No idea how to come up with sophisticated analysis for your Frankenstein essay?
After achieving Band 6 results in 4 units of HSC English and 2 years of tutoring top HSC English students, I’m here to show you how to write in-depth analysis with key details on characters, context, themes, and more.
Plus, I’ve also put together a sample analysis table (TEE table), exemplar essay paragraph for Frankenstein and a table of Band 6 thesis statements!
1. Summary of Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein
2. Key Characters
3. Frankenstein Context
4. Themes Explored in Frankenstein
5. Frankenstein Essay Structure Ideas
6. “How do I write sophisticated analysis?”
7. Tips on Writing a World of Upheaval Essay
8. 3 Ways to Make Your Frankenstein Essay Stand Out
Summary of Frankenstein
The text is told in an epistolary narrative form using three narrators: Robert Walton, Victor Frankenstein, and Frankenstein’s monster. The novel begins with a series of letters by Walton, an arctic explorer, to his sister. He writes of his encounter with a weakened Victor on the ice, who he nurses back to health aboard his ship.
1. Victor’s Perspective
The narration shifts to Victor as he begins his tale, beginning with his nurturing and idyllic childhood with Elizabeth Lavenza, his adopted sister, and Henry Clerval, his best friend. Victor attends the university of Ingolstadt where he becomes engrossed in natural philosophy and chemistry and isolates himself from his family.
He becomes consumed with the pursuit of scientific knowledge and decides to create human life by making a body out of parts from corpses. After bringing the monster to life, Victor is horrified by the sight of him and runs away, falling into a hysterical fever after the monster’s disappearance.
After his recovery, Victor prepares to return home to Geneva when he receives a letter from his father telling him that his youngest brother, William, has been murdered. On his way to his family house, Victor sees the gigantic figure of the monster lurking in the woods and is certain that he is William’s murderer.
He soon discovers that Justine Moritz, the family’s trusted servant, has been accused of William’s murder and is executed after her trial. Victor becomes tortured by grief and escapes to the Alpine valley of Chamonix. The monster approaches him and eloquently proclaims that he is intrinsically benevolent, but turned cruel due to his suffering.
2. The Monster’s Perspective
The narration turns to Frankenstein’s monster’s perspective as he recounts the beginning of his life and his refuge at the cottage of the De Lacey’s. Seeking love and companionship, the monster yearns to learn their language and gains knowledge by reading books, learning of his creation by reading Victor’s laboratory journal.
After summoning the courage to speak to the cottagers, he is rejected and violently beaten, forcing him to flee. The monster becomes possessed by revenge and travels to Geneva to find Victor, strangling William after he screamed in terror.
The monster ends his tale by begging Victor to create a female monster for him to have as a companion.
3. Back to Victor’s Perspective
Victor resumes his narration and initially refuses but eventually agrees. Victor and Henry travel to Scotland, where Victor isolates himself to work on creating his second monster.
One night, Victor is horrified to see the monster grinning at him through the window and destroys the half-finished creation. Furious, the monster vows that he will be with Victor on his wedding night.
Later that night, Victor disposes of the remains out at sea and is drifted into dangerous waters, but he manages to land safely near an unknown town. Upon arrival, he is arrested for the murder of Henry, who has been strangled to death by the monster. Victor suffers a feverish illness in prison before being cleared of all criminal charges.
Victor returns home to Geneva with his father and marries Elizabeth. Fearing the monster’s threat, Victor sends Elizabeth away to her bedroom, yet he hears her scream and realises his fatal mistake. Soon after Victor’s father dies of grief, he resolves to devote his life to the creature’s destruction.
Victor tracks the monster on the ice and chases after him with his dog sled, but the ice breaks and Victor is set adrift. He is near death before Walton’s ship appears and saves him.
4. Walton’s Letters
The end of the story is told through Walton’s letters, where it’s learned that Victor has died. Soon after, Walton discovers the monster weeping over Victor’s body, who asks him for forgiveness.
He tells Walton of his suffering and vows to kill himself, disappearing out into the ice.
Key Characters in Frankenstein
Victor Frankenstein
The main narrator of the text, Victor, is responsible for creating and abandoning the monster. In contrast with his happy childhood, Victor’s obsession with scientific pursuits leads him to overstep natural boundaries and results in his family and friends’ tragic deaths.
The monster
A gigantic hideous creature formed from dead body parts; the monster is Victor’s abandoned creation who was thrust into the unknown world.
