FRANKENSTEIN

D
FRANKENSTEIN
By Mary Shelley
Adapted by
Francis Watson
PROGRAMMA DI SALA AD ESCLUSIVO USO DIDATTICO.
SONO VIETATE LA RIPRODUZIONE E LA DIVULGAZIONE
TRAMITE APPARATI FOTOCOPIATORI,
SALVO ESPRESSA AUTORIZZAZIONE DI PALKETTOSTAGE.
L’autore
La scrittrice inglese Mary Shelley nasce a Londra il 30 agosto 1797 dal
filosofo William Godwin, uno degli esponenti più importanti del
razionalismo anarchico, e da Mary Wollstonecraft, donna forte e determinata,
fra i primi personaggi della sua epoca a promuovere i diritti della donna,
deceduta purtroppo poco dopo il parto. Appena diciannovenne, dopo una
rocambolesca fuga in Svizzera, sposa il poeta Percy Bysshe Shelley, con cui
viaggia in Francia, Germania, Olanda e Italia, dove, a La Spezia, Shelley
morirà affogato, nel 1822. Dopo la morte del marito, Mary Shelley torna a
Londra, dove vive fino alla morte, nel 1851, dedicandosi alla scrittura per
mantenere suo figlio, unico sopravvissuto dei quattro nati dal suo amore
con il poeta Shelley. La fama dell’autrice è legata al suo primo romanzo
Frankenstein, or The Modern Prometheus e alla cura delle opere del marito,
ma compone anche altri lavori, alcuni dei quali precorrono temi tipicamente
fantascientifici, come The Last Man, romanzo che narra dell’unico superstite
di una terribile epidemia che ha cancellato l’intera umanità; novelle che
tuttavia non raggiunsero mai la fama della sua opera prima.
Alcune opere
Mounseer Nongtongpaw or The Discoveries of John Bull in a Trip to Paris
(1808); History of Six Weeks’ Tour through a Part of France, Switzerland,
Germany, and Holland, with Letters Descriptive of a Sail Round the Lake of
Geneva, and of the Glaciers of Chamouni (1817); Frankenstein, or The Modern
Prometheus (1818); Matilda (1819); Maurice or the Fisher’s Coat (1820);
Valperga or The Life and Adventures of Castruccio, Prince of Lucca (1823);
The Last Man (1826); The Fortunes of Perkin Warbeck (1830); Lodore (1835);
Falkner (1837); Rambles in Germany and Italy in 1840, 1842, and 1843 (1844).
l’aspetto terrificante, la creatura si rivela la quintessènza della bontà di cuore
e della mitezza d’animo ma, quando si accorge del disgusto e della paura
che suscita negli altri, la sua natura subisce una totale trasformazione; egli
diviene un’autentica furia distruttiva e dopo molti delitti finisce per causare
la morte anche del suo creatore.
Note di regia
Francis Watson rilegge l’opera di Mary Shelley mantenendosi il più fedele
possibile alla scrittura originale. In palcoscenico, il racconto si sviluppa come
un grande flashback nel quale Frankenstein racconta all’esploratore Walton
la propria storia per metterlo in guardia sui pericoli che si nascondono dietro
l’eccesso di ambizione. Uno dei temi che lo spettacolo pone maggiormente in
risalto è infatti questo: Frankenstein fin da bambino è spinto da un desiderio
bruciante di vincere le leggi della natura e come un moderno Prometeo è
alla ricerca della “scintilla della vita”, che invece lo condurrà ad un futuro
di dolore e di morti assurde. A questo primo aspetto, la messinscena ne
affianca un secondo altrettanto rilevante, quello dell’amore; è l’amore
tenero di Frankenstein e della dolce Elizabeth, sentimento che nasce e viene
nutrito fin dalla giovane età dei due protagonisti, ma è anche l’anelito di
amore che domina l’indole del mostro. L’allestimento scenico è arricchito da
illuminazioni, musiche e design che accentuano gli elementi dark e horror
dell’opera. Luci e ombre ricreano un’ambientazione “gotica”; la musica,
affidata a strumenti acustici, accompagna l’azione calandola in una cornice
contemporanea, mentre i costumi richiamano la cultura delle tribù giovanili,
dalla moda “steampunk”, che mescola costumi ottocenteschi e tecnologia
retrò, allo stile “emo”.
La trama
Mary Shelley scrive Frankenstein, or The Modern Prometheus nel 1818, a
soli 21 anni, ma l’idea del racconto è antecedente (1816). Nasce quasi per
gioco durante un soggiorno estivo con Percy Shelley, John William Polidori e
Lord Byron, che propone una competizione letteraria tra i quattro: la stesura
di un racconto dell’orrore. Sembra che il personaggio di Frankenstein sia
stato suggerito all’autrice da un incubo, ma il soggetto è palesemente ispirato
al mito dell’uomo creatore di vita, in cui il prodigio si mescola alle moderne
scoperte chimiche e al galvanismo.
Il romanzo narra di un giovane svizzero studioso di filosofia naturale che,
servendosi di parti anatomiche sottratte a vari cadaveri, costruisce una
creatura mostruosa, cui riesce a infondere la scintilla della vita. Malgrado
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SYNOPSIS OF SCENES
Scene 1
Scene 2
Scene 3
Scene 4
Scene 5
Scene 6
Scene 7
Scene 8
Scene 9
Scene 10
Scene 11
Scene 12
Scene 13
Scene 14
Scene 15
Scene 16
Scene 17
Scene 18
Scene 19
Scene 20
Scene 21
Scene 22
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CHARACTERS
(in order of appearance)
CAPTAIN WALTON
VICTOR FRANKENSTEIN
HENRY
ELIZABETH
JUSTINE
WILLIAM
FATHER
STUDENT 1, 2, 3
ERIC
WALTER
CREATURE
OLD MAN
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5
SCENE 1
Walton. This is a starving delirium: you must get on board. Quickly.
Somewhere near the North Pole. A ship. Captain Walton on deck, with sailors
in silhouette. Sound of a storm.
Walton. The storm. It’s growing quiet at last... do you know where we are?
Somewhere near the pole? I cannot get a bearing. My compass just goes
round and round. I can’t see anything.
He writes in his logbook.
Walton reaches out.
Victor. Before I come on board your vessel, would you have the kindness to
tell me which way you are bound?
Walton. For God’s sake, this isn’t Oxford Street. We are bound for the North
Pole, on voyage of discovery. Now give me your hand.
Victor. Excellent. I will rest now.
