Original "Frankenstein" by Mary Shelley, Chapters 8–12

Anna
In this groundbreaking novel, Dr. Victor Frankenstein works feverishly to bring an inanimate creature to life — but when he finally succeeds, he is horrified by what he has unleashed.
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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. ignominious
    deserving or bringing disgrace or shame
    Justine also was a girl of merit and possessed qualities which promised to render her life happy; now all was to be obliterated in an ignominious grave, and I the cause!
  2. exculpate
    pronounce not guilty of criminal charges
    A thousand times rather would I have confessed myself guilty of the crime ascribed to Justine, but I was absent when it was committed, and such a declaration would have been considered as the ravings of a madman and would not have exculpated her who suffered through me.
  3. execrate
    curse or declare to be evil or anathema
    Yet she appeared confident in innocence and did not tremble, although gazed on and execrated by thousands, for all the kindness which her beauty might otherwise have excited was obliterated in the minds of the spectators by the imagination of the enormity she was supposed to have committed.
  4. adduce
    advance evidence for
    She was tranquil, yet her tranquillity was evidently constrained; and as her confusion had before been adduced as a proof of her guilt, she worked up her mind to an appearance of courage.
  5. indignation
    a feeling of righteous anger
    The picture was then produced which the servant had found in her pocket; and when Elizabeth, in a faltering voice, proved that it was the same which, an hour before the child had been missed, she had placed round his neck, a murmur of horror and indignation filled the court.
  6. wanton
    unprovoked or without motive or justification
    I believe that I have no enemy on earth, and none surely would have been so wicked as to destroy me wantonly.
  7. timorous
    shy and fearful by nature
    Several witnesses were called who had known her for many years, and they spoke well of her; but fear and hatred of the crime of which they supposed her guilty rendered them timorous and unwilling to come forward.
  8. bauble
    cheap showy jewelry or ornament
    She had no temptation for such an action; as to the bauble on which the chief proof rests, if she had earnestly desired it, I should have willingly given it to her, so much do I esteem and value her.
  9. guile
    shrewdness as demonstrated by being skilled in deception
    Justine, whom I loved and esteemed as my sister, how could she put on those smiles of innocence only to betray? Her mild eyes seemed incapable of any severity or guile, and yet she has committed a murder.
  10. manacle
    confine or restrain with or as if with handcuffs
    We entered the gloomy prison chamber and beheld Justine sitting on some straw at the farther end; her hands were manacled, and her head rested on her knees.
  11. absolution
    the act of being formally forgiven
    I confessed, that I might obtain absolution; but now that falsehood lies heavier at my heart than all my other sins. The God of heaven forgive me!
  12. obdurate
    stubbornly persistent in wrongdoing
    He threatened excommunication and hell fire in my last moments if I continued obdurate.
  13. perdition
    the place or state in which one suffers eternal punishment
    Dear lady, I had none to support me; all looked on me as a wretch doomed to ignominy and perdition.
  14. hapless
    unfortunate and deserving pity
    Thus spoke my prophetic soul, as, torn by remorse, horror, and despair, I beheld those I loved spend vain sorrow upon the graves of William and Justine, the first hapless victims to my unhallowed arts.
  15. complacency
    the feeling you have when you are satisfied with yourself
    I shunned the face of man; all sound of joy or complacency was torture to me; solitude was my only consolation—deep, dark, deathlike solitude.
  16. precipitate
    hurl or throw violently
    I would have made a pilgrimage to the highest peak of the Andes, could I, when there, have precipitated him to their base.
  17. discourse
    extended verbal expression in speech or writing
    I listened to this discourse with the extremest agony.
  18. ephemeral
    lasting a very short time
    It was during an access of this kind that I suddenly left my home, and bending my steps towards the near Alpine valleys, sought in the magnificence, the eternity of such scenes, to forget myself and my ephemeral, because human, sorrows.
  19. impetuous
    marked by violent force
    Ruined castles hanging on the precipices of piny mountains, the impetuous Arve, and cottages every here and there peeping forth from among the trees formed a scene of singular beauty.
