Frankenstein: Dramatic Irony

In Mary Shelley’s novel Frankenstein, a misconception about one of the creature’s comments leads to not Victor’s downfall, but that of another. After Victor refuses to create a female being for the creature, the creature explodes with anger and threats of retaliation. He exclaims to Victor, “I shall be with you on your wedding-night,” (Shelley, 123). However, Victor’s understanding of this statement gets him into trouble. While he fully expects that the creature will kill him after his marriage, dramatic irony comes into play as the reader has prior knowledge of the creature’s motive. The reader realizes that the creature is after Elizabeth, Victor’s future wife, as he hopes to bring Victor to a state of misery and desperation. In the past, the creature had killed William and Clerval – and Justine indirectly – and Elizabeth would be the fourth attack on Victor’s family. He speaks to Victor, stating, “I will work at your destruction, nor finish until I desolate your heart, so that you shall curse the hour of your birth,” (Shelley, 104). This shows how the creature hopes to bring Victor emotional pain through the murder of others rather than Victor himself, leaving him with the knowledge that his own creation killed many of his loved ones. By killing off even more family members and friends, the creature has slowly whittled away at Victor’s resolve, and the death of Elizabeth would be key in breaking down Victor.