What have I done? It’s been my life long ambition to cross unchartered seas,
discover undiscovered lands, to conquer the unknown. I believe we are near
the North Pole. I am so close to discovering a passage through these waters
and to an undiscovered land on the far side of the pole I know it exists.
But now we are lost. We are surrounded by a thick fog and our situation is
very dangerous. (The fog begins to clear; the light brightens but an ominous
cracking sound begins.) The mist is clearing. Look; in every direction- ice; it
seems to go on forever... It has frozen around us. We are trapped.
A dark imposing figure crosses the ice below him. Closely followed by a sled
pulled by exhausted dogs.
Walton. A bear! A bear! Where’s my rifle? Stand back. (He takes aim with
the rifle.) Good God, who are you? What is going on? Why are you here, out
so far?
He collapses. Walton climbs down onto the ice. It creaks and groans
ominously. He picks up the body of Victor. He lays him on a bed.
SCENE 2
Victor in a fever. He dreams.
Victor. William... Justine… Father... Mother... Henry… Elizabeth...
Elizabeth!
SCENE 3
On board ship.
Walton. Welcome back. You’re sitting up. Good. You’ve been out for the
count of 2 days. I’ve bought you some soup and Brandy. Shall I be mother?
Victor. To seek one who flees from me.
Walton. I have seen a bear.
Victor stares at him.
Victor. A bear? Which direction, tell me?
Victor. What happened to my sled?
Walton. Due North. But quick get on board; the ice is frozen around us. It
may crack and crush you; it’s closing in on the boat; that bear will tear you in
two.
Walton. Destroyed by the ice. We’re still trapped. It may not break for some
days. (Pause.) My name is Robert Walton, explorer and Captain of this
dilapidated old hulk.
Victor. A bear! A bear!?
Victor. Why are you headed North? What do you hope to find there?
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7
Walton. I seek a course through the ice, to the lands beyond. This expedition
may fail but one man’s life or death is a small price to pay for knowledge.
SCENE 4
Growing up.
Victor. You are a fool.
Walton. You do not understand.
Victor. I understand all too well.
Walton. Who were you following out there?
Victor. Not who, what! My death. It’s out there. I hope you’ve posted a
guard.
Victor. I was born in the beautiful city of Geneva in Switzerland. My father,
a magistrate, and mother loved me very much; I had a younger brother
William, and a governess Justine. When I was 9 years old my dear Elizabeth
came to live with us, the daughter of my father’s best friend. She came to live
in our house, when he died. She was very beautiful and I think I loved her
from the moment I saw her. I was good pupil, driven by a need to understand
things. My temper was sometimes violent. I studied hard, I enjoyed my own
company and I did not make friends easily, but I attached myself to one...
Henry Clerval.
Henry and Elizabeth play in the garden. Victor sits in the middle reading a
book. They are children.
Walton. That will not be necessary. If anyone is out there he will freeze.
Victor. Do you wish to die a horrible death?
Victor. You had better hurry up there is a storm coming.
Walton. Of course not.
Henry. What? No chance. I can see the St. Pierre Cathedral from here- the
air’s perfectly clear. I wager 2 francs there will be no storm.
Victor. Then arm your men, and set a watch day and night.
Elizabeth. You do not have 2 francs.
Walton. Who shall they watch for?
Henry. A minor inconvenience. When I have sailed the seven seas and seized
the treasure of bluebeard the pirate I shall have a lot more than that, so now
I wager 200 francs there will be no storm.
Victor. Not who, what.(Walton exits, sets the guard, and returns to stand by the
door to the cabin.) I was once like you, full of hope and ambition. But I have
lost everything. I have only one thing left to finish and it remains out there.
The memory of my deeds should have died with me, but you have convinced
me otherwise.
Walton. What do you mean?
Rumble of thunder.
Elizabeth. Victor you are so clever. And you, Henry, are a dreamer and an
ignoramus.
Henry. Yes you are so clever Victor.
Victor. I shall tell you my story in the keen hope that your ambition will not
sting you as mine has done. You may believe me or not, at your peril. My
name is Frankenstein. Victor Frankenstein.
8
He seizes Victor’s book.
Victor. Give it back Henry. Give it back!
9
Henry. I won’t let you near me. I’m going to join the Swiss Guard, and ride
horses, and fight the English.
Enter Justine the governess.
Justine. Children, where are you?
He fights with a rolled umbrella. He stabs Victor who plays at dying a horrible
death. Rumble of thunder.
All. Justine!
They run to her.
Victor (from the floor). See. The storm’s coming. I told you.
Justine.Quick, come inside the house. You’ll catch your deaths out here. The
storm is coming. It’s very close. And Henry, give Victor his book back.
Henry. I’m off for reinforcements. (He runs off.) Come on William. (They
run off. ) Justine! Justine!
She exits.
He throws his umbrella to Elizabeth.
He returns the book.
Victor. You still owe me 200 francs. (The thunder grows louder. Rain begins.
Elizabeth and Victor shelter under the umbrella.) We should go in Elizabeth.
It wouldn’t be good for you to be caught in the rain.
Henry. Sorry Victor.
Victor. I just know lots of things... like why the clouds form rain. (He looks
up, worried. William enters.) What are you doing here William?
William. I ran away from Justine. We were playing hide and seek. I hid in the
library. But she couldn’t find me. I got bored. Will we have lightning? I am
afraid.
Elizabeth. What do you think Victor?
Elizabeth. I’m not worried. Please stay for one minute more. I love being
outside. Surrounded by the natural world. The dangerous world. What if we
were hit by lightning?
She moves closer to him.
Victor. That might hurt.
Elizabeth. What are you reading Victor?
William. Yes Victor, what do you think? You know everything about
everything.
Victor. It’s Cornelius Agrippa… fascinating, truly fascinating… like you… I
mean very much… we…
Victor. Yes, we shall have lighting, and we shall all have to hide under
Justine’s skirts! Don’t worry William, we’ll keep you safe.
Elizabeth. I think one day we shall marry.
Henry. Ugh!
Elizabeth. Your mother told me in secret. And she said you will do great
things if you work hard. And I shall look after you. And I shall look after
William. And I suppose you too Henry, since no one else will want to do it.
10
She leans into him and she kisses him tentatively.
Elizabeth.
I SEE YOU THERE FROM UNDER MY UMBRELLA
A SHY YOUNG MAN A FUNNY KIND OF FELLOW
WITH YOUR NOSE IN YOUR BOOKS THEN YOUR HEAD IN THE CLOUDS
BUT WHEN YOU LOOK AT ME I FEEL LIKE I’M FALLING FOR
Victor.
