What horrors unfold when ambition overreaches and scientific creation spurns moral responsibility?
Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, or The Modern Prometheus, explores these terrifying depths.
This seminal 1818 Gothic novel charts Victor Frankenstein’s obsession with forbidden knowledge and the tragic consequences of abandoning his intelligent, articulate, yet horrifyingly spurned Creature. Their intertwined destinies unleash a devastating cycle of isolation, prejudice, and revenge.
From Arctic desolation to Ingolstadt’s laboratories, Shelley examines the nature of humanity, monstrosity, and the deep need for companionship, forcing readers to question who the true monster is.
Our curated collection of 64 Frankenstein quotes with page numbers (Penguin Classics 2018 edition) illuminates the novel’s core conflicts. Each quote, paired with analysis, delves into character motivations, pivotal themes, and Shelley’s enduring critique of scientific hubris and societal alienation.
Frankenstein Quotes Volume I: Genesis of Ambition & Creation’s Horror
The novel opens with Robert Walton’s ambitious Arctic letters, framing Victor Frankenstein’s narrative. Volume I details Victor’s idyllic youth, his consuming scientific passion, the grotesque animation of his Creature, and his immediate, horrified abandonment, unleashing tragic consequences upon his unsuspecting family.
Walton’s Letters: Ambition’s Call & The Yearning for a Friend
Explorer Robert Walton’s correspondence with his sister Margaret Saville reveals his fervent desire for discovery and glory, alongside a profound loneliness that mirrors Victor’s later isolation and the Creature’s desperate need for companionship. These letters establish themes of ambition and the human need for connection.
“Nothing contributes so much to tranquillize the mind as a steady purpose- a point on which the soul can focus its intellectual eye”
(Speaker: Robert Walton, Letters, Page 8)
Walton articulates a core Romantic ideal: the power of a singular, driving ambition to provide mental peace and focus. This sentiment foreshadows Victor Frankenstein’s consuming purpose, though with tragically different outcomes, highlighting the fine line between noble ambition and destructive obsession.
“But I have one want which I have never yet been able to satisfy… I have no friend, Margaret… I desire the company of a man who could sympathise with me; whose eyes would reply to mine…”
(Speaker: Robert Walton, Letters, Page 11)
Walton’s deep yearning for a companionate friend underscores the theme of isolation that pervades the novel. His desire for intellectual and emotional sympathy mirrors the Creature’s later, more desperate pleas, suggesting that the need for connection is a fundamental human (and perhaps non-human) drive, the lack of which leads to profound suffering.
“Even broken in spirit as he is, no one can feel more deeply than he does the beauties of nature… Such a man has a double existence: he may suffer misery… yet, when he has retired into himself, he will be like a celestial spirit…”
(Speaker: Robert Walton about Victor Frankenstein, Letters, Page 18)
Walton perceives Victor’s profound connection to nature, a typical Romantic sensibility where the sublime landscape offers solace and elevates the spirit. This “double existence”—capable of immense suffering and spiritual transcendence through nature—characterizes Victor’s internal conflicts and his capacity for both great good and catastrophic error.
“I agree with you… we are unfashioned creatures, but half made up, if one wiser, better, dearer than ourselves — such a friend ought to be — do not lend his aid to perfectionate our weak and faulty natures. I once had a friend… You have hope… But I — I have lost everything, and cannot begin life anew.”
(Speaker: Victor Frankenstein to Walton, Letters, Page 19)
Victor’s tragic response to Walton’s desire for friendship establishes his profound despair and sense of irreversible loss. Given his abandonment of his “unfashioned creature,” his belief that true companionship “perfectionates our weak and faulty natures” is poignant. This quote immediately positions Victor as a man defined by regret and a past he cannot escape, setting a somber tone for his narrative.
Chapter 1: Genevese Idyll & Seeds of Curiosity
Victor describes his harmonious childhood in Geneva, surrounded by loving family, including his adopted sister Elizabeth Lavenza and dear friend Henry Clerval. He highlights his early thirst for knowledge, contrasting his nature with Elizabeth’s imaginative spirit, foreshadowing their passions taking divergent paths.
“The world was to me a secret, which I desired to discover; to her it was a vacancy, which she sought to people with imaginations of her own.”
(Speaker: Victor Frankenstein as narrator, about himself and Elizabeth, Chapter 1, Page 26)
Victor defines his early intellectual drive as a quest to unveil nature’s “secret,” contrasting it with Elizabeth’s Romantic imagination. This highlights his innate ambition and foreshadows his later pursuit of forbidden knowledge, driven by a desire to penetrate mysteries rather than appreciate their surface beauty.
“I feel pleasure in dwelling on the recollections of childhood, before misfortune had tainted my mind, and changed its bright visions of extensive usefulness into gloomy and narrow reflections upon self.”
(Speaker: Victor Frankenstein as narrator, Chapter 1, Page 27)
Victor’s nostalgic reflection on his innocent childhood underscores the devastating transformation wrought by his later actions. The contrast between “bright visions” and “gloomy reflections” encapsulates the tragic arc of his life, from hopeful potential to self-absorbed despair.
Chapter 2: Loss, Departure & Science’s Fateful Call
The death of Victor’s mother precipitates his departure for the University of Ingolstadt. Initially disdainful of modern science, he’s captivated by M. Waldman’s lecture, which praises modern chemistry and sets Victor on his path towards the “secrets of creation,” igniting his fatal ambition.
