Title: Presumption; or, The Fate of Frankenstein.
Author: Richard Brinkesley Peake
Date of First Publication: July 28, 1823.
Place of Publication: English Opera House, London
Type: Play
Characters: Adaptation
Themes: ALL THEMES
Critical Summary: Presumption, or the Fate of Frankenstein is one of the first play adaptations of Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein. Mary Shelley herself saw a performance, and noted in a letter to Leigh Hunt, that “the story is not well managed[….]But lo & behold! I found myself famous!” Her comment about the story is classic understatement: the play changes major plot points and details with abandon. But Shelley praises T. Cooke’s performance as The Creature, who never speaks. He would revisit the role in London and on Paris to great success, reflecting fame on Shelley’s story.
The play is in three Acts. Act One opens in a gothic chamber in the house of Victor Frankenstein. Fritz (his assistant, in the first appearance of this now iconic figure) is nervous and jumpy because he thinks that Victor has been dealing with the devil in his experiments. Clerval asks Frankenstein why he looks so ill and Frankenstein tells him he’s been working on a project. Clerval wants to know of course what kind of project but Frankenstein stays quiet. Clerval employs Fritz to find out. Elizabeth and Madam Ninon talk about a wedding that is soon to happen between Elizabeth and Clerval. While they talk, William runs back from the terrace to announce that a woman named Safie and an old man (her guide) have arrived from Leghorn, Italy, and Elizabeth offers them hospitality. Meanwhile, Frankenstein enters his workshop while thunder is roaring. Fritz sneaks in trying to see what the project is and he sees strange lights at the workshop window and hears Frankenstein saying that his project was complete. Fritz flees as Frankenstein enters. The Creature leaps down from a balcony to the stage. Frankenstein holds a sword out, but the Creature breaks it and flees out a window. Frankenstein regrets his experiment.
In Act Two, Elizabeth and Frankenstein talk. Elizabeth tells him that she has also been worried about him, and she suggests that he can open up to her since she’s his sister, but he refuses. She also tells him new information about where his long-lost love Agatha might be. We find out that her departure was the reason he got into those deep experiments. He excitedly runs to go find Agatha. The next scene opens with some gypsies in the woods. Tanskin and Hammerpan talk about a rare human-like creature that they saw earlier. The “demon” is behind a bush watching them when he decides to join them but they all flee. He hears footsteps and he hides again. Agatha and Felix De Lacey come in talking about Felix’s ex-lover, Safie, who seems to be lost forever. The Creature is enchanted by Felix’s flute. The next scene opens outside of the De Lacey cottage, with old man De Lacey playing his flute while the Creature comes in to hear it. The old man is blind which explains why he doesn’t fear the Creature. Agatha and Felix meet up with their father, and Safie comes in. Many star-crossed lovers are reunited. In the following scene, Hammerpan asks everyone if they’ve seen it and they all ask what he means by “It”. He tells them that he’s seen a creature in the forest and Frankenstein realizes it’s the creature that he made. In the next scene, Agatha sees the demon and he tries to hurt her, but she cries out loudly and lives.
In the last Act, the Creature kills William, Agatha and Elizabeth. Frankenstein hunts the Creature down and destroys it in the end by firing upon it with a pistol, triggering an avalanche which kills both of them. His friends rush to try to help him if they can.
Administrative Notes: Debora Villa, CSUF student; Dr. David Sandner, CSUF (editing); Sam Drake, CSUF (editing)