I SEE YOU THERE IN AMONGST THE ROSE HIPS AND THE LILLIES
I KNOW IT’S KIND OF SILLY
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IF I HELD YOUR HAND IS IT JUST THE TOUCH OF FRIENDSHIP
OR SOMETHING MORE I FEEL LIKE I’M FALLING
THE RAIN IS FALLING FROM THE GREY SKY
BUT FLOWERS OPEN THEIR HEARTS HERE IN THIS BEAUTIFUL GARDEN
William. Yes father. Thank you father.
Victor. God’s will...
Father. ... Let us pray.
Both.
IN MY HEART I FEEL THUNDER AND LIGHNING
SOMETHING UNCONTROLLED
SOMETHING THAT CANNOT BE GIVEN WORDS
SOMETHING NEW UNBIDDEN BUT WELCOMED
LIKE THE FIRST SUNSHINE IN SPRING
OR THE LAST RAIN OF WINTER
The family pray. Victor does not.
William. Please come and pray with us Victor. Then mother will be happy in
Heaven.
Victor. How can you pray? Something in her body caused that to happen. If
we knew what that was, we could have prevented it.
Thunder and rain. They kiss again, longer.
Victor. Come Elizabeth. My books will get wet.
Elizabeth (gently). Please Victor.
Elizabeth. Victor!
Victor. Very well. (He prays but reluctantly.) If we knew where the spark
of life came from, perhaps we could keep it burning forever- or relight it
whenever we needed. When I go university I shall discover these things.
Victor. We had a happy life. And then, when I was 17, my mother contracted
scarlet fever and died.
SCENE 5
Father. Very well. Elizabeth can walk with me in the woods, Justine can cook
apple dumplings. And William, well, he is a gift, a gift of a new life. We shall
manage. But study hard, my son.
Victor. She gave her whole life to us. The least I can do is…
Father,Victor, Elizabeth and Henry stand by the mother’s grave.
Father. I shall miss her so much. She was the most beautiful woman. She
would have wanted to see you at university, Victor.
William. Why did this happen?
Elizabeth. There has to be a reason; mother died from scarlet fever. You and
I had the same fever; we didn’t die.
Father. My boy. I understand.
Elizabeth. Good luck Victor. Please don’t cry.
Henry. You are lucky Victor- I wish I was going with you. We’ll always be
friends. Write soon.
William. Goodbye Victor. Perhaps you will discover a way to bring mother
back again.
Victor. I wish I knew the reasons William. I wish I did.
Father. It is God’s will Victor. (He removes locket from mothers body. He
kisses her.) She wanted William to have this. (He opens it. It is a musical
locket. Gentle playful chimes. He gives the locket to William.) Here William,
this will always remind you of her.
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Elizabeth. Do not talk nonsense! (To Victor.) Write to me soon.
Victor. Goodbye everyone. Be strong Henry, be careful William, don’t be too
naughty. Remember, you are my favourite. I will always be thinking of you.
13
SCENE 6
Sung.
The train smokes and hisses as it arrives at Ingolstadt University. Victor is
surrounded by young animated students, gossiping, celebrating.
Victor. Ingolstadt, Germany. University! At university I was happy. I felt
alive. To study so many amazing things- physics, chemistry, biology. I was
surrounded by my fellow students as we all had so many things to learn.
FOR BOOKS ARE GOOD BUT THEY HAVE THEIR PLACE
HOLDING UP A WONKY TABLE
FACTS ARE FUN BUT THEY FADE AWAY
WHEN PRESENTED WITH A RACING DAY
IT’S KIND OF FUNNY THAT WE’VE GOT MONEY FROM THE FAMILY FUND
WITH WHICH WE ARE ABLE
TO LEARN OUR LESSONS IN THE UNIVERSITY OF LIFE
Student 1. Come on Victor, you are spending all your time studying- you
could be out having fun!
Sung.
Victor.
THERE ARE MANY THINGS TO COMPREHEND HERE AT UNIVERSITY
THE WORDS OF SCIENTIFIC SCHOLARS AND THEIR WAYS OF THINKING
Students.
WE SPEND OUR DAYS IN READING WRITING AND EXPERIMENTS
GALORE
AND PREFER TO SPEND OUR NIGHTS IN DRINKING
Victor.
I SHALL BE STANDING ON THE SHOULDERS OF GIANTS
THE GREATEST MINDS IN SCIENCE I SHALL COMPREHEND
Students.
WE THINK YOURE A LITTLE COMPLIANT
AND WE’LL BE STANDING ON THE SHOULDERS OF OUR FRIENDS
(WHAT BETTER WAY TO GET SERVED AT THE BAR)
LIFE IS TOO SHORT TO PARROT OUT THE OLD WISE WORDS OF PLATO
OR TO COGITATE THE THEORUMS OF DESCARTES
WE WOULD RATHER REGURGITATE ANOTHER SLICE OF APPLE TART
AND HELP OURSELVES TO THE LAST
DEEP FAT FRIED POTATO
Spoken.
Or experiment to see how many pints of beer it takes to make this German
girl appear beautiful.
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Victor. Perhaps you could all just leave me alone!
Student 2. What do you think you’re going to do? Bring your mother back to
life? Make her rise up from the grave?
Victor. I believe it’s possible to discover the basis of life. Look at you, at
us, so alive! There must be some force which keeps us that way. Look,
Galvani’s frog. (He produces a small frog experiment.) With a short injection
of electricity we make the frog jump and dance as though he alive. It’s a
miracle. Almost a miracle.
Student 3. A frog?
Victor. Have we no hope of possessing that force that animates us? Shouldn’t
we devote every possible effort to finding it, so we change this world from
the place of pain and suffering it is into...
Student 1. Suffering? Ha! You think if we lived forever, there would be less
suffering?
Victor. I’m talking about making the world into a place children can love
instead of fear.
Student 2. We’re not children, Frankenstein.
A bell rings. Students run off.
15
Victor (calling after students, angry). We are all children when confronted
with the mysteries of nature. My mind is filled with one thought, one
purpose; to find the secret of life. I will pioneer a new way, explore unknown
powers, and unfold to the world the deepest mysteries of creation. (To
self, slow realisation of a dark truth.) And to examine the causes of life, we
must first have recourse to death. (To audience, urgent and excited.) I visit
hospitals to study the diseased and the dying, and I visit graveyards to study
the dead.
Walter. Push off.
Victor. Look, I really need your help… Please. As I said I can pay. And you
will be aiding the noble sciences. In fact you will be helping a pioneer in the
discovery of the very principles of life.