The monster is inherently good and seeks acceptance from society, but his constant rejection and hostility from humans drives him to take revenge on Victor.
Robert Walton
Opening and closing ‘Frankenstein’, Walton is an arctic explorer who records the tales of Victor and the monster in a series of letters to his sister.
Elizabeth Lavenza
Elizabeth is Victor’s adopted sister and wife, described as a caring young woman who is wholly devoted to Victor. She is murdered by the monster on their honeymoon.
Henry Clerval
Victor’s best friend and intellectual foil, Henry supports Victor in his times of need and nurses him back to health. The monster kills him after Victor destroys the second monster.
Context of Frankenstein and Mary Shelley
“Frankenstein” is set during the 18th century and engages with many of the important ideas and thinkers of the Romantic period.
This literary and philosophical movement, which emerged as a reaction against Enlightenment rationalism, emphasised emotion, nature, the power of the imagination and the sublime. Romantic literature often explores themes of human limitation and the dangers of unchecked scientific ambition.
Considered one of the first sci-fi novels, Frankenstein began as a simple ghost story.
In 1816, the revolutionary lyrical poet Percy Bysshe Shelley travelled with his wife Mary to visit his friend, Lord Byron, in Switzerland. Due to the constant rain that kept them indoors, Byron suggested a ghost story contest to entertain themselves.
Image sourced from BBC Science Focus Magazine
Based on a nightmare, Mary’s story won the contest, and she was encouraged to turn it into a full-length novel, which she did.
Being the daughter of the radical feminist Mary Wollstonecraft and radical philosopher William Godwin, Mary’s writing was heavily influenced by her parent’s writing and exposure to revolutionary thinkers. Frankenstein draws upon various philosophical ideas about childhood development, identity, and education, notably through the works of Jean-Jacques Rousseau and John Locke.
The prominence of scientific rationalism in Frankenstein was influenced by Luigi Galvani’s reanimation of dead tissue by applying electricity to a dead frog. Shaped by contemporary developments in scientific progress and discovery, Frankenstein serves as a cautionary tale for relying on scientific education divorced from moral values.
Frankenstein also draws upon the ideals of the Romantic Movement and the French Revolution during the 18th and 19th centuries. Victor’s creation of the monster implies defiance towards religion and a push towards enlightenment and rationality, for which he later meets his demise.
The novel alludes to two creation texts: the Greek myth of Prometheus and the Biblical creation story reinterpreted in John Milton’s ‘Paradise Lost.’
Themes Explored in Frankenstein
In Frankenstein, the use of multiple narrators, foreshadowing, symbolism, intertextuality, and allusions create parallels and connections to fundamental ideas of significant societal upheaval.
Below are some of the key themes from Frankenstein that make for a strong starting point to structure your essay analysis:
1. Pursuit of Knowledge
Mary Shelley explores the theme of the pursuit of knowledge as both a powerful ambition and a dangerous obsession.
Victor Frankenstein’s relentless quest to uncover the secrets of life reflects Enlightenment era scientific curiosity, founded upon philosophical inquiry and technological innovation, but his disregard for ethical boundaries leads to catastrophic consequences.
Through his downfall, Shelley warns of the risks of unchecked intellectual ambition, suggesting that the pursuit of knowledge, when divorced from moral responsibility, can lead to destruction rather than progress.
The inherent drive for both external knowledge in the discovery of one’s environment and internal knowledge in the desire for self-actualisation also manifests in the meditations of Frankenstein’s monster: “Of what a strange nature is knowledge! It clings to the mind, when it has once seized on it, like a lichen on the rock.”
2. Sublime Nature
Mary Shelley employs the theme of sublime nature to reflect both the grandeur and the indifference of the natural world.
The vast uncultivated landscapes: towering mountains, icy wastelands and stormy skies, serve as both a source of awe and a mirror to Victor Frankenstein’s shifting psychological state.
The beauty of nature offers temporary solace and contrast to human corruption, often acting as Victor’s only source of respite within the anxiety of his self-imposed isolation: “The very winds whispered in soothing accents, and maternal Nature bade me weep no more.”
Although Shelley aligns her representation of nature with the Romantic ideals of sublimity and spiritual rejuvenation, the natural world underscores humanity’s insignificance to create a Gothic tension between beauty, power and existential despair. This exemplifies Shelley’s unique invocation of both Gothic and Romantic literary aesthetics.
