Frankenstein: Plot Summary

Letters 1-4: Robert Walton, the narrator, writes letters to his sister from his Arctic expedition detailing his ambitions, team, and a meeting with a stranger, Victor Frankenstein.
Chapter 1: A retrospective account of Victor’s normal childhood, marked by affection and the inclusion of adopted Cousin Elizabeth.
Chapter 2: Victor’s developed fascination with alchemy, rejecting modern science and setting the frame for later catastrophic events.
Chapter 3: Victor leaves for university where he eventually decides to study science and is disturbed when he reanimates deceased matter.
Chapter 4: Victor becomes engrossed in his experiment intending to create life, avoiding family and friends.
Chapter 5: Victor succeeds in creating a living creature, but is horrified and disgusted by its monstrous appearance.
Chapter 6: Following a severe illness due to his shock, Victor receives a letter from Elizabeth that restores his spirits.
Chapter 7: Victor’s brother, William, is murdered, casting a shadow of grief over all the family.
Chapter 8: Justine, the family’s servant, is falsely accused and condemned to death for William’s murder.
Chapter 9: Victor mourns Justine’s and William’s death and considers himself the murderer, contemplating suicide.
Chapter 10: Frankenstein meets his creature in the mountains, who pleads with him to listen to his story.
Chapter 11: The creature recounts experiencing life for the first time and being rejected by people, leading him to shun humanity.
Chapter 12: The creature continues his story, telling of his learning about human society by observing a poor family.
Chapter 13: The creature comes to understand human language and emotions, and the pain of social isolation.
Chapter 14: The creature learns about the family he’s been observing and their misfortunes which deepen his sympathy for them.
Chapter 15: The creature discovers a satchel of books and learns about history, emotions and the nature of man, developing his own understanding of humanity.
Chapter 16: After being rejected by the family he had been observing, the creature takes revenge by killing Victor’s brother William;
Chapter 17: The creature demands Victor to create a female companion for him, arguing that it’s his right for happiness.
Chapter 18: Despite his reservations, Victor agrees to create a female creature but is tormented by the potential consequences.
Chapter 19: Victor travels to England with Henry Clerval to gather information for the creature’s companion.
Chapter 20: After starting to create the female creature, Victor, consumed by anxiety, destroys her, thus enraging the creature.
Chapter 21: Returning to Geneva, Victor is accused of the murder of Henry Clerval.
Chapter 22: Victor is acquitted and marries Elizabeth, yet he is plagued by the creature’s ominous promise of revenge.
Chapter 23: On their wedding night, the creature kills Elizabeth, leading to Victor’s father’s death from grief.
Chapter 24: Victor, seeking revenge on his creature, ends up in Arctic where Walton finds him.
“Walton, in continuation…”: Walton’s last letters describe Victor’s demise, the creature’s remorse, and his decision to take his own life, ending the tale of tragedy.