Walter. Posh.
Eric. What kind of articles are you after?
SCENE 7
Victor. I have a list.
Graveyard.
2 grave diggers, Eric and Walter; digging holes and a dead body nearby. It is
dark. Victor enters trying not to draw attention to himself.
Victor. Hello! Hello. I am… well, it’s best not to mention any names. I am a
gentleman scientist, studying at the university and I am after… after… some
articles.
Eric. What’s that! Eh, Walter listen up, e’ wants articles. This isn’t a grocers
mate. Sling yer hook. Its not safe for you here, for we are cruel men. The
cruel men of Ingolstadt.
Eric. A list. What’s on your list? (He reads.) That’s a long list. It might
cost a bit.
Victor. It is worth it.
Eric. Well, get it whilst its fresh I say. Let’s start with this one.
They dig up the body they were burying.
Victor. Please, if you could, I also need a room... for my experiments.
Walter. Yeah, cruel.
Eric. A room? A very private room no doubt. Well for a price anything can
be worked out.
Victor. That is who I am after, the cruel men of Ingolstadt. And I think you
misunderstand me. I can pay.
Victor. After you.
Eric. Keep yer voice down. People are trying to sleep. Eh, Walter, sleep eh?
Eric. No, after you.
Walter. Sleep. The sleep of death.
Walter. After you.
Eric. You are at the university? Like a professor?
SCENE 8
Victor. Not quite a professor just yet.
Eric. Not a professor. Well, our services are catering, specific like, for
professors so push off.
16
Victor’s secret laboratory.
Grave robbers enter with another body to add to a growing pile.
Victor is surrounded by body parts, and scientific tools.
17
Victor. Here in my laboratory I can conduct my experiments in secret. Ssshh.
Tell no one.
Creature (reaching out its arms toward the sound). N… n…
It grabs Victor by the neck in confusion.
Eric. Don’t worry, not us.
Victor (louder). No.
Walter. Not us.
Creature (stiffly, awkwardly moving toward the sound, toward Victor). N...
No. (Smiling.) N… No.
Victor. But the essence of life. Where is it?
The graverobbers are frightened. Victor seems mad with anger.
The graverobbers scream and run. Lightning strikes the laboratory. A fire
starts. Victor screams and runs from the creature. He falls, the creature in
silhouette, drags itself through the room. It is swallowed in fire and smoke.
Eric. I don’t know!
Walter. Me neither!
Victor. I can take apart skin, flesh and bone down to its smallest elements
and still I cannot find the secret of life. But what if I could put things back
together, and animate them, like a galvanic frog? What if… I could make a
man?! (The storm grows louder.) I could build a man; the strongest, tallest,
biggest. Most beautiful man ever seen; and I could galvanise him- I could
bring him to life with electricity!
Eric (glancing perplexed to Walter). Perhaps…!
Victor (he moves about the laboratory, assembling body parts). I have
divined the secret! With the help of the cruel men of Ingolstadt I have my
creation. He will be beautiful, and strong and noble. I have my Adam, my
beautiful Adam, now I must just wait for nature to do its work. (The figure is
complete.) Tonight… with the great storm! I shall bring him to life. All I can
do now is wait. (He goes to the creation table. The creature lies there, lifeless,
under the sheet. Outside a storm builds. Distant flashes of lightning. The
graverobbers watch everything, scared and fascinated. Victor places his hands
firmly on the creature’s heart. He opens the window.Thunder, lightning.)
Please. Now. God. Please. (Lighting flashes down the strong cables from the
roof. The creature, faced wrapped in bandages jerks and pulses. It starts to
rise.) Yes. Yes. You are... You are the most beautiful creature ever to. We have
conquered death! You and I! No one will suffer. No one will cry. You must
see me. You must see the world! (The bandage is off. Victor sees the creature’s
face for the first time. It is horrid, grotesque.) No. (The creature stops and
listens for the sound, the word it has just heard. It rubs its ears.) No.
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SCENE 9
Victor recovers in bed.
Henry. How are you feeling Victor? I know you have been very ill.
Victor. I have? Oh… I feel... OK... just so many bad dreams. I have a terrible
headache. What are you doing here in Germany?
Henry. Your father sent me: he was very worried about you. You’ve been
working too hard.
Victor. What? My work. My laboratory...
Henry. It was destroyed. By fire. Everything is gone.
Victor. Gone. Are you sure?
Henry. Yes.
Victor (to himself). This is great news. Great News. (To Henry.) Tell me, how
is everyone at home?
Henry. Everyone is well. They were worried about you. And I am coming to
the university. To study languages. At last my father has agreed.
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Victor. I am so happy for you.
Elizabeth. We’ll take care of you.
Henry. I have a surprise for you.
Justine. Have no fear, sir. (Justine slaps him.) I’m sorry, Mr. Victor.
Elizabeth. Victor? Victor, it’s me.
Victor. Justine?
Victor. Elizabeth!
Justine. Yes, it’s me. (Victor hugs her. To Elizabeth.) You see, just like with
babies.
Elizabeth. Justine and I had so much trouble finding this room. But you’re
alive. Thank God. I dreamt you were dead. So did your father. It’s been
harder than I’d imagined being without you.
Victor. Is it really gone?
Victor becomes ill again. This time it is more serious.
Elizabeth. Who? There’s no one here but us.
He slowly begins to laugh. They laugh, too.
Justine. I’m sorry, miss. I couldn’t wait in the carriage, any more. You’d been
so long.
Victor. Gone, gone.
Elizabeth. Sleep now Victor. You are exhausted.
Victor. Who are you? What are you doing here?!
They kiss. He sleeps. Time is frozen.
Henry. Victor, it’s Justine.
Justine. It’s good to see you, Mr. Victor. I’m glad you’re all right. Shall I fetch
the bags, now? Your mother is smiling in her grave, sir.
SCENE 10
She tries to pat him on the cheek.
The following should feel as though it is both real and happening in Victor’s
mind. The monster moves around the frozen bedroom scene.
Victor. Leave me alone! Don’t touch me!
Elizabeth. Victor, what is it?
Creature. Everything was confusion. Sight and sound, smell and touch,
all came at once. I struggled to find something fixed, I felt weak. (He has
reached the bed.) Then, one sound came louder.
Victor. Can’t you see? It’s horrid, deformed.
Victor’s voice. No.
Elizabeth. You’re burning up.
Creature. I moved toward it, but it turned me away.
Victor. No.
Victor’s voice. No!
Henry. Come lie down.
