PENGUIN ACTIVE READING

Teacher Support Programme Teacher’s notes LEVEL 3

Frankenstein
Mary Shelley in science. At university he learns how to create life from
human body parts but, at the moment of his triumph, he
realises he has created a monster. The monster wants to
be loved but Victor rejects him and the monster escapes
from Victor’s laboratory. In his anger and frustration,
the monster first kills Victor’s brother, William, but then
comes to believe that he will be happy if he has a mate. He
asks Victor to make him a female companion, promising
to leave the country and commit no more evil in return.
Victor agrees but later has doubts and destroys the female.
The monster wants revenge and goes on to kill Henry and
finally Elizabeth on the night she marries Victor. Victor
pursues the monster across the North Pole and eventually
dies. The monster, saddened by the death, vows to kill no
About the author
more.
Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley was born in London in
1797 and died in 1851. She was the daughter of William Chapters 1–2: Victor’s family adopt a young girl called
Godwin and Mary Wollstonecraft Godwin, two great Elizabeth and they move to Geneva. Two more sons
intellectual rebels of the time. Eleven days after her birth, are born, Ernest, the oldest and later William. Victor
her mother died leaving her father to look after Mary makes friends with a boy called Henry Clerval. Victor is
and her sister. Mary developed an intense affection for very interested in electricity and chemistry and goes to
her father and he for her, but things became tense when Ingoldstadt University to study. He becomes obsessed with
Godwin remarried as Mary and her stepmother did creating life and puts together a human form from parts of
not have a good relationship. Mary never had a formal dead bodies. The monster comes to life. It opens its eyes
education but learned from the books that she found in and makes sounds. This distresses Victor and he falls very
her father’s library. ill. His friend, Henry, nurses him back to health.
In 1814 she met the young poet, Percy Bysshe Shelley, Chapters 3 – 4: Victor receives a letter telling him his
and went with him to France. They married in 1816, brother, William, has been murdered. He is very sad and
after Shelley’s first wife killed herself. They had a happy travels to Geneva. On the way, he briefly sees the monster
but short marriage, and on her husband’s death in 1822, in a forest. Justine Moritz, a servant to the Frankenstein
she returned to England with her son, Percy. There she family, is arrested and executed for the murder. Victor is
published many of his poetry and prose works, adding to terribly unhappy because he knows who the real murderer
these her own notes. is. He travels to the mountains where he meets the
monster again. He threatens to destroy the monster. The
Mary had been interested in writing herself from an
monster replies that Victor is responsible for everything
early age. By the time she was nineteen, she had written
because he created him and now his life is miserable
Frankenstein (1818), one of the most famous novels ever
because people are unkind.
published. She also wrote several other novels, including
Valparga (1823), The Fortunes of Perkin Warbeck (1834) Chapters 5 – 6: The monster tells Victor his story. After
and what is often considered her best work The Last Man leaving the laboratory, he lived in a small hut next to the
(1833). She also wrote a travel book History of a Six Weeks’ de Lacey’s house. The monster watched the family and
Tour (1817), which is about her trip around Europe in secretly helped them by collecting wood. But one day, the
1814 with her future husband. children saw the monster with their blind father and they
screamed and attacked him. They left their house in fear.
Summary The monster was lonely, unhappy and he wanted revenge.
Young Victor Frankenstein comes from a caring family. He burned the de Lacey’s house down and went to look
His adopted sister, Elizabeth, loves him and he has a good for Victor. Instead, he found his brother, William, and
friend called Henry. He is intelligent and deeply interested killed him. The monster now wants a female companion
and Victor agrees to create one.

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 PENGUIN ACTIVE READING
Teacher Support Programme Teacher’s notes LEVEL 3

Frankenstein
Chapters 7–8: Victor tells his father that he wants to Love and friendship: Victor had two very close friends,
marry Elizabeth but first he must travel and study. His Elizabeth and Henry. Their personalities complemented
friend, Henry, joins him and they travel to London. Victor his own. Victor was the scientific, mechanical part,
learns a lot from the scientists there and collects the things while Henry was the literary part and Elizabeth was the
he needs for the female monster. He then goes on his soothing, gentle, feminine influence that balanced out the
own to the north of Scotland. One night, as the monster literary and scientific passion. The monster explained to
looks in through the window, Victor destroys the female. Victor that he had no friends and was lonely and his quest
The monster is very angry and threatens revenge. Victor in life was for companionship and understanding. It was
takes a boat. He falls asleep and arrives in Ireland. There, his loneliness and rejection by humans and Victor himself
someone tells him that a dead body has been found and that made him savage. He had no one to comfort him,
Victor is arrested for murder. support him or love him, and he felt that absence strongly.
Chapters 9–10: Victor is taken to see Mr Kirwin, the Loneliness recurs as a theme throughout the monster’s
local judge and he discovers that the dead man is his existence.
friend, Henry Clerval. Victor is very distressed and spends Science and nature: The theme of scientific intervention
the next two months very ill in prison. His father goes in nature is key to this novel. At the time it was written,
to see him and a month later Victor is found not guilty scientific development in England was becoming of great
of Henry’s murder. Father and son start the journey back importance and was beginning to influence every aspect of
to Switzerland but stop to rest in Paris. A letter from human life. Shelley portrays the natural environment that
Elizabeth arrives. She tells Victor that she loves him and surrounds us, the lakes, the mountains and the forests,
wants to marry him. Victor decides they must marry very as both beautiful and consoling whereas when scientists
soon before the monster takes his revenge. interfere with nature, a hideous monster is created.
Chapters 11–12: Victor and Elizabeth get married and Whether Shelley intended it or not, her message is of great
start their holiday in a hotel. That night Elizabeth is importance today in serving as a warning of the disastrous
murdered in her room. Victor sees the monster through consequences that genetic engineering may have if not
an open window and chases him. The monster escapes. accompanied by moral and ethical responsibility.
Victor follows the monster to the North Pole. He becomes Judging by appearances: Another theme is the human
very ill and is rescued by Walton, the captain of a boat. tendency to judge a person based on his or her appearance.
As he lies dying, he tells Walton his story and asks him to It is true that the monster appears horrifying, but he is
promise to destroy the monster when he is dead. Victor also shown to be more humane than some of the other
dies. The monster approaches the lifeless Victor and begs humans in the story. Indeed, he is at first quite sensitive
forgiveness. When he realises Victor is dead, the monster and tolerant. Unfortunately, no one tries to understand
decides that he must die too and jumps into the water and him or to accept him the way he is or see the inner beauty
disappears. that exists.

