In this episode of the Frankenstein Revision Masterclass, we tackle the question that has haunted readers for over two centuries: Who is the real monster?

We cover three parts:

1. The Creature’s original innocence and the idea of the tabula rasa.

2. The devastating power of rejection and society’s prejudice.

3. The Gothic motif of the doppelgänger, showing how Victor and the Creature mirror each other.

Running through all three is the classic debate of nature versus nurture — is monstrosity born, or is it created by rejection and cruelty?

How to use this in an exam:

• AO1/AO2: Compare Victor’s “breathless horror and disgust” (Ch. 5) with the Creature’s “misery made me a fiend” (Ch. 10).

• AO3: Connect to Locke’s tabula rasa and Rousseau’s natural goodness corrupted by society.

• AO5: Use psychoanalytic, feminist, Marxist, and Gothic interpretations to frame alternative viewpoints.

Shelley never gives us a simple answer. Victor’s ambition and the Creature’s rejection expose how monstrosity is made, not born.

In this episode of the Frankenstein Revision Masterclass, we explore how Mary Shelley turns Enlightenment ambition into Gothic warning. Victor’s pursuit of science shows his hubris and desire to conquer nature, while the subtitle The Modern Prometheus signals his downfall. Shelley then reveals the consequences of forbidden knowledge: the Creature’s corruption through rejection, the silencing of women such as Justine and Elizabeth, and Victor’s nightmare and storm imagery as symbols of guilt and nature’s power.

Mary Shelley was the daughter of two radical thinkers: feminist writer Mary Wollstonecraft and political philosopher William Godwin. In this episode, we explore how their ideas echo through Frankenstein — from the silenced voices of Elizabeth and Justine, to Victor’s corrupted pursuit of reason. Perfect for A-Level English Literature revision, with key quotations and context explained.