Frankesnstein Key Quotes Flashcards
(17 cards)
“I ought to be thy Adam, but I am rather the fallen angel.”
The Creature – Rejection, Creation, Religion. He expected love and acceptance from Victor but was cast aside, like Satan rather than Adam.
“Beware; for I am fearless, and therefore powerful.”
The Creature – Power, Revenge. Suffering has stripped him of fear, making him a dangerous and driven force.
“Learn from me, if not by my precepts, at least by my example…”
Victor Frankenstein – Ambition, Warning. A direct caution to Walton about the dangers of unchecked ambition.
“I had desired it with an ardour that far exceeded moderation.”
Victor Frankenstein – Ambition, Obsession. Reflects his extreme passion for knowledge and the Romantic critique of excess.
“The world was to me a secret which I desired to divine.”
Victor Frankenstein – Knowledge, Curiosity. Expresses his yearning to unlock nature’s mysteries, echoing the Promethean myth.
“I am malicious because I am miserable.”
The Creature – Isolation, Nature vs. Nurture. He blames his wickedness on his rejection and suffering, not innate evil.
“Nothing is so painful to the human mind as a great and sudden change.”
Victor Frankenstein – Loss, Identity. Reflects trauma and emotional upheaval; relevant to both Victor and the Creature.
“I had worked hard for nearly two years, for the sole purpose of infusing life into an inanimate body.”
Victor Frankenstein – Creation, Responsibility. Shows his obsessive labor, leading to horror rather than triumph.
“Accursed creator! Why did you form a monster so hideous that even you turned from me in disgust?”
The Creature – Rejection, Appearance, Identity. He is devastated by being abandoned due to his looks—even by his own maker.
“I had selected his features as beautiful. Beautiful! Great God!”
Victor Frankenstein – Horror, Creation. Shock and regret at the result of his own work, showing the limits of human control.
“The fallen angel becomes a malignant devil.”
The Creature – Transformation, Rejection. Pain and rejection lead to bitterness, echoing Paradise Lost’s Satan.
“His limbs were in proportion, and I had selected his features as beautiful. But these luxuriances only formed a more horrid contrast…”
Victor Frankenstein – Appearance, Horror. Natural perfection becomes grotesque when combined unnaturally.
“I am alone and miserable: man will not associate with me.”
The Creature – Isolation, Society. Expresses his loneliness and rejection by humanity.
“The very winds whispered in soothing accents, and maternal Nature bade me weep no more.”
Victor Frankenstein – Nature, Healing. Romantic view of nature as nurturing and restorative.
“I am satisfied: miserable wretch! you have determined to live, and I am satisfied.”
The Creature – Revenge, Regret. After Victor’s death, the Creature realizes revenge has left him empty.
“Nothing contributes so much to tranquillize the mind as a steady purpose.”
Robert Walton – Ambition, Purpose. Emphasizes the human need for direction and meaning, paralleling Victor’s obsession.
“Was man, indeed, at once so powerful, so virtuous, and magnificent, yet so vicious and base?”
The Creature – Duality of Man, Society. He is both awed and repulsed by human nature’s contradictions.
