Starter quiz
- Which colours might we expect to see in a Gothic text?
- pink
- black ✓
- red ✓
- blue
- silver
-
- Which of the following creatures might feature in a Gothic text?
- black cat ✓
- mouse
- dolphin
- bat ✓
- dog
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- In the text 'Frankenstein', what does Victor Frankenstein attempt to create?
- a cat
- a dog
- a baby
- a man ✓
- a ghost
-
- In 'Frankenstein', what does the creature ask Frankenstein for in the novel?
- a sister
- a mate ✓
- a child
- a pet
-
- What might the phrase 'playing God' mean?
- turning one's back on faith and God
- dressing up as God
- performing acts that only God should be able to do ✓
- making alliances with the devil
- denying the existence of God
-
- Which of the following is not a Gothic convention we see in 'Frankenstein'?
- mutliple narrators
- extreme violence
- excessive emotional states
- ghosts and spirits ✓
- battles between good and evil
-
Exit quiz
- What is the name of the protagonist in Mary Shelley's 'Frankenstein'?
- Vic Frankenstein
- Vilhelm Frankenstein
- Velma Frankenstein
- Victor Frankenstein ✓
- Vincent Frankenstein
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- In 'Frankenstein', what method does Shelley use to show Frankenstein's hubris: "I was surprised...that I alone should be reserved to discover so astonishing a secret."
- personal pronoun ✓
- repetition
- onomatopoeia
- alliteration
- simile
-
- Which of the following methods does Shelley use to portray Frankenstein as arrogant in the novel 'Frankenstein'?
- hyperbolic language ✓
- mirroring
- onomatopoeia
- extended metaphor
- rhetorical questions
-
- How does Victor's experiment affect him in the novel 'Frankenstein'?
- it makes him become very pale and thin ✓
- he becomes very popular and surrounds himself with people
- he suffers from flashbacks to the night he brought the monster to life ✓
- he gains lots of personal satisfaction from his experiment
- he becomes even more proud and hubristic
-
- Complete the quotation from the novel 'Frankenstein': Victor warns Walton: "how dangerous is the acquirement of ______".
- 'knowledge' ✓
- In showing us the impact of Victor's experiment on his physical and mental health in 'Frankenstein', what is Shelley trying to teach us?
- the importance of ambition
- the true value of knowledge
- the pain of losing loved ones
- the corruptive nature of ambition ✓
- the transformative power of knowledge
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Worksheet
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Presentation
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Lesson Details
Key learning points
- Victor Frankenstein is portrayed as a highly hubristic and arrogant character who plays God.
- Victor relentlessly pursues knowledge to its limits, to the detriment of his own sanity, and the lives of others.
- Shelley uses hyperbolic language to characterise Frankenstein as hubristic.
- Frankenstein regrets his hubris and ambition, acknowledging that it has destroyed him physically and mentally.
- Shelley warns us of the corruptive nature of ambition, especially when pursued by those without respect for boundaries.
Common misconception
Pupils do not appreciate the extent of Frankenstein's immorality.
In pursuit of knowledge, Frankenstein broke natural and political laws. He robbed graves and tortured live animals to achieve his ambition.
Keywords
Hubris - excessive pride or arrogance
Playing god - taking control of decisions or interventions that should be reserved for God
Hyperbolic language - language that exaggerates
To corrupt - has the power to make people behave immorally or wickedly
To pursue - to try and obtain something - to chase after something
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