Robert Walton: He is a sailor and is the author of the the letters that open and close Frankenstein. His ship picks up Victor Frankenstein near the North Pole, and as Victor recovers, tells Robert the story of the creature. The story he is told is Robert's main focus of writing to his sister in the concluding chapter.
Margaret Saville: Robert Walton's sister. Victor Frankenstein: He is the narrator for the majority of the story (chapters 1-24). He studies at Ingolstadt university, and he discovers the secret of creating life. His first experiment, The Monster, is an ugly, but very intelligent monster. Victor is terrified of his creation and decides to keep the monster a secret. But Victor soon feels embarrassed and powerless when he realizes that there is nothing he can do to prevent the monster from ruining his life or anyone else's. Caroline Beaufort: Caroline is the daughter of Beaufort, a longtime friend of Alphonse. As Beaufort is dying, Alphonse comforts him and his daughter. She marries him, and they have Victor and William, as well as adopt Elizabeth. She wishes for Victor and Elizabeth to marry. Mr. Beaufort: A long-time friend of Alphonse Frankenstein and the father of Caroline Beaufort. Cottagers: A small family including a dad (De Lacey) who is blind, a son (Felix), a daughter (Agatha), and a foreign woman (Safie). The monster is a silent observer of this family for an extended period of time. He learns many things from them, like how to fit in with human society.He eventually reveals himself to them, and they chase him away. Mr. Waldman: A chemistry professor that gets Victor interested in the sciences. Mr. Krempe: A natural philosophy professor. He encourages Victor to forget about what he has learned from studying Agrippa, Paracelsus, and Albertus Magnus. He tells him it was a waste of time and he should start studying the bigger questions, like the origin of life. Mr. Kirwin: The town judge that blames Victor for the murder of Henry Clerval. |
The Monster: He is a hideous creature that was created by Victor Frankenstein. He is composed of the different body parts of numerous corpses, and is the end result of an experiment with his new found knowledge of life and electricity. The monster is very intelligent and sensitive. He tries to blend in with human society, but everyone is terrified of him due to his appearance. Because of this, he wishes to seek revenge on humans and his creator.
Alphonse Frankenstein: Alphonse is Victor's father. He is constantly trying to help Victor during hard times, and often writes to Victor during the story. Henry Clerval: He is one of Victor's only friends from his childhood. When Victor is sick in Ingolstadt, Henry is the one that helps him to recover. Henry is also like Victor and wants to become a scientist. Elizabeth Lavenza: She is an orphan a few years younger than Victor, that was adopted by the Frankenstein family. Victor views her as a cousin, and grows up trying to protect her from dangers in the world. They end up becoming lovers, and are eventually married.
William Frankenstein: William is Victor's younger brother. He is strangled to death by the monster when the monster is angry and trying hurt Victor and his family. It's Williams death that causes Victor to feel guilty for creating the monster. Justine Moritz: She is the servant for the Frankenstein family after the death of Victor's mother. After the death of William, she is accused of the crime due to a a picture that William had being found in her possession. She is executed as a result of this false accusation. |