“I need not describe the feelings of those whose dearest ties are rent by that most irreparable evil… My mother was dead, but we had still duties which we ought to perform…”
(Speaker: Victor Frankenstein as narrator, Chapter 2, Page 32)
Victor’s account of his mother’s death reveals his early capacity for suppressing personal grief in favor of perceived “duties.” This foreshadows his later, more catastrophic neglect of emotional well-being and familial connection in pursuit of his scientific ambitions.
“It was very different when the masters of science sought immortality and power; such views, although futile, were grand: but now the scene was changed… I was required to exchange chimeras of boundless grandeur for realities of little worth.”
(Speaker: Victor Frankenstein as narrator, Chapter 2, Pages 34, 35)
Victor expresses his initial disdain for modern science’s perceived lack of “grandeur” compared to the alchemists’ pursuit of “immortality and power.” This reveals his yearning for transcendent, almost godlike achievement, rather than practical, incremental knowledge, setting the stage for his overreaching ambition.
“A man would make but a very sorry chemist if he attended to that department of human knowledge alone.”
(Speaker: M. Waldman, Chapter 2, Page 36)
M. Waldman’s advice emphasizes the necessity of a broad, humanistic education for a true “man of science,” ironically highlighting the holistic approach Victor will later abandon in his obsessive, isolated pursuit of creating life, leading to his narrow focus and subsequent downfall.
Chapter 3: Obsession’s Grip & Knowledge’s Peril
At Ingolstadt, Victor becomes entirely consumed by his scientific studies, particularly the mystery of life’s origin. He isolates himself, sacrificing health and relationships, driven by a fervent desire to “bestow animation upon lifeless matter,” a pursuit he later recognizes as dangerously hubristic.
“None but those who have experienced them can conceive of the enticements of science. In other studies you go as far as others have gone before you, but in a scientific pursuit there is continual food for discovery and wonder.”
(Speaker: Victor Frankenstein as narrator, Chapter 3, Page 39)
Victor passionately articulates the intoxicating allure of scientific discovery, emphasizing its unique promise of venturing into uncharted territory (“continual food for discovery and wonder”). This captures the intellectual excitement that fuels his ambition but hints at the potential for unchecked obsession when that pursuit becomes singular.
“With how many things are we on the brink of becoming acquainted, if cowardice or carelessness did not restrain our inquiries.”
(Speaker: Victor Frankenstein as narrator, Chapter 3, Page 39)
This reflects Victor’s Promethean drive, viewing “cowardice or carelessness” as the only impediments to boundless human knowledge. It reveals his dangerous underestimation of ethical boundaries and the potential consequences of unrestrained scientific inquiry.
“Learn from me… how dangerous is the acquirement of knowledge, and how much happier that man is who believes his native town to be his world, than he who aspires to become greater than his nature will allow.”
(Speaker: Victor Frankenstein as narrator, Chapter 3, Page 41)
This is one of Victor’s most explicit warnings, delivered with the bitter wisdom of hindsight. He frames the “acquirement of knowledge” not as inherently good, but as potentially “dangerous” when it leads one to “aspire to become greater than his nature will allow.” This reflects the tragic cost of his intellectual ambition and is a central cautionary message of the novel, highlighting the destructive potential of hubris.
“A human being in perfection ought always to preserve a calm and peaceful mind… If the study to which you apply yourself has a tendency to weaken your affections… then that study is certainly unlawful…”
(Speaker: Victor Frankenstein as narrator, Chapter 3, Pages 43, 44)
Victor again acknowledges in retrospect the ethical imperative to balance intellectual pursuits with emotional well-being and social connection. He defines any study that “weaken your affections” or destroys simple pleasures as “unlawful” for the human mind, a principle he catastrophically violated in his obsessive creation.
Chapter 4: Creation’s Dawn & Dream’s Demise
On a “dreary night of November,” Victor animates his Creature. Instead of triumph, the moment brings immediate, “breathless horror and disgust.” The “beauty of the dream vanished” as he beheld his grotesque creation, leading to his instant revulsion and irresponsible abandonment.
“The different accidents of life are not so changeable as the feelings of human nature.”
(Speaker: Victor Frankenstein as narrator, Chapter 4, Page 45)
Victor reflects on the volatile nature of human emotions, particularly his swift shift from ardent desire for creation to profound disgust upon its completion. This observation underscores his emotional immaturity and inability to manage the consequences of his actions.
“Beautiful!—Great God! His yellow skin scarcely covered the work of muscles and arteries beneath…these luxuriances only formed a more horrid contrast with his watery eyes…his shrivelled complexion, and straight black lips.”
(Speaker: Victor Frankenstein as narrator, Chapter 4, Page 45)
Victor’s exclamation of “Beautiful!—Great God!” immediately gives way to revulsion as he details the Creature’s grotesque appearance. The “horrid contrast” between the selected “luxuriances” (flowing black hair, pearly teeth) and the underlying reality of his assembled form captures Victor’s profound aesthetic shock and the instant shattering of his creative dream, emphasizing his superficial judgment based solely on appearance.
“Now that I had finished, the beauty of the dream vanished, and breathless horror and disgust filled my heart.”
(Speaker: Victor Frankenstein as narrator, Chapter 4, Page 45)
This harsh admission marks the precise moment Victor’s ambition curdles into terror. The “beauty of the dream” (creating life) is instantly annihilated by the reality of his creation, replaced by an overwhelming “horror and disgust” that dictates his immediate, irresponsible abandonment of the Creature.
