| Victor Frankenstein | Creator of the monster. The doomed protagonist and narrator of the main portion of the story. Studying in Ingolstadt, he discovers the secret of life and creates an intelligent but grotesque monster, from whom he recoils in horror. He keeps his creation of the monster a secret, feeling increasingly guilty and ashamed as he realizes how helpless he is to prevent the monster from ruining his life and the lives of others. He tries to kill the monster for the rest of his life. |
| The Monster | The eight-foot-tall, hideously ugly creation of Victor Frankenstein made while he was at the University of Ingolstadt. Intelligent and sensitive, the monster attempts to integrate himself into human social patterns, but all who see him shun him. His feeling of abandonment compels him to seek revenge against his creator. |
| Elizabeth Lavenza | The orphan child taken in by the Frankenstein family and lovingly raised with Victor. She later becomes Victor’s wife and is killed by the monster on their honeymoon. She is a champion for the poor and underprivileged. |
| Henry Clerval | Victor’s best friend who helps Victor in his time of need. The monster kills him after Victor breaks his promise of creating a female companion for the monster. He studies language at the University of Ingolstadt and is totally unaware of Victor’s creation. |
| Alphonse Frankenstein | Victor’s father. He suffers from illness probably brought on from his advanced age and depression from the events that have happened |
| Edward Frankenstein | Victor’s younger brother who isn’t affected by the monster |
| William Frankenstein | Victor’s youngest brother who is killed by the monster. Symbolically, his murder is the turning point of the novel, when turmoil engulfs the Frankenstein family and all innocence is lost in the family. Also, his death signals for the reader the end of Victor’s belief that his actions can have no consequences. |
| Justine Moritz | The housekeeper for the Frankenstein family. Accused of William’s murder, she is the stolid martyr who goes to her death with grace and dignity. If William’s death symbolizes the loss of innocence, her death marks the end of all that is noble and righteous. |
| Caroline Beaufort Frankentstein | Victor’s mother. She dies of scarlet fever when Victor is 17. She was very involved in charity work — much like Mary Shelley and her mother Mary Wollestonecraft — especially for families in poverty. |
| Mr. De Lacey | blind man who lived next to the monster. the monster tried to win his favor – and did – but Felix ruined it. |
| Safie | The betrothed of Felix. She is presented as exotically beautiful, and is racially fetishized for her Turkishness. The de Lacey family wishes to marry her to Felix and convert her to Christianity. |
| Felix | The son of de Lacey, he is devoted to his family and his mistress, Safie. Though noble, he drives the creature from the family cottage with stones. He thereby symbolizes one of the basic flaws in the human character: the hatred of difference. |
| Agatha | The daughter of De Lacey, she is an example of selfless womanhood, caring for her brother and her father despite their poverty and her own sadness. |
| The De Lacey Family | M. De Lacey, Felix, Agatha, and Safie. The monster’s adopted family. Exiled from France for treason against their government. |
| Robert Walton | Arctic explorer on his way to find a Northwest Passage through the Arctic Ocean from Russia to the Pacific Ocean. He finds Victor Frankenstein near death, listens to his tale, and records it in letters to his sister Margaret Saville. |
| Margaret Saville | Robert’s sister. Robert writes to her detailing the events that transpire on the voyage and Victor’s story. |
| Mr. Kirwin | He is the magistrate who accuses Victor of murder, but later is compassionate to him. This guy is mostly an instrument to move the plot forward. |
| M. Waldman | He is the professor who encourages Victor’s interest in chemistry, which he describes as modern-day alchemy. He becomes one of Victor’s greatest friends while he was studying there. |
| M. Krempe | He is Victor’s natural philosophy professor and the worst academic advisor ever. He mocks Victor’s interest in alchemy and tells him to start all over again. Kind of because of him, Victor wanted to learn something new. |
| Beaufort | Alphonse’s friend, who gets in trouble and loses his money and title. He becomes sick and his daughter, Caroline, cares for him until death. |
Frankenstein Character Chart
February 17, 2020