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Such were the professor's words—rather let me say such the words of the fate—enounced to destroy me. Mary Shelley – Frankenstein, or the Modern Prometheus (Chapter 3)
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Once again, Victor is intent on blaming fate for whatever events are to come.

We see him blaming Destiny in chapter 2:

Destiny was too potent, and her immutable laws had decreed my utter and terrible destruction.

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brightness of a beloved eye Mary Shelley – Frankenstein, or the Modern Prometheus (Chapter 3)
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This language and the continued emphasis of the eyes evoke Coleridge’s Rime of the Ancient Mariner:

It is an ancient Mariner
And he stoppeth one of three
`By thy long grey beard and glittering eye
Now wherefore stopp'st thou me?

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Marked this as a stretch?
3 years
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7 years

I don’t think there’s really a connection between the line and the ancient mariner. Just because we find the word “eye” in both of them, it doesn’t mean anything.

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It was a strong effort of the spirit of good, but it was ineffectual. Destiny was too potent, and her immutable laws had decreed my utter and terrible destruction. Mary Shelley – Frankenstein, or the Modern Prometheus (Chapter 2)
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Victor doesn’t blame himself for the evil to come; rather, he blames Destiny.

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6d5c682227aac39cdfd8c37b7ab81845

24,101

7 years

What’s up with the pic??? Are you kidding?

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Aab907eb83eb1ce111c195d97b94603f

147

9 years

Also seems to be planting the seed of faith vs. reason as a struggle both within and outside of Victor throughout the novel.

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211eb9728cbb9f15f13b6f341edb1a1b

531

9 years

Notice how ‘Destiny’ is capitalised here: Shelley is clearly personifying the noun. By allowing Destiny to become almost like a female character within the novel, it makes it far easier for Victor to deny all responsibility of his actions. Subtly here Shelley could be commenting on society, don’t we all sometimes try to blame others for our misfortunes?

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Angel of Destruction Mary Shelley – Frankenstein, or the Modern Prometheus (Chapter 3)
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The Angel of Destruction is Satan.

Victor seems to be shirking his culpability. He first blames Destiny at the end of chapter 2 and now the Angel of Destruction.

It was a strong effort of the spirit of good, but it was ineffectual. Destiny was too potent, and her immutable laws had decreed my utter and terrible destruction.

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Before this I was not unacquainted with the more obvious laws of electricity. Mary Shelley – Frankenstein, or the Modern Prometheus (Chapter 2)
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But keep in mind that electricity wasn’t as common for Shelley as it is for us.
It wasn’t available on a commercial scale until the 1880s.

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Sir Isaac Newton is said to have avowed that he felt like a child picking up shells beside the great and unexplored ocean of truth. Mary Shelley – Frankenstein, or the Modern Prometheus (Chapter 2)
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Sir Isaac Newton (1641-1727) invented calculus (or did he?) among gravitational and mechanical theories.

However, despite all these accomplishments, he allegedly said at the end of his life,

To myself I seem to have been only like a boy playing on the seashore, and diverting myself in now and then finding a smoother pebble or a prettier shell than ordinary, whilst the great ocean of truth lay all undiscovered before me.

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Marked this as restating the line?
3 years
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Cornelius Agrippa Mary Shelley – Frankenstein, or the Modern Prometheus (Chapter 2)
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Heinrich Cornelius Agrippa (1486-1535) was a German physician whose mystical philosophies defended magic and occultism.

As we will soon see, the legacy he left was not one of credibility and respectbility.

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mountains of Jura Mary Shelley – Frankenstein, or the Modern Prometheus (Chapter 2)
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The Jura Mountains lie north of the Western Alps and are mainly in Switzerland and France.

The name “Jura” is derived from the Celtic stem jor- “forest.”

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Belrive Mary Shelley – Frankenstein, or the Modern Prometheus (Chapter 2)
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The house in which Mary Shelley began writing Frankenstein was called “Villa Belle Rive” before Lord Byron renamed it “Villa Diodati”.

It’s near Lake Geneva.

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8 years

it is important to note that here it is not highly populated but rich in nature. This is another extension of Victor’s personality as we see him take refuge and “delight” in nature but yet doesn’t seem to take this same joy in the company of people – this is evident in the minimal friendships and relations he has with others and prefers to instead immerse himself in knowledge and the nature around him

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The saintly soul of Elizabeth shone like a shrine-dedicated lamp in our peaceful home. Her sympathy was ours; her smile, her soft voice, the sweet glance of her celestial eyes, were ever there to bless and animate us. Mary Shelley – Frankenstein, or the Modern Prometheus (Chapter 2)
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Elizabeth is always surrounded by angelic diction.

Victor adores her and admires her as if she were divine.

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8 years

Placing the description of Clerval and Elizabeth next to each other allows the reader to draw distinctions between the two, and particulary disparities in Victor’s feelings towards them. While Victor’s description of Elizabeth focuses of her surface aspects, like her voice and appearance, Clerval’s description is much more focused on his characteristics. Within this, Shelley indicates that Victor has a closer bond with Clerval and that perhaps his feelings towards Elizabeth are slightly superficial and forced.

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