Frankenstein: The Consequences Of Mary Shelley's Frankenstein

Ever since it’s conception into English Literature, the captivating novel Frankenstein by Mary Shelley has continued to be reproduced in various ways to honor its renowned tale and its enduring moral. The original novel was published in January of 1818 and since then, the enchanting story has been extremely popular. Frankenstein has been performed many times from its first dramatic performance in 1823 to just a few months ago on Broadway (Young Frankenstein), and numerous productions in between. However, not all reproductions stay true to the original Gothic masterpiece.

The earliest recreations of Frankenstein are traced back to mid-to-late 19th century plays. In 1823, Richard Brinksley Peake directed the first stage reproduction of Frankenstein in a common English theater. Its title however was changed from Frankenstein to Presumption: The Fate of Frankenstein. In this production, few to no scenes were altered. Soon the famous, now dramatic, work of literature spread throughout Europe and plays were being performed all over. From Italy to Spain and back to England, various directors took Mary Shelley’s masterpiece into their own hands. (Administrator, Rohrmoser)

Later on in 1927, the British play Frankenstein: An Experiment was performed, along with some 60 years later Libby Larson’s opera Frankenstein: The Modern Day Prometheus was in theatres as well. The original moral of stepping beyond one's reach and voltaic ambition were kept key and few to no scenes were changed. This was the basic foundation for these plays and throughout the beginning of the first motion picture productions. (Administrator)

The first movie recreations of Frankenstein were in 1910, the fourteen-minute Frankenstein by Edison Studios, the 1920 The Monster...

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...g moral. However, not all reproductions stay true to the original Gothic masterpiece. Many in fact, stray completely from Mary Shelley’s original intention and just use her characters as puppets, forgetting their original purposes. Frankenstein has been reproduced in hundreds of ways for over a hundred years, the most comedic, most horrific, or most memorable versions may not expose what Shelley's original point of the novel is. Kenneth Branagh's 1994 reproduction of Frankenstein proves to be the most loyal to the original novel. Branagh's version stays along the same plot, expands on Shelley's characters, keeps the most vital scenes prevalent and retains the novel's Gothic tragedy instead of a Sci-fi horror. From its proper characterization to its impeccable interpretation of detail, Frankenstein (1994) is a reproduction that Mary Shelley herself would be proud of.