Posthumanism and the interpretation of Frankeinstein’s Creature’s monologue at the National Theatre

Abstract

In 2011, the National Theatre hosted a new interpretation of Mary Shelley’s “Frankenstein.” The play drastically differs from the interpretations recorded in literature, theatre, and cinema history, as it is almost entirely dedicated to the modern interpretation of the Ceature's monologue. Mixed with elements of psychological drama and humor, the narration is also loaded with Posthumanistic ideas.

 There are two versions of this play: one of them casts Benedict Cumberbatch as Victor Frankenstein and the Creature is portrayed by Jonny Lee Miller. In the other version, the actors switch roles. This highlights an interesting interrelationship between the two characters. On one hand, as a creator and its creation, they construct a binary opposition. On the other hand, the story of the Creature’s rebellion against his creator is fundamentally the same story of Victor’s riot against his creator, God.

The play begins with the birth of the Creature. In the first scene, an anthropomorphic, deformed creature meets his creator, Victor Frankenstein, for the first time. Frankenstein is left in utter shock by what he sees. The creature flees and comes upon a group of people in a city. The encounter between the creature and the group, which leads to the creature’s banishment, is similar to the scene from John Milton’s “Paradise Lost” in which Lucifer is being exiled from heaven. The book as well as the play highlights similarities between the creature and Lucifer. In the scene of the creature’s banishment, a person from the group cites a well-known sermon by Jonathan Edwards, “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God”. In the context of the play, the sermon indicates that humanity has lost its spiritual guide and that religion is being replaced by science.

After being exiled from “heaven”, the Creature begins to transform into a human.  Generally, philosopher Dr. Francesca Ferrando thinks that Posthumanism defines “human” as a process, not a static being. Therefore, it would be correct to use a verb such as “humanization” to define this process. It is important to note, that in the mythology of ancient civilizations, there are myths about the humanization of wild creatures. A good example of this would be Sumerian stories about Enkidu.

Exiled from the city, the Creature comes across the De Lacey family. He gets an education and becomes acquainted with human culture with the help of this family. Unlike Shelley’s book, in the play, the teacher of the creature is blind De Lacey himself. Old De Lacey uses John Milton’s “Paradise Lost” as a prime textbook. Milton’s influence makes the Creature ask existential questions, such as: who am I? Where am I from? Do I have a family? Moreover, the Creature realizes that to evade his solitude he needs a mate, an Eve of his own. Later the creature demands that Victor must produce a female mate for him. The creature gives his creator an ultimatum, - it becomes clear that the process of humanization is gradually coming to an end and the Creature is about to start becoming a post-human. According to the plot, at first, Frankenstein accepts the deal however, later he concludes that the female creature might pose a threat to mankind therefore Victor breaks his promise. The Creature’s revenge is swift and dreadful. In the play, he rapes and murders Frankenstein’s innocent wife Elizabeth. After his horrifying revenge, the creature declares: “Now I am human”.

In the last episode of the play, the Creature directly addresses the viewer. This indicates that he has completely understood and accepted himself. Frankenstein, seeking his revenge, hunts for his creation. It becomes evident that now it is the Creature who dictates the rules of the relationship. This means, that the Creature has finally become post-human. This process is summed up in the Creature’s one phrase: “The son becomes the father, the master-slave.”

In conclusion, by putting Mary Shelley's “Frankenstein’s” original and symbolically burdened interpretation on the stage of the National Theatre, Danny Boyle and Nick Dear managed to present the Posthumanistic reinterpretation of the notion of “human” in theatrical space.