Chapter 5: Fragile Recovery & Tragic News from Home
Having fled his creation, Victor falls into a nervous fever, tenderly nursed by his newly arrived friend, Henry Clerval. As he slowly recovers, finding some solace in nature and Clerval’s companionship, a letter from his father arrives, bearing the devastating news of his youngest brother William’s murder.
“When happy, inanimate nature had the power of bestowing on me the most delightful sensations.”
(Speaker: Victor Frankenstein as narrator, Chapter 5, Page 58)
Victor describes nature’s restorative power, a key Romantic theme. For him, the beauty of the “inanimate” natural world offers solace and “delightful sensations,” contrasting the unnatural horror of his own animate creation and a temporary refuge from his guilt.
Chapter 6: Return to Geneva & The Monster’s Shadow
Returning to Geneva, Victor is tormented by the secret knowledge that his Creature is William’s true murderer. During a storm near the site of the murder, he glimpses the Creature, confirming his fears. His father, Alphonse, offers gentle counsel on navigating grief and injustice.
“Enter the house of mourning, my friend, but with kindness and affection for those who love you, and not with hatred for your enemies.”
(Speaker: Alphonse Frankenstein, Chapter 6, Page 62)
Upon returning to their grieving household, Alphonse’s gentle advice to Victor emphasizes compassion over vengeance. This counsel highlights a path of healing through “kindness and affection,” a path Victor, consumed by guilt and nascent thoughts of his “enemy,” will struggle to follow.
Chapter 7: Justine’s Fate & Victor’s Silent Guilt
The family servant, Justine Moritz, is falsely accused of William’s murder. Elizabeth passionately defends her, but circumstantial evidence and Justine’s coerced confession lead to her conviction. Victor, knowing the truth but paralyzed by fear of revealing his monstrous creation, remains silent, sealing Justine’s fate and deepening his crushing guilt.
“It may…be judged indecent in me to come forward… but when I see a fellow-creature about to perish through the cowardice of her pretended friends, I wish to be allowed to speak…”
(Speaker: Elizabeth Lavenza, Chapter 7, Page 75)
Despite societal expectations of female reticence, Elizabeth’s courageous courtroom defense of Justine showcases her strong moral character and loyalty. Her words are a powerful indictment of those who abandon friends (“cowardice of her pretended friends”) in times of crisis, directly contrasting with Victor’s silence regarding Justine’s innocence.
“When one creature is murdered, another is immediately deprived of life in a slow torturing manner…”
(Speaker: Elizabeth Lavenza, Chapter 7, Page 76)
Elizabeth eloquently expresses her horror at the chain of tragedy, perceiving Justine’s impending execution not as justice, but as a “slow torturing manner” of taking another life after William’s murder. Her words highlight the profound injustice and escalating suffering caused by the initial, unrevealed crime.
Justine’s tragic fate deepens Victor’s despair, driving him to seek solace in the vast, indifferent majesty of the Alps. Nature’s grandeur offers no escape. He’s soon confronted by the architect of his misery—his creation—who demands to narrate his tale of suffering and burgeoning consciousness.
Frankenstein Volume II Quotes: The Creature’s Narrative & Plea
Consumed by guilt and remorse after Justine’s execution, Victor seeks solace in the sublime yet desolate landscapes of the Alps. It’s here, amidst the “awful and majestic in nature,” that he is confronted by his Creature, who then eloquently narrates his own harrowing story of suffering, dawning understanding of humanity through the De Lacey family, brutal rejection, and burgeoning desire for companionship—or, failing that, terrible revenge.
Chapter 1 (Vol. II): Despair’s Depths & Elizabeth’s Wisdom
Victor is plunged into despair, unable to find solace. Elizabeth’s letters express her grief and question the nature of justice and happiness in a world where “falsehood can look so like the truth,” reflecting the deep moral wounds inflicted upon the family.
“Nothing is more painful to the human mind than… the dead calmness of inaction and certainty which follows and deprives the soul both of hope and fear.”
(Speaker: Victor Frankenstein as narrator, Volume II, Chapter 1, Page 81)
Victor describes the profound psychological torment following Justine’s death—a “dead calmness” worse than active grief. This state of emotional paralysis, devoid of hope or even fear, highlights the depth of his despair and his inability to process the consequences of his actions.
“I shunned the face of man; all sound of joy or complacency was torture to me; solitude was my only consolation—deep, dark, death-like solitude.”
(Speaker: Victor Frankenstein as narrator, Volume II, Chapter 1, Page 81)
Consumed by guilt, Victor retreats into an all-consuming “death-like solitude.” His inability to bear human interaction or joy reveals the profound alienation caused by his secret crime, making isolation his only, albeit bleak, refuge from his tormented conscience.
“But now misery has come home, and men appear to me as monsters thirsting for each other’s blood.”
(Speaker: Elizabeth Lavenza, Volume II, Chapter 1, Page 83)
Elizabeth’s declaration reflects her disillusionment after Justine’s wrongful execution. The once-abstract nature of “vice and injustice” has become a tangible horror, making her view humanity itself as predatory (“monsters thirsting for each other’s blood”), a harsh loss of innocence.
“When falsehood can look so like the truth, who can assure themselves of certain happiness?”