3. Responsibility
Mary Shelley explores the theme of responsibility primarily through Victor Frankenstein’s failure to take accountability for his creation.
Despite bringing his monster to life, Victor immediately abandons him, causing their mutual suffering and corrupting the monster’s innocent desires for understanding and companionship.
This is shown through the monster’s lament: “I was benevolent and good; misery made me a fiend;” an outcome that could have been prevented had Victor accepted his moral duty.
Through Victor’s negligence and its devastating consequences, Shelley critiques the dangers of unchecked ambition and emphasises the ethical responsibilities that come with scientific and creative power.
4. Alienation
Mary Shelley explores the theme of alienation through both Victor Frankenstein and his monster, highlighting the devastating effects of isolation.
Victor’s obsessive pursuit of knowledge distances him from loved ones and society, leading to his eventual downfall.
The monster, rejected by his creator and humanity, becomes consumed by loneliness and vengeance.
This profound rejection and resentment faced by the monster is epitomised by the quote: “Satan has his companions, fellow-devils, to admire and encourage him; but I am solitary and detested.”
The monster’s emotive tone reveals how he has been unjustly deprived of any vestige of interpersonal connection, despite it being a fundamental need for living creatures.
Through their parallel experiences, Shelley suggests that alienation corrupts the individual, emboldening sentiments of suffering, resentment and self-destruction.
5. Revenge
Mary Shelley represents revenge as a destructive force driven by pain and rejection.
Frankenstein’s monster, abandoned by his creator and shunned by society, turns to vengeance after repeated attempts at companionship are met with cruelty.
His belief in revenge as a last recourse to derive fulfillment from his life and overcome his torment is exemplified by the quote: “If I cannot inspire love, I will cause fear.”
His desire to make Victor suffer mirrors Victor’s own obsessive pursuit of the creation of life, illustrating how the single-minded quest for domination consumes both victim and perpetrator.
Through this cycle of retaliation, Shelley warns of the self-perpetuating nature of vengeance.
Frankenstein Essay Structure
| Section | Content Overview | Possible Arguments |
|---|---|---|
| Introduction | • Present a clear thesis statement that responds directly to the question. • Provide context on Mary Shelley and the historical background of Frankenstein. Ensure that this information is relevant to unpacking the themes of the novel. • For example, Frankenstein being inspired by a dream Shelley had is a cool fact, but including it as context won’t really help you analyse any of the messages she’s trying to convey. • Outline all your body arguments. Typically, an introduction includes one sentence per body paragraph to encapsulate its main ideas. | 1. The impact of the Romantic and Gothic movements on Shelley’s writing, both of which were a reaction to the scientific rationalism of the Enlightenment era. 2. How Frankenstein reflects 19th-century anxieties about science and ethics. 3. The novel’s engagement with ideas like the nature of humanity and the consequences of technological progress devoid of empathy and reason. |
| Body Paragraphs | Most essay questions focus on either: 1. A specific character. 2. A key theme from the novel. 3. The way the author uses language devices. • Your topic sentence should be presenting an argument about one of the above topics. Make sure it connects back to your thesis because cohesion is really important for building a strong argument. • A body paragraph should contain around 2-4 quotes from the text. • You need to identify at least one language technique in every quote you choose. • Just stating something “Shelley uses a metaphor.” doesn’t count as analysis. You need to explain what the metaphor means and how it contributes to a deeper concept within the text. • Don’t forget to include context and effectively link it to your analysis. • Write a concluding sentence at the end. This is where you restate the point made in the topic sentence in relation to the textual evidence you have presented. Start with a conclusive term e.g. ultimately, fundamentally or essentially. | Character-based argument outline: • Paragraph 1: Victor’s pursuit of knowledge as a violation of the natural order, leading to destruction. • Paragraph 2: Victor’s self-imposed isolation as a consequence of his obsession with creation. • Paragraph 3: Victor's failure to take responsibility for his creation, resulting in the monster’s suffering and his own downfall. Theme-based argument outline: • Paragraph 1: The novel’s contrast between scientific rationality and moral responsibility. • Paragraph 2: The Creature’s transformation from innocence to vengeance exposing the dangers of neglecting ethics in scientific experimentation. • Paragraph 3: The novel’s exploration of the consequences of unchecked ambition, highlighting the destructive impact of ‘playing God’ and discarding humanity. Language-based argument outline: • Paragraph 1: Shelley’s exploration of monstrosity as a reflection of human nature. • Paragraph 2: Gothic imagery and symbolism to evoke fear and highlight moral decay. • Paragraph 3: Shelley’s use of narrative structure and unreliable narrators to emphasise the complexity of human emotion and the consequences of moral transgression. |
| Conclusion | • Summarise your key arguments and restate the thesis in a nuanced way. • Your conclusion doesn’t need to be very long, about three sentences is all you need to sum everything up. • Don’t present any new analysis, just outline your final thoughts on all the points you have already made. | No newly introduced arguments here! Just make sure to present a solid link between your paragraphs' arguments and overall thesis. |
How to Analyse Frankenstein in 3 Steps
Students often try to start with their thesis while attempting to answer an essay question. Instead, you should use your analysis as the starting point!
