Frankenstein: Performers' physical interpretation of character (build, age, height, facial features, movement, posture, gesture, facial expression)

Frankenstein: Performers’ physical interpretation of character (build, age, height, facial features, movement, posture, gesture, facial expression)

Character Physicality

  • Victor Frankenstein: Depicted as a tall, lean, and scholarly man, typically around middle-age. Often portrayed with an intense, focused facial expression to convey his obsessive nature. Upstanding posture, gesturing animatedly when describing his work.

  • The Creature: Vastly different from its creator, extremely tall and powerfully built to signify its monstrous origin. Portrayed with disfigured facial features, contorted posture, and a lumbering gait that evoke an unsettling presence.

Character Changes

  • Victor Frankenstein progressively grows frail as the story advances, symbolic of his declining mental and physical health. His movements may become erratic as he confronts the consequences of his actions.

  • The Creature should develop more fluid movement over time. As it gains knowledge about humanity, the actor might choose to present a more human-like posture, gestures and expressions to reflect this.

Expressing Emotions and Inner Turmoil

  • Victor Frankenstein’s gestures and facial expressions often transmit his fluctuating feelings of ambition, guilt, remorse and despair. For instance, his face might harden with determination when he’s working on his creation but soften with regret when confronted with the damage he’s caused.

  • The Creature, despite its monstrous appearance, is capable of a range of human emotions, from anger and sadness to happiness and curiosity. The performer should aim to translate these emotions through its physicality, entirely using exaggerated expressions and broad gestures.

Synergy with Other Characters

  • Performers should consider how Frankenstein and The Creature’s physical interpretations contrast with other characters in the play. For example, how do they tower over, menace or retreat from others in different scenes? The contrasts and interactions can serve to reinforce their individual characterisations.

Elements of Suppression and Dominance

  • Both Victor Frankenstein and The Creature experience power dynamics throughout the play. Victor starts as a dominant character, standing tall and owning the space. As the play progresses and he gradually loses control, his posture may become more hunched & movements more restricted.

  • Conversely, the Creature’s dominance grows as it learns to navigate the world, its movement and posture becoming more assertive and confident. The performers’ physical interpretations of these power shifts is vital to visually communicating the narrative and their internal journeys.