(Speaker: Elizabeth Lavenza, Volume II, Chapter 1, Page 84)
Elizabeth’s poignant question captures her despair at the unreliability of appearances and justice. Justine’s condemnation, despite her innocence, shatters Elizabeth’s faith in discerning truth, making all “certain happiness” seem precarious and illusory.
Chapter 2 (Vol. II): Confrontation on Montanvert & The Creature’s Plea
Seeking escape in the sublime landscape of the Alps, Victor ascends Montanvert. Amidst the “sea of ice,” he’s dramatically confronted by the Creature he abandoned. The Creature, with surprising eloquence and passion, demands that Victor hear his story, arguing for his right to justice and happiness.
“The sight of the awful and majestic in nature had indeed always the effect of solemnising my mind and causing me to forget the passing cares of life.”
(Speaker: Victor Frankenstein as narrator, Volume II, Chapter 2, Page 88)
Victor again seeks solace in the Romantic ideal of nature. The “awful and majestic” alpine scenery offers a temporary respite, “solemnising” his mind and momentarily distracting him from his profound guilt and despair, though its power is ultimately insufficient.
“We rest; A dream has power to poison sleep… Man’s yesterday may ne’er be like his morrow; Nought may endure but mutability!”
(Speaker: Victor Frankenstein reciting/reflecting on Percy Shelley’s “Mutability”, Volume II, Chapter 2, Page 88)
Victor’s recitation of lines from Shelley’s “Mutability” reflects his despair and the theme of irreversible change. The sentiment that “Nought may endure but mutability!” underscores his sense that his past actions have poisoned his present and future irrevocably, leaving no room for enduring happiness or peace.
“Devil, do you dare approach me? and do you not fear the fierce vengeance of my arm…?”
(Speaker: Victor Frankenstein to the Monster, Volume II, Chapter 2, Page 89)
Upon seeing his Creature, Victor’s immediate, enraged reaction is violent revulsion and threatened vengeance. He labels his creation “Devil,” instantly denying any responsibility and framing their relationship as one of pure antagonism, refusing to acknowledge the Creature’s potential for sentience or suffering.
“I expected this reception. All men hate the wretched; how, then, must I be hated… Yet you, my creator, detest and spurn me…”
(Speaker: The Monster, Volume II, Chapter 2, Page 90)
The Creature’s articulate response to Victor’s hatred reveals his profound understanding of his wretchedness and society’s prejudice against the unfortunate (“All men hate the wretched”). He highlights the cruelty of being spurned by his own “creator,” establishing the grounds for his demand for justice and understanding.
“I ought to be thy Adam, but I am rather the fallen angel…”
(Speaker: The Monster, Volume II, Chapter 2, Page 90)
This iconic quote showcases the Creature’s profound self-awareness and articulate grasp of his tragic condition, alluding directly to Paradise Lost. He recognizes his potential for innocence (“thy Adam”) but acknowledges his transformation into a figure of sorrow and potential malevolence (“the fallen angel”) due to Victor’s abandonment and society’s rejection.
This line encapsulates his yearning for acceptance and his despair at being cast out from all “joy,” a core grievance against his creator.
“Life, although it may only be an accumulation of anguish, is dear to me, and I will defend it.”
(Speaker: The Monster, Volume II, Chapter 2, Page 90)
Despite acknowledging his existence as an “accumulation of anguish,” the Creature asserts his inherent will to live and his right to defend that life. This declaration of self-preservation is a powerful claim to his life, challenging Victor’s desire to easily extinguish him.
“Listen to me, Frankenstein. You accuse me of murder; and yet you would… destroy your own creature. Oh, praise the eternal justice of man!”
(Speaker: The Monster, Volume II, Chapter 2, Page 91)
The Creature bitterly highlights Victor’s hypocrisy and the flawed “eternal justice of man.” He points out that Victor, his creator and the one who set these events in motion, now seeks to destroy him without a hearing, exposing the creator’s refusal to accept responsibility for his creation’s actions and suffering.
“I was benevolent and good; misery made me a fiend. Make me happy, and I shall again be virtuous.”
(Speaker: The Monster, Volume II, Chapter 2, Pages 90-91)
This is the Creature’s central plea and a cornerstone of the novel’s exploration of nature versus nurture. He argues that his malevolence (“fiend”) is a direct result of the “misery” inflicted upon him by rejection and isolation, not an inherent evil.
He offers Victor a path to redemption and virtue through companionship (“Make me happy”), placing the responsibility for his future actions squarely on his creator. This request for a chance at happiness forms the crux of his demand.
Chapter 3 (Vol. II): Awakening to a Hostile World
The Creature begins narrating his earliest experiences: his confusion upon awakening to consciousness, his sensory overload, the discovery of fire, and his initial, frightening encounters with humans who universally reject him based on his grotesque appearance, forcing him into desolate solitude.
“Here then I retreated, and lay down, happy to have found a shelter, however miserable, from the inclemency of the season, and still more from the barbarity of man.”
(Speaker: The Monster, Volume II, Chapter 3, Page 97)
After his first violent rejection by villagers, the Creature finds solace not from nature’s harshness (“inclemency of the season”) but, more significantly, from the “barbarity of man.” This early experience establishes human cruelty as a primary source of his suffering and alienation, forcing him into hiding.