Analysing your text is a great way to gain an in-depth understanding of its meaning before you begin to answer anything about it.
Step 1: Choose your example
When choosing your example, a pro tip is to search for an excerpt that contains a technique. Techniques are the key to digging deeper into what meaning the composer is conveying.
We have chosen to look at two quotes that compare Victor to God:
1. “Wretched devil! You reproach me with your creation, come on, then, that I may extinguish the spark which I so negligently bestowed.”
2. “Remember, that I am thy creature: I ought to be thy Adam, but I am rather the fallen angel, whom thou drivest from joy for no misdeed.”
Step 2: Identify your technique(s)
When trying to locate a technique within your example, the best method is to identify a technique that enables you to uncover a deeper subtext of your work and elevate your arguments.
Rather than referencing simple language techniques like alliteration and rhyme, try searching for techniques that unveil symbolic meanings like metaphors, motifs, allusions, and intertextuality.
We have identified three techniques in the two quotes above for our Frankenstein essay analysis: allusion, symbolism and metaphor.
It’s always better to try and find multiple techniques in your quotes rather than just one, so you can really show off your analysis skills!
Step 3: Write the analysis
When you write your analysis, the key focus should be on what effect the technique has. Simply labelling what technique you’re using is not analysing and will award you minimal marks.
Technique labelling (the WRONG thing to do) would look like this:
The allusion of Victor to Prometheus and God is shown through Victor’s threat to “extinguish the spark” as symbolic of Prometheus’s forbidden power and the metaphor of the monster as “the fallen angel” as a reference to Milton’s ‘Paradise Lost’.
Instead of labelling, we need to flesh out how each technique shares specific insights:
- Firstly, the allusions are important as they provide a familiar narrative in which we can view the characterisation of Victor as God and the monster as his creation.
- The symbolism of Victor’s threat to ‘extinguish the spark which I so negligently bestowed’ is important because it parallels Prometheus as a representation of a figure that disrupts the natural order.
- The metaphor of the monster as “the fallen angel” is significant because it alludes to Milton’s ‘Paradise Lost’ and suggests that Victor has failed in his moral duty and responsibility as the creator.
So if we included all that in our analysis, it looks like:
Victor’s characterisation as God serves as an allusion to the creation texts of the Prometheus myth and the Biblical creation story referenced in Milton’s ‘Paradise Lost’. Victor’s threat to “extinguish the spark which I so negligently bestowed” parallels Prometheus and symbolises Victor’s challenging of the natural order and transgression of forbidden territory by playing God. The monster’s plea to Victor that “I ought to be thy Adam, but I am rather the fallen angel” is a metaphor that alludes to Adam’s lament to God referenced in Milton’s ‘Paradise Lost’. The monster’s likening to Adam prompts Victor to evaluate his moral duty and responsibility as the creator.
Tips on Writing a World of Upheaval Essay
If you’re studying this text for the HSC Extension English, when writing a Frankenstein essay, you’ll need to connect your ideas to the rubric. We’ve included the rubric below:
Link #1: Seeking unity, certainty, solace, justice or restoration
The monster’s experience in Frankenstein is wholly based on his journey to seek unity, certainty, solace, justice and restoration. The monster begins his life seeking unity and companionship, with his pursuit for knowledge and humanity displaying his genuine desire to participate in society.
However, the hostile responses of individuals exemplify his rejection and isolation from society.
The monster’s inability to find acceptance fuels his desire for destructive justice against his creator to restore his world of upheaval.
Link #2: Represent shifting values, contexts and attitudes
Containing elements of Romanticism, Gothicism and Science Fiction, Frankenstein is a revolutionary novel that heavily draws upon the shifting values, contexts, and attitudes of society during the Age of Enlightenment. The novel reflects the growth of ideas centred on reason, progress, and liberty during a period of significant scientific and technological advancement.