Creature. Again I heard it and again I followed.
Victor. I’m freezing.
Victor’s voice. No!
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SCENE 12
Creature. But the more I approached it, the more it retreated.
Victor’s voice (fainter). No!
Creature. I longed to call: “Stop! Please. Please! Allow me to touch you... I
only want to feel a bit of warmth”.
Victor. And I was careful. I stayed at university and studied languages with
Henry.(We see victor and Henry reunited.) I was a new man. I felt like I had
been born again. Slowly I grew happier and stronger. Then one day a letter
arrives. It is from my father. William is dead.
Victor’s Voice (faintly). Nooo.
Creature. But I knew not how to speak. (The creature drops to his knees
by the bed and tries to hold back his tears as the sound of wind and rustling
leaves rises.) There was... heat... fire and intense pain... I ran. Then, suddenly I
found myself in a cold, dark place filled with so many sounds that I trembled.
I was terrified and I ran. Ran until I collapsed. Months passed. I lived in the
woods, and forests. I drank from streams. I was scorned by man; I was ugly,
despised, assaulted, and rejected. One day in a village I saw a small boy. He
looked like an angel. I thought to ask him for help. To be my friend. But
he screamed: “Leave me alone. my father is a magistrate he will have you
hanged”. I put out my hands to keep the child quiet... across his mouth...
around his neck. I took his locket. I did not mean to kill him.
SCENE 11
SCENE 13
Victor, Elizabeth and father stand and kneel around a small coffin.
Father. My child. He went off to play. When he didn’t return… We looked
for him, we found him in one of the caves.
Victor. That child, that sweet, innocent child.
Elizabeth. I’m so sorry.
Father. I keep seeing that beautiful face and those black marks on his neck.
Who knew there was monster among us?
Victor wakes.
Victor. Nooo! (To himself.) … The creature!
Victor. It’s all right, now.
Elizabeth. You look very sad. I’m thinking of going home to father. You
don’t really need me any longer. Henry can stay with you. Make sure you eat
until you’ve got your strength back.
Elizabeth. Victor?
Victor. I love you Elizabeth. But you’re right. I’ll be fine here. With Henry.
Return home to father. Tell him I have recovered. I will write. I am fine now.
I will study, return home successful and perhaps, perhaps then…
Father. No, Victor. I felt that too. I wanted to tighten the noose and watch
the neck snap. But now that they’ve arrested her…
Elizabeth. Be careful Victor.
Victor. What? Who?
Victor. We must find him and tear the heart from his ugly body.
Father. Justine. Our beloved, trusted Justine.
They kiss, it becomes more passionate. Elizabeth pulls away. She laughs.
22
23
Elizabeth. No. It can’t be. She loved William. She raised him.
Father. I couldn’t believe it either at first. But she was gone the whole night
William disappeared. When she returned, she was feverish, in a daze. (He
produces the locket.) And then, we found the locket William was wearing
when he was killed, the one with the picture of your mother, Victor, in
Justine’s apron pocket. She’ll be tried, today.
Victor. She is innocent, father.
Creature. I saw her sleeping in the barn. She looked so beautiful, so peaceful.
I wanted to hold her. I put the locket in her apron. I wanted to say sorry. It
was a gift.
Victor. I’m guilty. (He turns to Justine.) I’m sorry. I can’t help you.
Justine. God forgive me!
The sharp sound of a gavel pounding.
Father. I wish it were so. But all the evidence is there.
Victor/Creature. I’m sorry.
Victor. She is not the murderer.
Voice off. Sentenced to be hanged.
Elizabeth. If you’re sure of it, we must go to the court, Victor. We must tell them.
Victor. No one would believe me.
SCENE 14
Blackout.
Justine in prison. The silhouette of a gallows in the background.
SCENE 15
Victor. I am the one! I am responsible!
Victor. I’m going away. I can’t bear to be here.
Justine. God bless you, sir, but I have confessed.
Elizabeth. But your father? And what about us?
Elizabeth. It’s the shock.
Justine. I lost my little boy in the mountains. Something horrible happened
but I don’t remember. My poor little boy.
Victor. It was someone else, not you.
Victor. I can’t explain it Elizabeth. I wish I could. I have a secret. It pulls
down on me. Let me go. When I return, then I can explain. I’m sorry
Elizabeth. Please look after my father.
SCENE 16
Justine. They found me in a fever, almost out of my mind. The locket was in
my apron.
Switzerland. Mountains.
Justine. How could I have wrapped my hands round this poor sweet child’s
neck? There must be evil within me. There’s hatred and violence in us all,
God knows.
Victor. I packed my bags and went into the high mountains where the wind
blew strongly and the rain was cold. I went up higher and higher. The path
was steep but I went slowly on. For the first time since Williams death I
began to feel happy... and then I saw a figure coming towards me across the
ice.
24
25
Victor. I am the one responsible.
Creature. I beg you. Be calm, Frankenstein.
Creature. Yes, I dare. Like a child. I dare to touch you, you are my father,
you are my mother, you are my maker. I long to touch some other human
being, yet all humanity rejects me, how hideous and ugly I am. I need your
help!
Victor. How do you know my name? Who are you?
Sung.
Creature.
ON THE RUN AM I A BEAST? AM I AM MAN? AM I HUMAN?
WHAT AM I? WHAT AM I? I AM YOU
DO I FEEL PAIN? DO I FEEL HAPPINESS? I FEEL ALIVE
WHAT AM I? WHAT AM I? I AM YOU
Victor. There is nothing I can do for you.
Creature. I am human! You have created me. You must hear my story.
Spoken.
SCENE 17
On the first night that you made me, I found an old coat- and in the pocket
a diary... And when I could finally read it I understood it was a diary of
the creation of a man... and the owner of the diary was a man... the name...
Frankenstein. I made a promise to myself.
Sung.
Victor.
EVERYONE WITH THAT NAME WAS MY ENEMY
YOU ARE A MURDERER YOU ARE A CRIMINAL
YOU ARE A SAVAGE YOU ARE ABOMINABLE
YOU ARE A DARK SHADOW ACROSS ALL THAT IS GOOD AND RIGHT
Both.
I MADE YOU THAT WAY / YOU MADE ME THIS WAY
I RENOUCE YOU/ I DENOUNCE YOU
DO YOU RECOGNISE ME?/ I DESPISE YOU
I AM MORE POWERFUL / YOU ARE DESPICABLE
I WAS BORN INNOCENT/ YOU ARE EVIL
STAND UPRIGHT
AND SHOW THE WORLD WHAT YOU ARE
YOU ARE A MONSTER
The cottage.
