Elizabeth Lavenza

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Elizabeth Lavenza

Elizabeth Lavenza is the orphan child taken in by the Frankenstein family, who later becomes Victor's wife.

Death

On Victor and Elizabeth's honeymoon, she is killed by the Monster after he warns Victor "I will be with you on your wedding night."
Victor’s own monomania stops him from seeing that this threat could be against anyone but himself.

Heritage

Elizabeth’s was the daughter of a Milanese nobleman and a German mother, which is why she is treated with such respect in the Frankenstein family, even though she is found living with a poor family in Italy.
Elizabeth has a keen sense of maternal responsibility and is the one who keeps the family together after Victor’s mother, Caroline, dies.

Emotional support

Elizabeth manages to survive the scarlet fever plague that takes Caroline and she writes to Victor while at school informing him about the well being of his family.
She is the source of information for Victor when he is away at the university and believes that family love will help the Frankenstein’s through the tragedy of William’s death.

Character

She is an extremely empathetic and loyal, supporting Justine through her ordeal and trial, and constantly staying in touch with Victor through her letters.

What do we Know About Elizabeth?

Elizabeth is presented by Shelley as the perfect and submissive woman for the time period.

Chremamorphism

Victor idolises her from a young age. Shelley uses chremamorphism (a device where a human is described as possessing the attributes of an object) to display Victor’s objectification of Elizabeth:
- "she presented Elizabeth to me as her promised gift."
- "All praises bestowed upon her, I received as made to a possession of my own."
- "Since till death she was to be mine only."

Women as ‘other’

Elizabeth is pulled out of a life of "poverty and want" by Alphonse Frankenstein. He finds her playing with Victor in a villa near Lake Como and finds out from her ‘guardians’ about her noble heritage and the downfall of her family.
It could be argued that, like the Monster, women are seen as ‘other’ in the novel, especially as they are utterly dependent upon men.

Physical appearance

Victor’s language towards her, calling her a "creature who seemed to shed radiance from her looks, and whose form and motions were lighter than the chamois of the hills", juxtaposes his attitude towards his own 'creature’, whose hideous visage results in him abandoning him at ‘birth’.
Elizabeth, being beautiful and of nobility, is accepted with open arms into Victor’s family.

Religious imagery

The language Shelley uses to describe Elizabeth is deeply imbued in religious imagery:
- "A being heaven-sent, and bearing a celestial stamp in all her features"
- "A child fairer than pictured cherub."
- "Saintly."

Innocent victim

This glorification of her character adds to the tragedy of her death at the hands of the Monster, as her pure soul creates the idea that she is a truly innocent victim, murdered cruelly by Victor’s own hubristic ambition.

1Narrative Structure

1.1Narrative Structure

1.1.1Narrative Structure

1.1.2Narrative Distancing

1.1.3End of Topic Test - Narrative Structure

2Character Summaries

2.1Walton & Frankenstein

2.1.1Walton

2.1.2Victor Frankenstein

2.1.3End of Topic Test - Walton & Frankenstein

2.2The Monster

2.2.1The Monster

2.2.2The Monster 2

2.2.3End of Topic Test - The Monster

2.3Elizabeth, Justine & Henry

2.3.1Elizabeth Lavenza

2.3.2Justine Moritz

2.3.3Henry Clerval

2.3.4End of Topic Test - Elizabeth, Justine & Henry

2.4Families & Other Characters

2.4.1The Frankenstein Family

2.4.2The De Lacey Family

2.4.3Other Characters

2.4.4End of Topic Test - Families & Other Characters

3Intertextuality & Allusions

3.1Intertextual References

3.1.1The Modern Prometheus

3.1.2The Rime of the Ancient Mariner

3.1.3The Bible

3.1.4Mutability & Tintern Abbey

3.1.5End of Topic Test - Intertextual References

3.2Philosophical & Scientific Theories

3.2.1Edmund Burke

3.2.2Thomas Paine

3.2.3John Locke

3.2.4Jean-Jacques Rousseau

3.2.5Historical Figures

3.2.6End of Topic Test - Philosophy & Science Theories

4Biographic Context

4.1Biographic Context

4.1.1Shelley's Parents

4.1.2Loss & Maternal Anxiety

4.1.3Literary Legend

4.1.4End of Topic Test - Biographical Context

5Chapter Summaries

5.1Letters

5.1.1Letters 1 & 2

5.1.2Letters 3 & 4

5.1.3End of Topic Test - Letters

5.2Chapters

5.2.1Chapters 1-2

5.2.2Chapters 3-4

5.2.3Chapters 5-6

5.2.4Chapters 7-9

5.2.5Chapters 10-11

5.2.6Chapters 12-15

5.2.7Chapters 16-19

5.2.8Chapters 20-23

5.2.9Chapter 24 & Walton’s Last Letters

5.2.10End of Topic Test - Chapters 1-6

5.2.11End of Topic Test - Chapters 7-15

5.2.12End of Topic Test - Chapters 16-23

5.2.13End of Topic Test - Chapter 24 & Walton's Letters

6Key Themes

6.1Key Themes

6.1.1Curiosity & Knowledge

6.1.2Science & Society

6.1.3Loss & Companionship

6.1.4Connection to Nature

6.1.5Injustice

6.2Key Locations

6.2.1Extreme Landscapes

6.2.2Industrialised University Cities

6.2.3End of Topic Test - Key Themes & Locations

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