Chapter 5 (Vol. II): Learning Humanity, Perceiving Monstrosity
The Creature secretly observes the De Lacey family, gradually learning language, history, and complex human emotions like love and sorrow from his hovel. He reads Volney’s “Ruins of Empires,” which teaches him about societal structures and human contradictions, leading to a painful awareness of his profound isolation and perceived monstrosity.
“These wonderful narrations inspired me with strange feelings. Was man, indeed, at once so powerful, so virtuous and magnificent, yet so vicious and base?… I turned away with disgust and loathing.”
(Speaker: The Monster, Volume II, Chapter 5, Page 110)
Learning about human history through Volney’s Ruins of Empires, the Creature is struck by humanity’s profound contradictions—its capacity for both magnificent virtue and base vice. This dawning understanding of moral complexity confuses and disgusts him, shaping his ambivalent view of mankind.
“I learned that the possessions most esteemed by your fellow-creatures were, high and unsullied descent united with riches… And what was I? Of my creation and creator I was absolutely ignorant… Was I then a monster…?”
(Speaker: The Monster, Volume II, Chapter 5, Page 111)
The Creature’s exposure to societal values—rank, descent, riches—forces a devastating self-assessment. Realizing he possesses none of these esteemed qualities and is ignorant of his origins, he confronts the agonizing question of his identity: “Was I then a monster?” This highlights his alienation based on societal standards he’s only beginning to comprehend.
“Of what a strange nature is knowledge! It clings to the mind… I learned that there was but one means to overcome the sensation of pain, and that was death…”
(Speaker: The Monster, Volume II, Chapter 5, Page 111)
The Creature laments the burden of increasing knowledge that only deepens his sorrow by revealing the extent of his outcast state. His bleak conclusion that only death can overcome pain underscores his profound despair and the tragic consequence of his forced enlightenment without acceptance.
Chapter 7 (Vol. II): Words of Power & The Agony of Self-Knowledge
The Creature discovers Victor’s journal detailing his gruesome creation and reads foundational literary works—Paradise Lost, Plutarch’s Lives, and Goethe’s Sorrows of Young Werther. These texts shape his understanding of himself, his relationship with Victor, and his place in the world, intensifying his feelings of alienation, injustice, and existential despair.
“As I read… I found myself similar, yet at the same time strangely unlike to the beings concerning whom I read… Who was I? What was I? Whence did I come? What was my destination?”
(Speaker: The Monster, Volume II, Chapter 7, Page 120)
Reading literature, particularly The Sorrows of Young Werther, allows the Creature to see reflections of human emotion, yet it also heightens his sense of profound otherness. His anguished, repeated questions—”Who was I? What was I?”—reveals his desperate search for identity and belonging in a world where he finds no true counterpart, highlighting his existential crisis.
“Hateful day when I received life!… Accursed creator! Why did you form a monster so hideous that even you turned from me in disgust?… Satan had his companions… but I am solitary and abhorred.’”
(Speaker: The Monster, Volume II, Chapter 7, Page 122)
Finding Victor’s journal and learning the details of his “accursed origin” fills the Creature with rage and despair. He curses his existence and creator for forming him so “hideous” and universally reviled.
His comparison to Satan from Paradise Lost is pivotal: even Satan, the epitome of evil, had “fellow-devils,” while the Creature suffers absolute solitude, making his anguish unique and profound. This marks a critical intensification of his bitterness and foreshadows his vengeful turn.
“Increase of knowledge only discovered to me more clearly what a wretched outcast I was.”
(Speaker: The Monster, Volume II, Chapter 7, Page 122)
The Creature painfully concludes that his intellectual development and knowledge acquisition only deepen his misery. Each new understanding of human society, relationships, and ideals throws his “wretched outcast” status into sharper, more agonizing relief, illustrating the tragic irony of his unwanted sentience.
“I allowed my thoughts… to ramble in the fields of Paradise… But it was all a dream: no Eve soothed my sorrows… I was alone.”
(Speaker: The Monster, Volume II, Chapter 7, Page 123)
Echoing Adam’s lament in Paradise Lost but with a crucial difference, the Creature mourns his absolute solitude. Unlike Adam, who had Eve, the Creature has no companion (“no Eve soothed my sorrows”), making his exclusion from love and sympathy complete and fueling his desire for a mate.
“I required kindness and sympathy…”
(Speaker: The Monster, Volume II, Chapter 7, Page 123)
This simple, direct statement encapsulates the Creature’s deepest yearning. More than basic sustenance, he craves the fundamental human needs of “kindness and sympathy,” the things consistently denied him due to his appearance, driving his escalating despair.
“Do not despair. To be friendless is indeed to be unfortunate, but the hearts of men… are full of brotherly love and charity.”
(Speaker: Old Man De Lacey to the Monster, Volume II, Chapter 7, Page 125)
The blind De Lacey offers the Creature a fleeting moment of hope, speaking of humanity’s inherent “brotherly love and charity” when unclouded by prejudice. This poignant irony highlights that acceptance is possible only when the Creature’s appearance is not a factor, underscoring the superficiality of society’s judgment.
Chapter 8 (Vol. II): Rejection’s Fury & Vengeance Born
Felix’s return violently shattered The Creature’s hopeful attempt to connect with the blind De Lacey. This ultimate rejection by the family he admired transforms his sorrow into burning rage. He declares “everlasting war” on humanity, especially his creator, then recounts his journey to Geneva, the murder of William, and the framing of Justine.
“Cursed, cursed creator! Why did I live? Why, in that instant, did I not extinguish the spark of existence which you had so wantonly bestowed?”