The old man, the brother and sister are masked.
Creature. After the confusion at the birth of life, after my escape into the
forests I discovered an old cottage in the middle of nowhere. I was careful
and cautious. I found a place to hide. Three people lived there. An old man,
he was blind. And a brother and sister: they were poor but so happy. They
were noble and generous, charming and kind. The brother and sister would
go out. At the end of each day they returned with some food and they would
read to the old man, in the evenings from books. I watched. I listened. For a
long long time, and I learned many things, I learned how to speak, I learnt
how to think. I learnt how to feel, I learnt how to sing. And slowly I learnt
how to love. But I was lonely and scared... and curious. One day I waited
until the brother and sister had gone out, and entered the cottage.
Old man. Who is there?
Creature. I did not mean to kill your brother. I hoped he might become my
friend, my saviour. But seeing me, he screamed and shouted. I grasped him
by the throat only meaning to stop those curses.
Creature. Pardon my intrusion. I am traveller in need of rest. May I sit by the
fire for a few minutes?
Victor. Murderer! Despicable, evil. You dare to touch me?
Old man. Please, enter. Have a seat. Are you from here?
26
27
Creature. No. I am on the way to visit some friends. I have no other family.
They are my one hope. If they reject me, I shall be an outcast. Forever.
He picks up the children’s toys, two wooden dolls, that look like the brother
and sister.
Old man. The hearts of men are filled with love and goodness. Who are these
friends, and why should they reject you?
Pause. Outside footsteps.
Creature. You must help me! You have brought a child into the world and he
is unhappy. Bring another into the world and there will be joy.
Victor. I gave you life. Let that be enough.
Creature. Father. I am alone.
The creature is sobbing; he seems a small, defeated child. Victor is holding him
tightly.
Victor. Very well.
Creature. You. You and your family. (Suddenly the brother and the sister
enter. They see the creature. They scream. She faints. The brother attacks the
creature.) No. No. Please. I beg you. I am your friend. I ran away. I ran into
the woods. Full of despair... Why does everyone hate me? I swore bitter
vengeance on all mankind.
The creature breaks away.
Creature. Remember Frankenstein, if you fail me, I shall destroy everyone
that you love, and then I shall destroy you.
Silence. Then only the wind in the mountains.
SCENE 18
SCENE 19
Victor (terrified). And what happened to the family?
Creature. I was... angry... a hell within me that I could not control. (He
produces the dolls, they are broken in two. He throws them from the
mountain.) They are dead. I piled firewood around the cottage, and set fire
to a dry branch. I sang and danced as the cottage burnt. You cannot give me
comfort. But I must have a companion. I cannot go on alone. You must help
me. You must create another as deformed as myself.
Victor. Another like you.
Victor is alone in the laboratory. He is covered in blood. The bride lies there,
lifeless, a sheet over her. Her face is bandaged.
Victor. I rented a room and I began my work again, making a second
monster, this time a woman. I have worked day and night without rest. I
know the monster was somewhere, watching and waiting. I keep everything
a secret from Henry. I am ashamed and despise myself. I hate this work. I am
exhausted.
He sleeps. He dreams. He dreams of the creature and the bride waltzing. They
kiss. The bride is laid on the bed. The monster approaches.
Creature. Yes, a bride. You could create such a being.
Creature. Soon, we shall have children. Our children shall fill the world. We
shall have vengeance on all who despise us. It will be the death of mankind.
Victor. No, I cannot. I pity you but I cannot help you.
28
29
A loud knock at the door. Victor suddenly wakes.
She is still. He emits a single, long, deep wail.
Victor (jumps). Go away it is not finished yet. You can’t come in. It will be
ready in 2 or 3 days.
Victor. I’m sorry. (The creature looks at him for the first time. In an intense
rage he goes to kill him. Henry steps in front of Victor. The creatures strangles
Henry. He moves towards Victor.) What have you done? He was my friend.
Kill me too.
Henry enters.
Henry. Victor, I have tickets for the Opera tonight... you’ve shut yourself
away for days, and I thought a little light entertainment... What are you
doing? I didn’t know you had a laboratory here. What’s that smell? There is
blood everywhere.
Victor. Don’t look. Don’t look. No one must know.
Creature. No. Why should I relieve you of your suffering? I can snap your
neck whenever I wish. I shall let you live for now. You shall be the one with
the tormented dreams. When you take your bride and the sheet turns red
like this, then we shall find a way. I shall be with you on your wedding night.
Victor. No, Elizabeth. Elizabeth, no!
Henry. What is this terrible thing? Is it a woman? Is she dead?
Victor. You have found out my secret. If I don’t do it the monster will kill
again.
Henry. Monster? What Monster? You are ill Victor.
SCENE 20
Wedding night.
Victor. No, I see now. I must destroy her. What if they have children? Their
terrible children would rule the world. I must destroy her. We must destroy
her. Help me Henry. Help me. I am responsible. (He takes out a knife.)
Forgive me. Please.
Henry does not move. He is repulsed by Victor.
Henry. Victor. My God!
Lightning. Thunder. Lightning arcs through the cables. The bride sits up.
We see the monster outside the laboratory. He laughs demonically. Victor stabs
the bride. A red stain spreads over the sheet. The creature smashes into the
room. Henry is paralysed with fear.
Creature. No! She is mine!
Victor. I’m sorry.
Creature (he sees the bloody sheet). No. Nooo! (He rushes to Victor, pushing
him from the bride, knocking him to the floor. He clutches the lifeless bride,
wrapped in the bloody sheet.) You must live. (He kisses her.) Live. (He kisses
her again.) Live.
30
Victor. Elizabeth. I feel so strong now you are here.
Elizabeth. All I want now is some simple happiness and if you can’t give that
to me...
Victor. There is no simple happiness, Elizabeth. Terrible things have
happened to me, but I do not know a woman more beautiful than you. The
terror is not yet over. My life is in danger. Can you marry a man who may
soon die?
Elizabeth. If you love me I will marry you. I will make you happy.
Victor. I love you so much. And because of that I say to myself, we should
not be wed. Perhaps it is too dangerous. But your love will save me. When
we are married I can tell you everything. (They kiss.) I would wait for the
monster. He would come when I married. When he appeared I would kill him.
And then I could tell Elizabeth my terrible secret.
Wedding music.
31
SCENE 21
The large figure. Ssshh.
She screams. He snaps her neck. He lays her gently on the bed. He withdraws into
the shadows and watches. Victor enters. He sees Elizabeth sprawled on the bed.
