Very Short Summary
Geneva and various European locations, late 18th century. Young scientist Victor Frankenstein pursued ambitious research at the University of Ingolstadt.
After months of obsessive work, he succeeded in creating an artificial man, but was horrified by its hideous appearance and abandoned it. The creature, left alone and rejected by society, learned to speak and read by observing a family in secret.
Cursed creator! Why did you form a monster so hideous that even YOU turned from me in disgust? God, in pity, made man beautiful and alluring, after his own image; but my form is a filthy type of yours.
Seeking revenge for his abandonment, the creature murdered Frankenstein's young brother William and framed the family servant Justine, who was executed for the crime. The monster then demanded that Frankenstein create a female companion for him, promising to leave humanity alone if his request was granted.
Frankenstein initially agreed but later destroyed the unfinished female creature, fearing the consequences of creating a second monster. In retaliation, the creature killed Frankenstein's friend Clerval and his bride Elizabeth on their wedding night. Frankenstein's father died from grief, and Frankenstein devoted his life to pursuing the monster.
The chase led them to the Arctic, where Frankenstein told his story to a ship captain before dying. The monster appeared, expressed remorse over his creator's death, and announced his intention to end his own life in the frozen wilderness. He disappeared into the darkness, never to be seen again.
Detailed Summary
Division into chapters is editorial.
Walton's Arctic Expedition and Meeting Frankenstein
The story began through a series of letters from Robert Walton to his sister Margaret. Walton, an Arctic explorer, wrote about his dangerous expedition to the North Pole and his ship becoming trapped in frozen waters. During this voyage, his crew spotted a gigantic figure crossing the ice with a dog sled, followed by their discovery of a nearly frozen man who they rescued - Victor Frankenstein.
After recovering some strength, Frankenstein began to tell Walton his tragic story, warning him about the dangers of unchecked ambition and the pursuit of forbidden knowledge.
Learn from me... how dangerous is the acquirement of knowledge and how much happier that man is who believes his native town to be the world, than he who aspires to become greater than his nature will allow.
Frankenstein's Early Life and University Studies
Victor Frankenstein grew up in Geneva with his loving family. His father, Alphonse Frankenstein, was a respected nobleman who had married Caroline Beaufort, the daughter of his impoverished friend. Victor was their first child, and they later adopted Elizabeth Lavenza, an orphaned girl who became Victor's closest companion and future fiancée.
At the age of seventeen, Victor left for the University of Ingolstadt. Before his departure, his mother died from scarlet fever after nursing Elizabeth back to health. At university, Victor became obsessed with natural philosophy and chemistry, particularly after meeting Professor Waldman. His fascination with the secret of life grew into an all-consuming passion.
Creation of the Monster
Over the next two years, Victor worked tirelessly to unlock the mystery of life. He collected body parts from charnel houses and dissecting rooms, assembling them into a creature of gigantic stature. His obsession consumed him, causing him to neglect his family, friends, and his own health.
Life and death appeared to me ideal bounds, which I should first break through... A new species would bless me as its creator and source; many happy and excellent natures would owe their being to me.
On a dreary night in November, Victor successfully animated his creation. However, upon seeing the hideous being he had created, he was filled with horror and disgust. He fled from his laboratory, abandoning his creation. When he returned the next day, the creature had disappeared.
William's Murder and Justine's Trial
Shortly after Victor's recovery from a nervous fever, he learned that his youngest brother William had been murdered near their home in Geneva. Upon returning home, Victor caught a glimpse of his creation near the scene of the crime and realized the monster was responsible for William's death.
To Victor's horror, Justine Moritz, a servant in the Frankenstein household, was accused of the murder when William's locket was found in her possession. Despite Victor's private knowledge of her innocence, he remained silent, tormented by guilt but unable to reveal the truth about his creation. Justine was convicted and executed, adding another burden to Victor's conscience.
The Monster's Tale and His Request
Seeking solace in the mountains, Victor encountered his creation, who demanded to be heard. The creature recounted his experiences since his abandonment: his initial confusion, his gradual education through observing a family living in a cottage, and his growing loneliness and bitterness at being rejected by society due to his appearance.
I ought to be thy Adam, but I am rather the fallen angel, whom thou drivest from joy for no misdeed. Everywhere I see bliss, from which I alone am irrevocably excluded.
The monster explained that he had killed William in a fit of rage after the boy revealed his connection to the Frankenstein family. He then planted the locket on Justine to frame her for the murder. Despite these cruel acts, the creature made a proposition to Victor: if Frankenstein would create a female companion for him, they would exile themselves to the wilderness of South America, never to trouble humanity again.
Beware; for I am fearless, and therefore powerful. I will watch with the wiliness of a snake, that I may sting with its venom. Man, you shall repent of the injuries you inflict.
Creation and Destruction of the Female Monster
After much internal conflict, Victor agreed to create a female companion. He traveled to England with his friend Henry Clerval to gather information and materials for the task. Eventually, he isolated himself on a remote Scottish island to begin his work.
However, as Victor neared completion of the female creature, he was overcome with doubts. He feared creating a race of monsters that might destroy humanity. In a decisive moment, while the monster watched through a window, Victor destroyed the unfinished female creature. Enraged, the monster vowed revenge, promising to be with Victor on his wedding night.
Murder of Clerval and Frankenstein's Imprisonment
After disposing of his laboratory equipment at sea, Victor found himself alone on a strange shore. There he discovered the strangled body of Henry Clerval, another victim of the monster's revenge. Victor was arrested for the murder but eventually cleared when it was proved he was on the Orkney Islands when the crime occurred. The ordeal left him in a state of nervous fever for several months.
The fallen angel becomes a malignant devil. Yet even that enemy of God and man had friends and associates in his desolation; I am alone. You, who call Frankenstein your friend, seem to have a knowledge of my crimes.
Elizabeth's Murder and Final Pursuit
Upon recovering, Victor returned to Geneva and married Elizabeth. However, remembering the monster's threat about his wedding night, he feared for his own life. To his horror, the monster instead killed Elizabeth on their wedding night, leaving Victor devastated. Shortly after, his father died from grief.
When I run over the frightful catalogue of my sins, I cannot believe that I am the same creature whose thoughts were once filled with sublime and transcendent visions of the beauty and majesty of goodness.
Consumed by vengeance, Victor pursued the monster into the Arctic, where Walton's ship eventually found him. As Victor finished his narrative, his health rapidly declined. Before dying, he warned Walton about the dangers of unchecked ambition and extracted a promise to kill the monster if he should appear.
After Victor's death, Walton found the monster mourning over his creator's body. The creature expressed deep remorse for his actions while also defending them as the result of his cruel treatment by society. He announced his intention to travel to the northernmost extremity of the globe and end his own life. With these words, the monster disappeared into the darkness, never to be seen again.