(Speaker: The Monster, Volume II, Chapter 8, Page 128)
After the De Laceys’ violent rejection, the Creature’s despair peaks. He curses Victor again for giving him life only to face such profound suffering and isolation, his anguish questioning the very value of an existence defined by universal abhorrence.
Chapter 9 (Vol. II): The Demand for a Mate & A Chilling Vow
Concluding his narrative to Victor, the Creature passionately argues for his right to a female companion, equally hideous, with whom he can live in exile. He promises to disappear from human society if Victor complies, but threatens devastating revenge if his one chance at happiness is denied.
“My companion must be of the same species… with whom I can live in the interchange of those sympathies necessary for my being…”
(Speaker: The Monster, Volume II, Chapter 9, Page 136)
The Creature articulates his core demand: a female companion of his “same species” to alleviate his loneliness and provide the “sympathies necessary for my being.” This request highlights his desperate need for connection and acceptance, which he believes only an equally outcast being can offer.
“If I cannot inspire love, I will cause fear!”
(Speaker: The Monster, Volume II, Chapter 9, Page 137)
This chilling vow marks the Creature’s definitive turn from a yearning for acceptance to a promise of retribution if his one demand for companionship is denied. Having been consistently met with hatred and fear, he reclaims those very tools as weapons, demonstrating a desperate assertion of power in a world that has only caused him pain. This quote is a pivotal moment showcasing his profound despair and capacity for vengeance when all hope for love is extinguished.
“It is true, we shall be monsters, cut off from all the world; but on that account we shall be more attached to one another.”
(Speaker: The Monster, Volume II, Chapter 9, Page 137)
The Creature acknowledges their shared outcast status (“we shall be monsters”) but envisions this as a foundation for mutual attachment. His plea suggests that shared suffering and alienation can forge a powerful bond, offering a vision of companionship even in exile from the human world.
“If I have no ties and no affections, hatred and vice must be my portion; the love of another will destroy the cause of my crimes… My vices are the children of a forced solitude that I abhor…”
(Speaker: The Monster, Volume II, Chapter 9, Page 139)
The Creature argues for nurture over nature, claiming his “vices are the children of a forced solitude.” He proposes that companionship and “the love of another” will eradicate his destructive impulses by addressing the root cause of his misery—his profound isolation—making a female companion not just a desire but a necessity for his moral redemption.
The Creature’s raw, eloquent account of his suffering and his desperate plea for a companion leave Victor in a terrible moral quandary. His reluctant agreement to create a female, and the subsequent journey fraught with procrastination and dread, propels the narrative towards its horrifying climax and the final, destructive cycle of revenge.
Frankenstein Volume III Quotes: Descent into Revenge & Tragic Pursuit
Haunted by his promise and the Creature’s threats, Victor travels, procrastinating his grim task of creating a female.
Volume III details his internal torment, the eventual destruction of the female creature, the murder of Clerval, Elizabeth’s tragic wedding night, and Victor’s all-consuming, globe-spanning pursuit of his creation, culminating in their final, desolate confrontation in the Arctic as narrated by Walton.
Chapter 1 (Vol. III): A Troubled Journey & Clerval’s Joy
Now accompanied by a cheerful Henry Clerval, whose joy in nature contrasts sharply with Victor’s gloom, Victor travels to England. He’s ostensibly on a scientific tour but secretly intends to gather information for creating the female creature, a task he undertakes with growing dread and procrastination.
“I have seen,” he said, “the most beautiful scenes… but this country, Victor, pleases me more… Oh, surely, the spirit that inhabits and guards this place has a soul more in harmony with man…”
(Speaker: Henry Clerval to Victor, Volume III, Chapter 1, Pages 150, 151)
Clerval’s joyful appreciation of the Rhine’s picturesque landscape highlights his Romantic sensibility and capacity for finding beauty and harmony in nature. His vibrant engagement with the world contrasts with Victor’s internal torment and inability to perceive such beauty, emphasizing Victor’s alienated state.
Chapter 2 (Vol. III): Scotland’s Solitude & The Weight of a Promise
Victor journeys through England and Scotland, his guilt and fear intensifying with every passing day. He eventually seeks extreme isolation on a remote, desolate Orkney island to commence the horrifying work of creating a female companion for his first creature, a task he undertakes with growing revulsion and moral conflict.
“I enjoyed this scene; and yet my enjoyment was embittered… I am a blasted tree; the bolt has entered my soul…”
(Speaker: Victor Frankenstein as narrator, Volume III, Chapter 2, Page 155)
Even amidst beautiful scenery, Victor’s perception is “embittered” by his internal suffering. His powerful metaphor of being a “blasted tree” with a “bolt” in his soul vividly conveys his creation’s permanent, destructive impact and subsequent guilt on his capacity for joy.
Chapter 3 (Vol. III): Creation Destroyed & The Wedding-Night Threat
On the remote Orkney island, as he nears completion of the female creature, Victor is struck by horrifying premonitions of a “race of devils” and the potential for even greater destruction.
The Creature appears at his window, a silent, menacing observer. In a fit of revulsion and defiance against his tormentor, Victor destroys his nearly finished work. The Creature, enraged by this ultimate betrayal, utters his most chilling threat: “I shall be with you on your wedding-night.” Victor then disposes of the female creature’s remains at sea and is set adrift, eventually washing ashore in Ireland.
