Characterization

"My duties towards the being of my own species had greater claims to my attention, because they included a greater proportion of happiness or misery. Urged by this view, I refused, and I did right in refusing, to create a companion for the first creature." Pg. 161

     I believe I am receiving flashbacks to Shakespearean drama. I say this when considering the character of Victor and his actions throughout the novel. I immediately asked myself if Victor possesses the qualities to be considered a tragic hero, and so brought back images of the plays of our favorite fifteenth-century author. Victor certainly displays a thirst for revenge that leads him across a continent and into an environment which ultimately kills him. Not only the environment, but his distress and worry eventually weigh upon him, and he succombs to the mental demands of coping with his creation. I do not think Victor possesses the qualities which constitute a tragic hero, but I do believe he is bound throughout the book by one common trait: his passion. I say he is not a tragic hero mainly because his desire for revenge is prompted by the creature's actions. Although, as the above quote proves, Victor indirectly causes the creature to act nefariously, he does not carry an ardent desire for vengeance throughout the entire novel. However, he does display a passion for his current undertaking, whether it be the creation of the creature, his marriage, or his pursuit of justice. To describe Victor in short, I would say he is a man who intensely devotes himself to his work and his family. His work turns on him, and he is therefore required to choose between duty to his family and duty to the creature. So, Victor is a round character who was forced into being such by his own creation.