Frankenstein characters

Appears from the start

An English explorer writing to his sister from a voyage toward the North Pole. Ambitious and lonely, Walton hopes to make a great discovery but also longs for a friend who can understand him. His ship encounters Victor Frankenstein on the Arctic ice, and Walton records the stranger's history.

Appears from the start

A young man from Geneva raised in a close and prosperous family. Intensely curious about the causes of life, he moves from outdated occult writers to modern natural philosophy and chemistry. At the University of Ingolstadt, intellectual ambition begins to isolate him from everyone he loves.

Appears from the start

Victor's adopted cousin and intended wife, brought into the Frankenstein household as a child. Gentle, perceptive, and devoted to the family, she represents the domestic ties Victor leaves behind when he goes to Ingolstadt.

First appears in chapter 2

Victor's closest childhood friend, an imaginative and generous young man fascinated by languages, heroic stories, and human character. Unlike Victor, he seeks knowledge for its moral and cultural value and remains attentive to other people.

Appears from the start

Victor's father, a respected Genevan who is devoted to his family. He has provided Victor with an affectionate and sheltered upbringing and expects education, marriage, and civic responsibility to lead his son into a useful adult life.

Appears from the start

Victor's mother and Alphonse's wife. The daughter of Alphonse's ruined friend Beaufort, she was rescued from poverty and later builds her own household around care for children and the unfortunate.

First appears in chapter 3

A professor of natural philosophy at Ingolstadt. Abrupt and contemptuous of Victor's early reading, he nevertheless directs the young student toward contemporary scientific study.

First appears in chapter 3

A chemistry professor at Ingolstadt whose warmth and eloquence inspire Victor. Waldman respects the achievements of earlier thinkers while explaining the greater power of modern scientific methods, encouraging Victor's determination to push beyond accepted limits.

Also known as the monster, the daemon

First appears in chapter 5

The living being Victor assembles and animates through a secret scientific process. Though Victor selected features he believed would be beautiful, their combination horrifies him once the creature moves. Abandoned at the moment of awakening, the being begins life without guidance, a name, or any place in human society.

Appears from the start

The Frankensteins' youngest son, a cheerful child much loved by Victor and Elizabeth. His place in the family makes news of his death a devastating summons for Victor to return to Geneva.

First appears in chapter 6

A trusted young woman raised in the Frankenstein household who later serves the family. She is affectionate toward William and has Elizabeth's complete confidence, but circumstantial evidence makes her the accused in William's murder.

First appears in chapter 12

An elderly blind man living in exile with his adult children in a poor cottage. Because he cannot see the Creature's appearance, the Creature hopes De Lacey may judge a stranger by his speech and intentions instead.

First appears in chapter 12

De Lacey's son, living with his father and sister in reduced circumstances. The Creature secretly observes Felix's work, family affection, and lessons, using the household as a model for language and human relationships.

First appears in chapter 13

A young Arabian woman who arrives at the De Lacey cottage after escaping a marriage arrangement imposed by her father. As Felix teaches her French, the hidden Creature follows the same lessons and learns about history, society, and human inequality.

First appears in chapter 21

An Irish magistrate who questions Victor after a body is found on the coast. Though the evidence is alarming and Victor falls gravely ill, Kirwin treats him with restraint and arranges care rather than assuming guilt.