The wedding bed.
Victor. It is a night of great danger, but after this night we will be happy.
Victor. Why? Why didn’t I see? Forgive me, Elizabeth.
Elizabeth. Victor, darling, there’s nothing to fear.
The creature emerges from the shadows.
Victor. It’s time. (He produces a pistol. He kisses her.) You are beautiful.
Creature. How can she, Frankenstein? She is merely a lump of flesh, now.
Elizabeth. What are you doing?
Victor (attacking the creature). You...
Victor. Stay here. I’ll come back soon.
Creature (holds Victor close to him). I’m sorry. My condolences. Why don’t
you bring her back? Then, perhaps, she’ll forgive you. And, then, perhaps, she
can become my bride. You can fulfil your promise to me and your wedding
vows, both at once.
Elizabeth. Where are you going?
Victor. I shall tell you when I come back. I love you. Monster. I am waiting
for you. Show yourself.
He exits. She waits. The lights dim as if a cloud has covered the moon. A hand
slowly appears. A figure stealthfully enters in the darkness.
The creature drops the limp Victor on the ground. Father enters, weeping. He
weakly drags himself to the bed.
Father. What is going on, Elizabeth? Elizabeth!
He is in despair. He drops to his knees by the bed. His head rests against the
bed as he sobs.
Elizabeth. Victor? Victor, is that you? Victor?!
Victor. Ssshh. You must be quiet.
Victor. Father.
Elizabeth. Oh, Victor, thank God.
Father. My daughter, my darling girl!
Victor. You must be calm.
Victor. Father?
Elizabeth. I will.
Creature. Let him have a moment for his own grief before he’s forced to
share yours.
Victor. Good. (Suddenly, a crashing noise. He rushes off.) Now.
Father turns to the voice, he sees the monster. He collapses in shock. He is still.
Another, much larger, figure glides to the bed. It clasps Elizabeth.
She starts to scream.
Victor (alarmed, rushes to him). Father! Father!
32
33
Creature. Now I am happy. I have had my revenge. The rest of your life will
be as miserable as mine.
A storm rises. The sound of cracking ice booms across the stage.
Victor. My strength fails.
Victor. I shall destroy you. I shall.
Walton. Victor, look at me, man, look at me!
He raises his gun.
Creature. You are weak Frankenstein. All men are weak. Follow me if you
dare. Our souls are bound together now for eternity.
Victor. Walton. They’re dead. All of them. Father, Elizabeth...
Sung.
Walton. Victor, that’s behind you. It’s the ice, now. It’s building all around us.
Victor... He’s out there.
I WAS BORN INNOCENT BUT I WAS MADE EVIL
I STAND UPRIGHT
AND SHOW THE WORLD WHAT I AM
I AM A MONSTER
Creature. You never loved me. I opened my arms and you ran from me. You
threw me into the cold.
Walton. He’ll be destroyed. We will all be.
Victor fires the gun and the creature runs away.
Victor. No. I’ve got to find him. I’m the one who’s got to destroy him.
SCENE 22
Walton. You must give up your quest. (A great noise from offstage as the ice
mountains begin to crack and crumble.) The ice is breaking! My God I must
speak to the Navigator. This may be our chance to escape, or it will crush us all.
The lights shift. We are suddenly back on board the boat. Victor, lost in his
story has fired the gun on board the boat.
Walton. What are you trying to do? (He grabs the pistol from Victor. Victor
has been in a delirium.) Do you want to bring the ice down on us? Do you
want the whole ship buried and frozen?
Victor. Are you going to return? I cannot leave this monster alive. I cannot.
My spirit fails, you must kill it Walton. Please. I have failed. I have failed.
Victor. It was there that my quest began, and it will only be ended when we
are both destroyed. Promise me Walton that you will continue my quest.
Swear to me; swear that you will kill this monster if you see him.
Walton exits. The creature appears over the side of the ship, and approaches
Victor. Victor turns. He is too weak to lift his rifle. He cries.
Walton. I swear. I swear.
Victor (delirious). Don’t let it fool, you. It may look like a man, but it’s
demon. I followed its trail for months. But whatever I did, it eluded me.
Many times I had thought I had him; and finally it led me here, to the North.
I have followed it across the ice.
34
Creature. My father. (Victor stumbles to his knees. He is crying. The creature
cradles him like a child. To Victor.) What does it matter if I beg for your
forgiveness now. I bid you farewell, father.
The creature cries. A great booming noise from offstage as the ice cracks.
Walton returns.
35
Walton. We are free from the ice- by some miracle... (He sees the creature.)
My God! (He raises his rifle. Victor dies. The creature closes Victor’s eyes.) I
swore to kill you.
The creature looks up. Walton backs away, keeping the rifle raised.
Creature. If that is what you must do, then do it. I have nothing left to live for.
Walton. He told me a story: is it true? Who are you and of why did you come
to be here?
Creature. Nothing can compare to my misery. He is dead, he who made
me. When I am gone we shall both be forgotten. Honour is gone. Love is
gone. Once, in the past, I would have wept to die. Now death is my only,
consolation. I shall seek the most northern point, and I shall consume myself
and my soul with fire. My ashes shall sink into the waves and my spirit shall
be in peace. Farewell.
He leaps overboard. Walton rushes to the edge of the ship but the monster
is gone. A song begins.
The creature stands with difficulty. Walton, still threatened, loads a bullet into
the chamber of the rifle.
IN MY HEART I FEEL THUNDER AND LIGHTNING
SOMETHING UNCONTROLLED
SOMETHING THAT CANNOT BE GIVEN WORDS
SOMETHING NEW UNBIDDEN BUT WELCOMED
LIKE THE FIRST SUNSHINE IN SPRING
OR THE LAST RAIN OF WINTER
Walton. You have come from beyond the pole. Tell me, how are things over
there?
As this is sung, Walton climbs above deck and stands alone watching the night
sky. A storm rises and in the distance a fire burns.
Creature. If you are seeking a path across a frozen hell, I can tell you that it
is a fool's errand.
Walton. Farewell.
Creature. It is true. But I did not come to kill him. I came to ask his
forgiveness. It is too late now. Shoot!
THE END
Walton. You have definitely been there?!
Creature. There is nothing there but a wasteland and your death if you
continue on this journey. Now, please, shoot.
Walton. Do you wish to die?
Creature. Shoot me now. I have nothing left.
Walton. I cannot shoot you. I cannot kill in cold blood. You are defenceless.
Creature. Ah. To discover compassion at the end of my long journey! I
cannot thank you for it.
