Walton's ship pulls a near-frozen Victor Frankenstein from the Arctic ice.

Frankenstein arrives at the University of Ingolstadt to pursue his passion for the natural sciences.

After years of studying death and decay, Frankenstein discovers the secret of creating life.

Frankenstein brings the creature to life and, horrified by its appearance, abandons it and flees.

Henry Clerval nurses Frankenstein through a months-long fever after the creature's awakening.

A letter from Frankenstein's father reveals that his youngest brother William has been murdered.

Justine Moritz is convicted and executed for William's murder despite being innocent.

The creature intercepts Frankenstein on the Montanvert glacier and demands to tell his story.

The creature confesses to killing William and framing Justine, then demands Frankenstein create a female companion.

Frankenstein agrees to create the companion and eventually sets up a remote workshop in the Orkney Islands.

Frankenstein destroys the half-finished female creature, fearing the catastrophic consequences.

Frankenstein washes ashore in Ireland and is arrested on suspicion of murdering Henry Clerval.

Frankenstein and Elizabeth marry, but the creature murders Elizabeth on their wedding night.

Frankenstein's father dies from despair following Elizabeth's murder.

Frankenstein dies on Walton's ship; the creature appears, expresses remorse, and vows to end his own life.

Robert Walton rescues a dying Victor Frankenstein from the Arctic ice, setting the stage for Frankenstein's tragic confession. Driven by obsessive ambition at university, Frankenstein discovers the secret of life, brings a monstrous creature into the world, and immediately abandons it in horror. The creature's revenge unfolds through a chain of murders — first William, then Clerval, then Elizabeth — each one stripping Frankenstein of everyone he loves. Frankenstein agrees to create a female companion for the creature but destroys her at the last moment, sealing his fate. The novel ends in the frozen north, where Frankenstein dies having never caught his creation, and the creature disappears into the darkness to destroy himself.

The headline events of Victor Frankenstein's rise, creation, and destruction.

Walton writes to his sister describing his lifelong dream to discover unknown regions of the North Pole.

Walton's crew spots a giant figure driving a dogsled across the ice far from any land.

Frankenstein's mother adopts the orphaned Elizabeth Lavenza from a poor family during a trip to Italy.

A teenage Frankenstein reads alchemist Cornelius Agrippa's work against his father's dismissive advice.

Professor Waldman's lecture about scientists' unlimited powers seals Frankenstein's devotion to natural philosophy.

Elizabeth writes to Frankenstein in Ingolstadt, urging him to write and reassure the family of his health.

Frankenstein and Clerval take a walking tour through the surrounding countryside, and Frankenstein reconnects with nature.

Frankenstein visits the imprisoned Justine, who reveals she confessed falsely under threat of excommunication.

Frankenstein travels to the mountains of Chamounix seeking comfort in nature's grandeur after Justine's execution.

Frankenstein's father suggests he marry Elizabeth, and Frankenstein agrees but resolves to complete the companion first.

Frankenstein and Clerval travel through England and Scotland together before parting ways near Perth.

The creature returns to Frankenstein's island hut furious and promises to be present on Frankenstein's wedding night.

Frankenstein's father travels to Ireland to visit his imprisoned son, reviving Frankenstein's will to live.

After returning home, Frankenstein visits the graves of his loved ones and vows to pursue the creature forever.

Walton discovers the creature mourning over Frankenstein's body and listens to its final declaration of remorse.

Walton's letters and Frankenstein's early life establish the world of ambition, family, and nature that Frankenstein will destroy through his obsession. Elizabeth's adoption into the family, Waldman's inspiring lecture, and Clerval's restorative companionship all show the warmth Frankenstein gradually forfeits. As the creature's revenge takes hold, secondary characters like Justine and Clerval become casualties, and Frankenstein's relationships with his father and Elizabeth grow increasingly strained by secrets he cannot share. The creature's threats and Frankenstein's imprisonment in Ireland mark the story's darkest middle stretch, while the swearing of vengeance at his family's graves propels the final chase. The pool closes as Walton bears witness to the creature's grief, the last observer of a catastrophe set in motion long before.

The supporting moments that shape the world around Frankenstein's obsession.

Frankenstein agrees to share his story with Walton so Walton might draw a cautionary lesson from it.

A lightning storm destroys a tree before Frankenstein's eyes, temporarily turning him away from alchemy.

Frankenstein's mother dies of scarlet fever just before his planned departure for university.

Professor Krempe tells Frankenstein that every moment spent studying alchemists has been entirely wasted.

After recovering from his fever, Frankenstein abandons natural philosophy and joins Clerval in studying languages.

Frankenstein spots the creature on the mountainside during a storm and becomes certain it murdered William.

The De Lacey family permanently abandons their cottage after encountering the creature, destroying his last hope of acceptance.

The creature first sees his own reflection in water and is horrified by his hideous appearance.

The creature reads Paradise Lost and concludes he is more like the outcast Satan than the beloved Adam.

The creature finds Frankenstein's papers in a stolen cloak and discovers he was deliberately designed to be loathsome.

The creature saves a girl from drowning but is shot by her companion, triggering his declaration of war on humanity.

Frankenstein discovers Clerval's body in Ireland and falls into a fever, raving that he is the true murderer.

Frankenstein is proven innocent of Clerval's murder and released from the Irish prison.

The creature taunts Frankenstein with messages during their northward chase, promising suffering before death.

Frankenstein confronts Walton's mutinous crew and urges them not to abandon their quest out of cowardice.

From Frankenstein's earliest diversions toward dangerous knowledge to the creature's dawning self-awareness, this pool traces the pivotal moments of internal change in the novel. Key revelations — Krempe's dismissal, the creature seeing his own reflection, finding Frankenstein's papers — show how both creator and creation are shaped by what they learn about themselves and the world. The creature's violent turn is marked by a series of specific rejections: the De Lacey family's abandonment and the ingratitude of the girl he saves culminate in his declaration of war on humanity. On Frankenstein's side, the horror of discovering Clerval's body, his release from prison, and his final confrontation with Walton's wavering crew show a man hollowed out by the consequences of his ambitions. Together these events reveal how knowledge, without wisdom or compassion, destroys everything it touches.

The discoveries, decisions, and shifts that define the creature's tragedy and Frankenstein's downfall.