Rather than simply celebrating these values, Shelley critically represents attitudes of concern towards rapid scientific development by warning of the danger of overstepping human potential.
3 Ways to Perfect Your Frankenstein Essay
1. Contextual References
In my experience as an essay marker, I’ve seen so many essays where one sentence about context was just stuck right at the end, completely disconnected from any of the points in the paragraph.
Including context isn’t just about demonstrating knowledge; it serves to deepen and enhance the legitimacy of your analysis by giving relevant real-world examples about the background of the author or the text.
Here’s an example of bringing up context vs actively connecting to it:
Bringing Up Context:
Mary Shelley was influenced by the scientific advancements of her time, particularly the experiments on galvanism, which is evident in Frankenstein’s themes of scientific ambition.
Connecting to Context:
Mary Shelley, influenced by the scientific advancements of her time, particularly galvanism, uses Frankenstein to explore the dangers of unchecked ambition. Victor’s reckless pursuit of knowledge reflects the anxieties of the 19th century regarding the ethical limits of science. This fear is evident when Victor declares “destiny was too potent, and her immutable laws had decreed my utter and terrible destruction,” showing how his disregard for moral boundaries leads to his downfall, reinforcing the novel’s critique of defying natural order.
2. Understanding Frankenstein’s Monster’s Complex Characterisation
Many students fall into the trap of portraying the Creature as either purely evil or purely sympathetic.
However, Shelley presents him as a deeply complex figure, shaped by his experiences rather than an inherent moral alignment. His descent into vengeance is not immediate, but a response to repeated rejection and isolation. A strong analysis considers how his potential for goodness is gradually eroded by societal cruelty.
Example of Strong Analysis:
Shelley constructs the Creature as a being born with a sense of innocence, capable of empathy and longing for companionship. His initial admiration for the De Lacey family: “I looked upon them as superior beings, who would be the arbiters of my future destiny,” reveals his desire to integrate into human society. However, their violent rejection marks a turning point, reinforcing the novel’s argument that morality is shaped by environment rather than inherent nature. His transformation into a vengeful figure underscores the novel’s critique of societal intolerance, demonstrating how alienation breeds destruction.
3. Contrasting Internal and External Worlds
The landscapes and societal structures in Frankenstein often mirror the psychological states of its characters, emphasising how personal suffering both influences and is influenced by the world around them.
Recognising this interplay will elevate your analysis by demonstrating how upheaval disrupts the relationship between the intrinsic and extrinsic, effectively connecting to the ‘Worlds of Upheaval’ module.
Example of Strong Analysis:
Victor’s psychological descent is reflected in the harsh, desolate landscapes he inhabits. After his scientific ambition leads to tragedy, he finds himself drawn to barren, icy terrains: “the surface of the earth was hard and chill, and bare, and I found no shelter.” This hostile environment externalises his inner emptiness, reinforcing the consequences of his reckless pursuit of knowledge.
Need some help analysing other texts?
Check out other texts we’ve created guides for below:
- Romeo and Juliet
- Lord of the Flies
- Little Miss Sunshine
- Hamlet
- Jane Eyre
- In Cold Blood
- Persepolis
- Amélie
- The Book Thief
- The Tempest
- Blade Runner
- Jasper Jones
Are you looking for some extra help with your essay analysis of Frankenstein?
We have an incredible team of tutors and mentors!
We can help you master your essay analysis of Frankenstein by taking you through the summary, context, key characters and themes. We’ll also help you ace your upcoming English assessments with personalised lessons conducted one-on-one in your home or online!
We’ve supported over 8,000 students over the last 11 years, and on average our students score mark improvements of over 20%!
To find out more and get started with an inspirational tutor and mentor, get in touch today or give us a ring on 1300 267 888!
Christina Ugov is currently completing a double degree in International and Global Studies and Theatre and Performance at the University of Sydney. Outside of her studies, she enjoys exploring creative writing projects, analysing literature and playing with her cat. She spends her spare time reading, listening to music and drinking lots of tea.
Ashley Sullivan is a Content Writer for Art of Smart Education and is currently undertaking a double degree in Communications (Journalism) and a Bachelor of Laws at UTS. Ashley’s articles have been published in The Comma and Central News. She is a film, fashion and fiction enthusiast who enjoys learning about philosophy, psychology and unsolved mysteries in her spare time.