Background and themes Discussion activities

Mary Shelly was greatly influenced by the Romantic
Chapters 1–2
Movement and she wrote Frankenstein after Lord Byron
Before reading
introduced a challenge to discern who among the three 1 Discuss: Talk about horror stories.
writers, Percy Shelley, Mary Shelley and Byron himself, Do you like horror stories? What makes them frightening?
could write the best ghost story. Her work was greatly Do they sometimes have a message? What was the last
influenced by the mass production and dehumanization horror film you saw? Did you like it?
of the Industrial Revolution, which posed a threat to While reading (At the end of p. 2)
the Romantic ideals of the importance of the individual, 2 Guess: Ask students why they think the man that
the beauty of nature, and the emotional and free spirit. Walton found wants to go to the North Pole.
Frankenstein can be seen as a protest against this scientific After reading
revolution. 3 Pair work: Ask students to talk about whether they
think Frankenstein should have created the monster
or not.

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 PENGUIN ACTIVE READING
Teacher Support Programme Teacher’s notes LEVEL 3

Frankenstein
Do you think it is all right for scientists to do all kinds of After reading
experiments? What kind of experiments do you think 9 Role play: Tell the students to imagine that
could be bad? Do you think it was a good idea for Frankenstein didn’t destroy the female monster.
Frankenstein to create the monster? Student A is the monster and Student B is the female
monster.
Chapters 3 – 4 What do they say to each other? Does the monster like the
Before reading female? Does she like him? What does the monster say
4 Pair work: Ask students to talk about the monster about Frankenstein?
Frankenstein has created.
What does he look like? How do you think he felt when Chapters 9–10
he came alive? Can he talk and think? What problems After reading
will he have now that he has run away? 10 Write: Students work individually. Ask the students
to imagine they are Frankenstein. They have to write
After reading a reply to Elizabeth’s letter.
5 Role play: Put students in groups of four to write The letter should talk about what happened in Ireland.
and act out Justine’s trial. One student is Justine, Describe the prison, the trial and how you felt about the
one is the prosecutor, one is Frankenstein (defending death of your friend. Also say you are afraid of the
Justine) and one is the judge (who decides Justine is wedding night.
guilty and sentences her).
Chapters 11–12
Chapters 5 – 6
While reading
Before reading 11 Role play: Put the students into pairs. Refer to
6 Guess: Ask the students to imagine in small groups page 63, penultimate line ‘Elizabeth left me and went
what has happened to the monster since he left to the bedroom.’
Frankenstein’s laboratory. Students imagine there was a conversation between
What do you think happened to the monster after he left Elizabeth and the monster before he killed her.
Frankenstein’s laboratory? Where did he live? What did Student A: You are the monster. Tell Elizabeth that
he eat? Did he meet any people? Why did he kill Frankenstein created you. Tell her that he destroyed your
William? female companion and that you are going to kill her.
After reading Student B: You are Elizabeth. Tell the monster that he
7 Role play: Put students in pairs. Ask them to act out shouldn’t kill you and that you will help him.
the final conversation between Frankenstein and the After reading
monster. 12 Research: Put students in groups to do some research
Student A: You are the monster. Tell Frankenstein you about a novel or a film in which a monster is the
want a wife and why. Promise you will leave the country central character. Each group can then do an oral
and never hurt anybody again. presentation for the rest of the class or a wall display
Student B: You are Frankenstein. Tell the monster you with texts and illustrations.
don’t want to create a female monster and why. Agree to You can get information from the Internet or books.
make another monster in the end, but make the monster Describe the monster, explain what the monster does,
promise to go away and hurt no more people. its reasons for doing evil things and whether you think it
Chapters 7– 8 is 100% bad or that there is some good in the monster.
Some possible choices are vampires, zombies, bogeymen,
Before reading
ghosts etc.
8 Discuss: Ask the students to discuss the possible
reasons why Frankenstein is going to England. Vocabulary activities
Is Frankenstein trying to escape from the monster? Does For the Word list and vocabulary activities, go to
he need to talk to someone important there? Is there www.penguinreaders.com.
something he needs in London to make the other
monster? Will he go alone?

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