“Remember that I have power; you believe yourself miserable, but I can make you so wretched that the light of day will be hateful to you. You are my creator, but I am your master;–obey!”
(Speaker: The Monster, Volume III, Chapter 3, Page 162)
The Creature forcefully asserts his dominance over Victor, reversing their original roles. His threat to make Victor’s existence unbearable (“light of day will be hateful”) and his declaration “I am your master;–obey!” demonstrate his shift from pleading for sympathy to demanding compliance through fear and power derived from his wretchedness.
“Beware; for I am fearless, and therefore powerful.”
(Speaker: The Monster, Volume III, Chapter 3, Page 163)
This direct, chilling statement from the Creature encapsulates the source of his formidable strength. Having been stripped of all hope for love or acceptance, and thus having nothing left to lose, he becomes “fearless.” This fearlessness, born of absolute despair and alienation from human society, translates into a terrifying “powerful” capacity for wreaking havoc and exacting his revenge upon his creator and humanity, a core tenet of his transformed being.
“How mutable are our feelings, and how strange is that clinging love we have of life even in the excess of misery!”
(Speaker: Victor Frankenstein as narrator, Volume III, Chapter 3, Page 167)
Adrift and facing death, Victor marvels at the human instinct for survival (“clinging love we have of life”) even amidst profound suffering. This reflection highlights the tenacity of the life force, a stark contrast to his own earlier willingness to abandon his creation and his recurring thoughts of his demise.
Chapter 4 (Vol. III): Ireland’s Horror & Clerval’s Doom
Victor washes ashore in Ireland only to be immediately accused of the murder of Henry Clerval, whose body has just been found strangled. Overwhelmed by this new horror, recognizing the Creature’s fulfilled vengeance for the destroyed female, Victor falls into a prolonged, raving illness and is imprisoned, his sanity shattered.
“The cup of life was poisoned for ever… I saw around me nothing but a dense and frightful darkness…”
(Speaker: Victor Frankenstein as narrator, Volume III, Chapter 4, Page 176)
Upon realizing Clerval’s murder at the hands of his creation, Victor’s despair becomes absolute and all-consuming. The metaphor of life’s “cup” being “poisoned for ever” signifies the irrevocable loss of all joy and hope, plunging him into a “dense and frightful darkness” from which he believes he can never escape, haunted by the escalating consequences of his actions.
“…take me where I may forget myself, my existence, and all the world.”
(Speaker: Victor Frankenstein as narrator, Volume III, Chapter 4, Page 177)
Victor’s plea reflects his complete psychological collapse and yearning for oblivion. His desire to “forget myself, my existence, and all the world” reveals the unbearable weight of his guilt and grief, making continued consciousness an unendurable torture.
Chapter 5 (Vol. III): A Father’s Mercy & Elizabeth’s Plea
Acquitted due to his proven alibi but utterly broken in spirit and health, Victor is taken back to Geneva by his father. Elizabeth’s loving letters arrive, expressing deep concern for his well-being and gently questioning his feelings about their impending marriage, completely unaware of the true horror that haunts him and the Creature’s specific threat against their union.
“if I see but one smile on your lips when we meet… I shall need no other happiness.”
(Speaker: Elizabeth Lavenza in letter to Victor, Volume III, Chapter 5, Page 182)
Elizabeth’s selfless declaration in her letter reveals the depth of her love and concern for Victor. Her happiness is entirely contingent upon his, showcasing her gentle, devoted nature and her poignant unawareness of the true source of his profound misery and the specific danger that awaits them on their wedding night.
“Heavy misfortunes have befallen us, but let us only cling closer to what remains…”
(Speaker: Alphonse Frankenstein, Volume III, Chapter 5, Page 184)
Alphonse’s gentle counsel to Victor encourages finding solace in remaining family bonds after their numerous losses. His words emphasize love and mutual support as a means of enduring “heavy misfortunes,” urging Victor to value “what remains” rather than succumbing entirely to despair and isolation.
Chapter 6 (Vol. III): The Fateful Wedding Night & Irreversible Loss
Despite his profound foreboding, Victor proceeds with his marriage to Elizabeth, tragically misinterpreting the Creature’s threat (“I shall be with you on your wedding-night”) as being aimed at himself. While Victor patrols the inn expecting a personal confrontation, the Creature murders Elizabeth, fulfilling his vow with devastating precision and plunging Victor into ultimate despair.
“Nothing is so painful to the human mind as a great and sudden change.”
(Speaker: Victor Frankenstein as narrator, Volume III, Chapter 6, Page 191)
As Victor experiences the fleeting beauty of his wedding day journey with Elizabeth, this reflection underscores the fragility of happiness. The “great and sudden change” shift from transient joy to the impending, dreaded confrontation, highlighting the human mind’s vulnerability to abrupt shifts in fortune and emotional state.
Chapter 7 (Vol. III): Vengeance Unleashed & The Arctic Pursuit’s End
Devastated by Elizabeth’s murder and his father’s subsequent death from grief, Victor dedicates his life to a relentless pursuit of his creation, vowing vengeance. His narrative to Walton concludes here.
Walton’s letters then detail Victor’s final days on the ship, his dying exhortations, the dramatic appearance of the Creature mourning over Victor’s corpse, and the Creature’s final, eloquent lamentations and vow to destroy himself on a funeral pyre in the northernmost extremity of the globe.
