The Evolution of The Creature

[Showtime]

A newcomer to Shelley’s novel, used to the mute, grunting Creature of so many of the movies, might be amazed to find the character in the book to be eloquent, philosophical and vulnerable. The Creature is the true protagonist of the piece as he struggles to discover what it is to be human and then, having discovered that to be human is to feel pain and shame, rejecting the very thing he thought he wanted. He is calculating, crafty and murderous too, the most complicated character in the novel.

Mary Shelley’s Dr. Frankenstein is less the mad doctor of cinema and more the tormented poet; clearly suggesting both her husband, Percy Bysshe Shelley, and their family friend Lord Byron. The sensitive Victor Frankenstein grapples continually with his own guilt about creating and then abandoning his Creature, even as he pursues a form of infanticide to kill it. It is almost dramatic necessity that these two alienated characters should end their tale isolated in the frozen Arctic, beyond the society of man, locked in mortal combat, seemingly the last two people left on earth.

[Derek]

From Shelley's original to Karloff's portrayal, Frankenstein's Monster is my favorite character in popular culture. I'm really looking forward to seeing how both he and his creator are depicted on "Penny Dreadful." Many adaptations want to make either the monster or Victor "the bad guy," when things aren't so clear cut. I like the idea of returning Victor to his roots.