Elizabeth in the Frankenstein Movie Versus the Novel Essay

Compare/Contrast Frankenstein

The portrayal of Elizabeth from the Frankenstein movie (1994 version) vastly differs from her counterpart depicted in the novel. The discrepancies between the two portrayals of Elizabeth largely stems from the degree of autonomy, treatment, and representation of women in both time periods. The culture and audience of each respective time period directly impacts and pressures Mary Shelley (Frankenstein author) and Kenneth Branagh (Frankenstein movie director) to modify their works in order to appeal to the culture and audience of its era. As a result, Elizabeths feminist qualities are on completely opposite sides of the spectrum in terms of her freedom of expression and status among men. In the 1994 movie, Elizabeth displays much more sexual and emotional affection towards Victor compared to her counter-part from the novel. She also establishes a firm and active presence throughout the movie. In the novel, however, Elizabeth, along with all the other female characters, tends to be passive and often reside in the background to the male characters.

The Elizabeth portrayed in the movie is far more emotionally and sexually attached to Victor compared to the Elizabeth depicted in Shelleys novel. Her intense, passionate relationship with Victor becomes quite obvious in the dance and wedding scenes. In the dance scene, which occurs fairly early in the movie, after Victor proposes to Elizabeth, she responds, I want more than anything else in the world to be your wife. In the novel, however, Elizabeth never expresses her feelings towards Victor until she sends him a love letter in chapter 22. The wedding scene in the movie depicts the pinnacle of Elizabeth and Victors sexual interaction. Branagh devotes a good a minute or two of the wedding scene just to show Victor making love to Elizabeth in bed. Conversely, Elizabeth never kisses nor makes any type of sexual notion towards Victor in the novel. Judging from these two circumstances, the aspect of Elizabeths sexual and emotional display towards Victor was clearly adjusted to attract and appeal to the audiences of their respective time periods. During the early 1800s, the attitudes and openness towards sexuality and love were far different from what it was in the 1990s. Evidently, the lack of sexual scenes in the novel shows that the society and the culture of the early 1800s were conservative and sensitive in terms of its openness of expression towards love and sexual portrayal. By 1994, however, sexuality had become increasingly liberalized and openly accepted by the public. The multiple camera angles shot in the wedding scene vividly depict the various parts of Victor and Elizabeths partly naked body, thereby illustrating the acceptance of sexual portrayal in the 1990s.

Elizabeth also has a firmly established presence and role in the movie compared to the novel, where she comes off as passive and barely noticeable. In the movie, for example, Elizabeth rushes to Ingolstadt with Henry and aggressively confronts Victor for his lack of response to her letters. In a sense, she assumes equal status among men by being able to scold and dictate Victors abnormal behavior. In the novel, however, she quietly and obediently waits in Geneva for his return. The relationship between Elizabeth and Victor in the novel is clear: while Elizabeth can only suggest the correct type of decisions Victor should make, Victor has the actual power to make the decisions, whether she likes it or not. The difference between these two portrayals of Elizabeth is largely due to the amount of equal rights and the level of freedom of expression women had in each respective time period. During the early 1800s, gender discrimination against women was still in full swing. Women during that time period were still considered inferior and subordinates to men, and were therefore, treated accordingly. As a result, Mary Shelley was forced to give Elizabeth and rest of the female characters passive and submissive roles in her Frankenstein novel in order to accommodate for the gender inequalities of her era. By the 1990s, however, numerous feminist and woman rights movements were already in place, allowing women to gain equal status with men. Consequently, in the 1994 Frankenstein movie, Elizabeth is able to freely express herself and leave her own mark on the movie.

Elizabeths personality and role in the movie and book reflects the society and the culture of the time period in which they were made. Mary Shelley and Kenneth Branagh both crafted their works in order to appeal to the culture and the audience of their respective time periods. Therefore, the audience and society of the early 1800s and the 1990s ultimately dictated the way Elizabeth should be portrayed by offering differing views on sexuality and womans equality.

Works Cited

Mary Shelley's Frankenstein. Dir. Kenneth Branagh. By Steph Lady and Frank Darabont. Perf. Kenneth Branagh, Niro Robert De, Tom Hulce, Carter Helena Bonham, and Aidan Quinn. TriStar Pictures, 1994. DVD.

Shelley, Mary. Frankenstein. New York: Bantam, 1981. Print.

"WIC - Women's History in America." Welcome to WIC - Breaking News and Opinion in San Diego: Women's International Center. Web. 02 Sept. 2011. .