The Merging of Elizabeth Lavenza and Mary Shelley into One
Frankenstein. In large, bold letters, the main character of the tale is established in the very title. A male character, whose narration dominates much of the novel, and who enjoys all the freedoms given to a man of his time simply because of his gender. It is interesting, however, that this novel was written by a woman, who was both a feminist and a radical. Knowing this, it is additionally surprising that Mary Shelley created such a secondary female character for her book, whose retiring nature seems to completely contrast Shelley’s. The main female character, Elizabeth, epitomizes every ideal quality for a woman in her time: soft-spoken, modest, and docile. In Kenneth Branagh’s film Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, however, Elizabeth assumes a much more active role, and stands apart as her own character, seeming to defy convention; in this way, the character seems to more closely resemble Mary Shelley than Elizabeth. One significant difference between this particular movie adaptation and the book clearly is the portrayal of Elizabeth, as well as the effect of her role on the story; furthermore, the movie provides an interesting connection between the heroine and Mary Shelley herself, highlighting the idea that the presentation of women is influenced by the views of society at the time.
Many female audience members may applaud the more egalitarian role Elizabeth takes in the film version. Indeed, she seems to insist standing as Victor’s equal, rather than patiently wait upon his whim. In the novel, Elizabeth is presented as a gift to Victor; his mother teases him, saying “I have a pretty present for my Victor- to-morrow he shall have it,” (44). Thus Victor assumed, “She was to be mine only,” (45). He thought he had complete possession over Elizabeth, and her status was relegated to that of a mere belonging. Furthermore, it was assumed by all members of the Frankenstein family that upon reaching the proper age, Victor and Elizabeth would marry. Indeed, his father tells him “I have always looked forward to your marriage with our dear Elizabeth” (133). Thus, Victor was always made aware that his matrimonial future lay with Elizabeth, and repeatedly alludes to it throughout the book.
Elizabeth as seen in the movie, however, was quite unrecognizable from the one in the book; she was clearly presented as her own independent individual, and did not demurely submit to Victor’s possession. Indeed, she was far more playful and flirtatious, attempting to distract Victor from his studies, a feat the more retiring literary Elizabeth would never have dared to try. Furthermore, her romantic relationship with Victor was not obviously settled since childhood. In the film, he specifically asked her to marry him before he journeyed off to school, establishing their feelings for each other for the first time. In a very passionate scene, Victor begs Elizabeth to come with him, a jarring contrast from the book; he never seems to passionately need Elizabeth in print, while in the movie he cannot bear to be parted from her. Elizabeth, even more conversely, refuses to go with him, saying she is needed at home. Clearly, Elizabeth is not simply an appendage of Victor, but is her own person and recognizes her own needs as well as her fiancé’s, and is willing to fulfill those personal needs.
Several scenes were conceived for the movie that were not at all present in the book. One such addition was Elizabeth’s method of coping with Victor’s self-alienation. In the book, Elizabeth seems to wait patiently for Victor, and when the entire family wonders at his lack of letters, it is Victor’s childhood friend Henry Clerval who goes to investigate. In the movie, however, Elizabeth passionately despairs of the lack of correspondence with her fiancé; she tears apart his letters – ones that she wrote herself to continue the appearance that he loved her- and sobs because she assumes he no longer cares for her. At encouragement from family friend and servant Justine, Elizabeth travels to England herself to discover the cause of Victor’s self-imposed ostracization. Clearly, the film version of Elizabeth lacks the feminine qualities of gentle patience and demure acceptance that the long-suffering literary Elizabeth is praised for. The film Elizabeth steps out of the bounds of what is considered womanly by making a dangerous journey by herself. Furthermore, she demands an explanation from Victor and when he tells her that he is involved in something more important than his relationship with her, she turns and leaves him, telling him goodbye; this proves that Elizabeth’s existence is not wholly wrapped up in Victor, and that she is able to assert herself by being strong enough and courageous enough to leave him when he cannot seem to reciprocate her feelings. Elizabeth also determines to leave after Victor insists their wedding must be postponed, but fails to give an explanation; she goes so far as to pack her belongings and prepare to walk out the door. However, when he promises to tell his secret, she stays; clearly, Victor bends to her in this case, rather than her simply waiting for his decision. Though Victor’s selfishness is retained in the movie, Elizabeth’s individuality allows her react differently to it.
Yet another scene included in the film sets it apart dramatically from the novel; after the creature murders Elizabeth, Victor uses the same machine that spawned the monster to resurrect her. Indeed, the manner in which she was murdered was far more gory. In the book, the monster strangled Elizabeth to death, leaving a “murderous mark of the fiend’s grasp… on her neck” (168), which is certainly gruesome enough; however, in the movie, the creature rips out Elizabeth’s heart, a horrifying, vividly bloody clip. Victor must place her head on another body, leaving her just as scarred and ugly as his creation, who thinks Elizabeth was made for him. When Elizabeth remembers Victor, notices her own scars, and realizes what has happened, she smashes a lamp over her incongruous body and burns herself to death. Thus, Elizabeth proves that while Victor may try to control both her life and death, she is the one who ultimately makes decisions for herself. By committing suicide, Elizabeth once again asserts her independence and claims her fate as her own.
Interestingly enough, the character of Elizabeth in the novel seemed to possess all the feminine qualities Mary Shelley lacked; furthermore, the Elizabeth in the film seemed to more closely mirror Mary Shelley herself than the character of Elizabeth she conceived. Mary Shelley certainly did not live according to the standards of a docile, domesticated, and obedient woman. Indeed, influenced as she was by the reputation of her feminist mother, and because she “accepted much of the radical sexual and political philosophy of her parents” (Introduction 4), Shelley lived a rather scandalous life at the time, running away with a then-married man, Percy Shelley, and conceiving dark tales, such as Frankenstein, that would have been deemed unsuitable for her supposed feminine sensibilities. In many ways, then, Shelley more closely resembled the film version of Elizabeth, in that both were independent, assertive women for their time. However, feminism has developed drastically and the treatment of woman has evolved dramatically since Shelley’s era; indeed, she was clearly ahead of her time, in that she would fit in easily with society today in terms of her feminist thoughts. What was considered unusual for a woman to want in the eighteenth century, such as the ability to vote and protections from sexual harassment and assault, is now accepted today. Elizabeth’s portrayal in the modern movie version also reflects the great strides feminism has made, and leaves readers wondering how differently the novel of Frankenstein would have played out had Shelley penned her famed tale in modern times.
Self-Evaluation: Initially, the meaning and concluding paragraph in my paper was in danger of seeming almost random, giving that the topic of it seemed abruptly introduced. However, I went back and rewrote my introduction paragraph, to bring in my idea that Elizabeth in the film is more like Mary Shelley herself from the very beginning. So here, I think I turned a weakness into a strength.
I’m a little nervous that perhaps my descriptions of the movie were not strong enough; it’s difficult to compare books to movies, because with books to books you can use quotes, but you cannot do that with visual films.
