Presumption or the Fate of Frankenstein

Presumption or the Fate of Frankenstein is a play that Richard Brinsey Peake wrote in 1823. It’s loosely based on Frankenstein by Mary Shelley.

Victor Frankenstein worked alone in the book but the play gave him a sidekick named Fritz. It also had Victor shout “it lives” when The Monster comes to life. It had Elizabeth Frankenstein be Victor’s sister instead of his wife. It had The Monster be mute and it had Victor’s friend Henry Clerval alive at the end. It got rid of the narrator Captain Walton and it ended with Victor and the Monster killing each other.

Mary Shelley liked the play even though it was different from her book.

The 1931 movie Frankenstein took a lot of influence from the play including having Fritz be a character, having the Monster be mute and having Henry Frankenstein say “It’s alive! It’s alive!”