“My reign is not yet over… Follow me; I seek the everlasting ices of the north… Come on, my enemy; we have yet to wrestle for our lives…”
(Speaker: The Monster, Volume III, Chapter 7, Page 198)
The Creature’s taunting messages, left for Victor during the pursuit, reveal his relentless desire for continued engagement with his creator, even if it’s through mutual torment. His declaration “My reign is not yet over” and the challenge “we have yet to wrestle for our lives” underscore the inescapable, destructive bond that now defines both their existences as they head towards the desolate Arctic.
“Oh! Be men, or be more than men. Be steady to your purposes and firm as a rock…”
(Speaker: Victor Frankenstein to Walton’s crew, Volume III, Chapter 7, Page 208)
Victor attempts to inspire Walton’s mutinous crew with a call to heroic ambition and perseverance, even in his weakened state. His speech echoes the Romantic ideals of glory and striving that initially fueled his doomed quest, urging the sailors to be “more than men” in their pursuit of discovery, despite the evident dangers.
“My heart was fashioned to be susceptible of love and sympathy, and when wrenched by misery to vice and hatred, it did not endure the violence of the change without torture…”
(Speaker: The Monster to Walton, Volume III, Chapter 7, Page 212)
In his final confrontation with Walton, over Victor’s corpse, the Creature passionately defends his original benevolent nature. He argues that his heart, initially “fashioned to be susceptible of love and sympathy,” was twisted to “vice and hatred” only through the “torture” of profound misery and universal rejection, poignantly articulating the tragedy of his fall from innocence and his capacity for suffering.
“The fallen angel becomes a malignant devil. Yet even that enemy of God and man had friends and associates in his desolation; I am alone.”
(Speaker: The Monster to Walton, Volume III, Chapter 7, Page 214)
The Creature again invokes the Satanic archetype from Paradise Lost, emphasizing his transformation from a potential “Adam” into a “malignant devil” due to his suffering. His crucial distinction—”Yet even that enemy of God and man had friends… I am alone”—highlights the unique, absolute nature of his isolation as the ultimate cause of his wretchedness and rage.
This solitude, more profound even than that of literary demons, makes his despair unparalleled and underscores the tragedy of his existence.
“I have murdered the lovely and the helpless… You hate me; but your abhorrence cannot equal that with which I regard myself.”
(Speaker: The Monster to Walton, Volume III, Chapter 7, Pages 214, 215)
In his final confession, the Creature acknowledges the full weight of his crimes against “the lovely and the helpless.” His assertion that Walton’s hatred cannot match his self-abhorrence reveals the deep remorse and internal torment that plague him, suggesting that his vengeance brought him no peace, only a deeper understanding of his monstrosity.
“Polluted by crimes, and torn by the bitterest remorse, where can I find rest but in death?”
(Speaker: The Monster, Volume III, Chapter 7, Page 215)
The Creature voices his ultimate despair and desire for oblivion. “Polluted by crimes” and consumed by “bitterest remorse,” he sees death as the only possible escape from his suffering and the only way to end the cycle of vengeance and misery he has perpetuated, highlighting the tragic end of his unnatural existence.
“But soon,” he cried… “I shall die… Soon these burning miseries will be extinct. I shall ascend my funeral pyre triumphantly… My spirit will sleep in peace… Farewell.”
(Speaker: The Monster‘s final words, Volume III, Chapter 7, Page 216)
The Creature’s final declaration mixes despair, resolve, and a yearning for oblivion. His vision of ascending a “funeral pyre triumphantly” suggests a desire to reclaim some dignity in his destruction, hoping that death will finally extinguish his “burning miseries” and allow his tormented “spirit” to find the peace it was denied in its brief, tragic existence.
This powerful, almost Romantic, embrace of self-immolation concludes his narrative and the novel with chilling finality.
Conclusion: Frankenstein’s Enduring Questions of Creation and Consequence
These 64 quotes from Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein trace a devastating arc of ambition, creation, abandonment, and revenge.
Through Victor Frankenstein’s tormented narration and his Creature’s eloquent anguish, the novel plunges into the depths of human nature, questioning the limits of scientific pursuit, the responsibilities of a creator, and society’s capacity for prejudice and compassion.
Victor’s initial thirst for glory culminates in an act of creation that he immediately finds abhorrent, unleashing a cycle of suffering that consumes everyone he loves.
The Creature, initially benevolent and yearning for connection, is driven to despair and vengeance by universal rejection, his articulate self-awareness making his isolation all the more tragic.
From Robert Walton’s lonely Arctic ambitions to the Creature’s final, fiery absolution, Shelley masterfully explores the profound human need for sympathy and the catastrophic consequences of its denial.
The voices in Frankenstein continue to resonate, forcing readers to confront timeless questions about what it means to be human, the nature of monstrosity, and the ethical boundaries of scientific endeavor when untempered by moral responsibility and empathy.
A Note on Page Numbers & Edition:
Like Victor piecing together his creation from disparate parts, finding the exact page for a quote from Frankenstein requires careful attention to the specific edition! These page numbers reference the Penguin Classics (January 16, 2018) paperback edition (ISBN-13: 978-0143131847). Always consult your specific copy for academic accuracy.
Jeremy Mortis, founder of Ageless Investing, applies a rigorous analytical approach (the AAM framework) to distill timeless wisdom and contextualized quotes from classic literature, saving you time while deepening understanding. Learn more about Jeremy’s unique background and methodology on his author bio page.