Walton. I cannot tell what is real or illusion anymore. There is nothing
beyond the poles. The ice has melted, and I know I won't be able to carry on
my quest, my folly. I shall return home... What will you do?
36
37
ENJOY YOURSELF WITH OUR GAMES!
Practical exercises edited by Gianfranca Olivieri
Theatrical Season 2010/2011
1. PUZZLE
Frankenstein
How can the creature be described?
Use the text of the play to find the missing words in the 14 sentences
below and then put them in the puzzle.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
Victor visits Graveyards to study the ...................... .
Walton says that the ice is ...................... around the boat.
Henry joins the ...................... guard.
The creature tells Victor that he wants a ....................... .
Victor tells the 2 diggers that he is a ................... studying at the university.
The creature puts the musical ...................... in Justine's apron.
Elizabeth says to Victor: "I think one day we shall ......................".
The creature says that he did not mean to kill Victor's ...................... .
Walton tells Victor that they are bound to the north ...................... .
Victor's mother contracted ...................... fever and died.
The creature says that he lived in the woods and ....................... .
Father found William dead in one of the ...................... .
Victor was a good pupil driven by a need to understand ...................... .
The creature ...................... Henry.
Send all the original pages by 31/05/2011 to:
IL PALCHETTO STAGE s.a.s., Via Montebello 14/16 - 21052 Busto Arsizio (VA)
You’ll receive a nice gift and you’ll have the chance to win a final prize!
1
2
FILL IN THE FORM IN BLOCK LETTERS USING A PEN
Surname:
N.:
Name:
3
Fo Mo
4
Address:
Postcode:
Town:
Telephone:
5
6
Province:
7
Mobile:
8
E-mail:
9
10
Date of birth:
11
School:
N.:
12
Address:
Postcode:
Town:
Province:
13
14
Telephone:
Now read the column under the arrow to find the solution.
English teacher:
Date
Signature
Il Palchetto Stage s.a.s. ai sensi e in conformità con l’art. 13, D. Lgs 30 giugno 2003 n. 196,
informa che i dati raccolti saranno utilizzati per informarLa in merito a nuove iniziative.
Solution: .................................................................................................................................
2. RIDDLE
3. LETTERS AND NUMBERS
What does life represent for Victor Frankenstein?
What does Victor want to discover?
Change the first letter of each word in box (A), quoted from the text,
to form another word that you can write in box (B). The solution of the
riddle will appear in the column under the arrow.
In each of the 13 sentences in box (A), quoted from the text, there is a
missing word. Find it in box (B).
Example: POLE = MOLE
Example: 1 One man's life is small price to pay for knowledge = E
...........................
SENTENCES BOX (A)
BOX (B)
KNOWLEDGE .
1. One man's life is small price to pay for .............................
I SIMPLE
2. I love being outside. Surrounded by the ........................ world.
E KNOWLEDGE
BOX (A)
BOX (B)
3. Well for a ................ anything can be worked out.
L DREAMS
POLE
M
L _
E
_ O
_ _
4. I have my Adam, my ........................ Adam.
F INNOCENT
BEAR
_
_ _ _
5. There's hatred and violence in us all, ........................ knows.
E MAKER
NIGHT
_
_ _ _ _
6. You are a dark ........................ across all that is good and right.
F GOODNESS
PILE
_
_ _ _
FAT
_
_ _
HIDE
_
_ _ _
HELP
_
_ _ _
7. You are my father, you are my mother, you are my ........................ . E BEAUTIFUL
8. I learned how to speak, I learnt how to ........................ .
N GOD
9. The hearts of men are filled with love and ........................ .
S PRICE
10. You shall be the one with the tormented ........................ .
C SHADOW
11. There is no ........................ happiness.
S NATURAL
12. I was born ........................ but I was made evil.
O THINK
13. I discovered an old ........................ in the middle of nowhere.
E COTTAGE
Now match letters to numbers in box (C) and you'll find the solution.
BOX (C)
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10 11 12 13
E
Solution: .......................................................................................
Solution: .......................................................................................
4. HAVE FUN WITH ADJECTIVES AND NOUNS
5. A SPOT OF RELAXATION
What is one of the creature's greatest desires?
A message from the creature!
In the list below there are 14 adjectives, quoted from the text. Write
their corresponding nouns on the broken lines.
There is a hidden sentence around the drawing, written in an unusual
way. Find it, starting from one of the letters at the top.
ADJECTIVES
1. HORRID
NOUNS
__ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __
__ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __
3. CLEVER
__ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __
4. SURE
__ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __
5. GREAT
__ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __
6. INNOCENT
__ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __
7. GENEROUS
__ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __
8. ASHAMED
__ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __
L A D
E
I
2. BEAUTIFUL
L
11. DRY
__ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __
12. ALONE __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __
13. WISE
__ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __
14. PAINFUL
__ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __
E
T N A W
W A S T
O
__ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __
L E B
10. DANGEROUS
O
__ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __
V
9. PRIVATE
D
Sentence: 3 - 1 - 6 - 3 - 2 - 2 - 5
Now read the letters in the circles on the lines below to find the
solution.
Solution: TO ....................................................................................
Solution: ........................................................................................
TEXT ANALYSIS
6) Elizabeth confides to Victor that she only has one desire: what is
this?
1) Where is Victor at the beginning of the story and who saves him?
...........................................................................................................................................................................
...........................................................................................................................................................................
...........................................................................................................................................................................
...........................................................................................................................................................................
...........................................................................................................................................................................
...........................................................................................................................................................................
2) What does Victor and William’s mother die of?
7) When will Victor reveal his secret to Elizabeth?
...........................................................................................................................................................................
...........................................................................................................................................................................
...........................................................................................................................................................................
...........................................................................................................................................................................
...........................................................................................................................................................................
...........................................................................................................................................................................
3) Who helps Victor to collect parts of human bodies recently
buried with which to put the creature together?
8) What is Henry’s job?
...........................................................................................................................................................................
...........................................................................................................................................................................
...........................................................................................................................................................................
...........................................................................................................................................................................
...........................................................................................................................................................................
...........................................................................................................................................................................
4) Who is charged with William’s death and what is the evidence?
Who is the real culprit?
9) Who does the creature meet in the cottage where it found
refuge?
...........................................................................................................................................................................
...........................................................................................................................................................................
...........................................................................................................................................................................
...........................................................................................................................................................................
...........................................................................................................................................................................
...........................................................................................................................................................................
5) After the “bride’s” death, the creature swears a threatening oath
to Victor: what is it?
10) Why doesn’t Victor want to create another being like the
creature?
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