 5-10 Flashcards
Prose Revision
‘It was on a _________ night of November’ (page 45)
dreary
‘the rain pattered _________ against the pains’ (page 45)
dismally
Why does Shelley have Victor animate the monster at night?
To convey the transgressive nature of his act - it is something taboo that must be hidden from society.
‘I saw the dull _______ eye of the creature open’ (page 45)
yellow
‘his ______ skin scarcely covered the work of muscles and arteries beneath’ (page 45)
yellow
When the monster is first animated, what colour is he repeatedly linked to?
yellow
Why does Shelley repeatedly describe the monster as yellow - ‘his yellow skin’/’the dull yellow eye’ (page 45)
Yellow is often linked to sickliness and contamination, suggesting the corrupt nature of Victor’s actions.
What word (beginning with c) does Victor use to describe the monster when he is animated?
catastrophe (page 45)
‘the lifeless __________ that lay at my feet’ (page 45)
thing
Before Victor animates the monster, he refers to it as ‘the lifeless thing’ - how is this significant?
It shows how, even before the monster is born, Victor dismisses it and refuses to acknowledge the human life he has created, calling it a ‘thing’.
Which word (beginning with t) means an act that is generally seen as socially unacceptable?
taboo
Who is described as ‘exquisitely beautiful’ (page 64)
Justine - during her trial.
‘She is very clever and gentle, and extremely ________’ (page 52)
pretty
Who is described as ‘very clever and gentle, and extremely pretty’, (page 52) and by whom?
Justine is described this way by Henry Clerval
‘I am resigned to the _________ awaiting me’ (page 68)
fate
‘I _________ permission to have a few witnesses’ (page 65)
beg
Which word (beginning with p) might be used to describe the character of Justine?
passive
How is Shelley’s choice of name - Justine - significant?
It is a word that closely resembles ‘justice’ - this is important as Shelley uses the minor character to highlight the injustices faced by the poor and by females during the early 19th century.
Who is Justine falsely accused of murdering?
William (Victor’s younger brother)
Which political event of the late 18th century might have shaped Shelley’s presentation of Justine?
The French Revolution
How might the presentation of Justine have been influenced by the events of The French Revolution?
The French Revolution was a revolt against the mistreatment of the working classes. The Romantics supported this movement, and Shelley uses Justine to represent the exploitation of this group and the need for change.
Which character speaks up on behalf of Justine at her trial?
Elizabeth (not Victor). This shows the divide between men and women during this period and the discrimination faced by many females.
When Victor is reunited with the monster, what are some of the words /phrases that show how the title character sees his creation as inhuman?
‘vile insect’ (page 77), ‘abhorred monster’ (page 77), ‘unearthly ugliness’ (page 77)
What does Victor call the monster - ‘vile ____________’
insect
When Victor is reunited with the monster, what are some of the words /phrases that show how the title character sees his creation as blasphemous and unholy?
‘the daemon’ (page 77), ‘wretched devil’ (page 77), ‘the wretch’ (page 77)
‘I ought to be thy ___________, but I am rather the fallen angel’ (page 77)
Adam
‘I ought to be thy Adam, but I am rather the __________ angel’ (page 77)
fallen
When he is reunited with Victor, what word does the monster pleadingly repeat to his creator?
Listen - e.g. ‘Listen to my tale/’listen to me’/’listen to me and grant me thy compassion’ (page 78)
When he is reunited with the monster, what command does Victor repeatedly give his creation?
Begone. E.g. ‘Begone vile insect’ (page 77), ‘Begone, I will not hear you’ (page 78) ‘Begone, relieve me from the sight of your detested form’ (page 78)
What text does the monster allude to when he says: ‘I ought to be thy Adam, but I am rather the fallen angel’ (page 77)?
Paradise Lost - an epic poem by John Milton that the monster reads whilst observing the DeLaceys.
How do the villagers, who are the first humans the monster encounters, respond to him?
The shepherd ‘shrieked loudly’ and ran away, ‘one of the women fainted’ and ‘some attacked [him]…with many kinds of missile weapons’ (page 82)
What does tabula rasa mean?
blank slate
Who created the idea of tabula rasa?
The philosopher, John Locke.
What is the theory of tabula rasa?
That all human beings are born as a ‘blank slate’ - we are al a product of the way we are treated by our environment and society as a whole.
Which character might most obviously be seen as embodying the theory of tabula rasa?
The monster. He says to Victor ‘I was benevolent and good, misery made me a fiend’ (page 78). We see some evidence of this in the way he is attacked by the villagers, the Delaceys and even by the person he saves from drowning.