  20. pallid
    lacking in intensity or brightness; dim or feeble
    For a short space of time I remained at the window watching the pallid lightnings that played above Mont Blanc and listening to the rushing of the Arve, which pursued its noisy way beneath.
  21. pinnacle
    a lofty peak
    They congregated round me; the unstained snowy mountain-top, the glittering pinnacle, the pine woods, and ragged bare ravine, the eagle, soaring amidst the clouds—they all gathered round me and bade me be at peace.
  22. supple
    moving and bending with ease
    Remember, thou hast made me more powerful than thyself; my height is superior to thine, my joints more supple.
  23. clemency
    leniency and compassion shown toward offenders
    Oh, Frankenstein, be not equitable to every other and trample upon me alone, to whom thy justice, and even thy clemency and affection, is most due.
  24. implore
    beg or request earnestly and urgently
    Will no entreaties cause thee to turn a favourable eye upon thy creature, who implores thy goodness and compassion?
  25. bleak
    unpleasantly cold and damp
    These bleak skies I hail, for they are kinder to me than your fellow beings.
  26. scourge
    something causing misery or death
    On you it rests, whether I quit for ever the neighbourhood of man and lead a harmless life, or become the scourge of your fellow creatures and the author of your own speedy ruin.
  27. impervious
    not admitting of passage or capable of being affected
    Before, dark and opaque bodies had surrounded me, impervious to my touch or sight; but I now found that I could wander on at liberty, with no obstacles which I could not either surmount or avoid.
  28. offal
    viscera and trimmings of a butchered animal
    When night came again I found, with pleasure, that the fire gave light as well as heat and that the discovery of this element was useful to me in my food, for I found some of the offals that the travellers had left had been roasted, and tasted much more savoury than the berries I gathered from the trees.
  29. assuage
    provide physical relief, as from pain
    Food, however, became scarce, and I often spent the whole day searching in vain for a few acorns to assuage the pangs of hunger.
  30. grievous
    causing fear or anxiety by threatening great harm
    The whole village was roused; some fled, some attacked me, until, grievously bruised by stones and many other kinds of missile weapons, I escaped to the open country and fearfully took refuge in a low hovel, quite bare, and making a wretched appearance after the palaces I had beheld in the village.
  31. hovel
    small crude shelter used as a dwelling
    This hovel however, joined a cottage of a neat and pleasant appearance, but after my late dearly bought experience, I dared not enter it.
  32. purloin
    make off with belongings of others
    I had first, however, provided for my sustenance for that day by a loaf of coarse bread, which I purloined, and a cup with which I could drink more conveniently than from my hand of the pure water which flowed by my retreat.
  33. pensive
    showing deep sadness
    The old man had, in the meantime, been pensive, but on the appearance of his companions he assumed a more cheerful air, and they sat down to eat.
  34. despondency
    feeling downcast and disheartened and hopeless
    One was old, with silver hairs and a countenance beaming with benevolence and love; the younger was slight and graceful in his figure, and his features were moulded with the finest symmetry, yet his eyes and attitude expressed the utmost sadness and despondency.
  35. viand
    a choice or delicious dish
    They possessed a delightful house (for such it was in my eyes) and every luxury; they had a fire to warm them when chill and delicious viands when hungry; they were dressed in excellent clothes; and, still more, they enjoyed one another’s company and speech, interchanging each day looks of affection and kindness.
  36. exhortation
    a communication intended to urge or persuade to take action
    Agatha listened with respect, her eyes sometimes filled with tears, which she endeavoured to wipe away unperceived; but I generally found that her countenance and tone were more cheerful after having listened to the exhortations of her father.
  37. mortification
    strong feelings of embarrassment
    At first I started back, unable to believe that it was indeed I who was reflected in the mirror; and when I became fully convinced that I was in reality the monster that I am, I was filled with the bitterest sensations of despondence and mortification.
    The Latin verb "mortificare" means "cause death" so mortification is a feeling of embarrassment that is so strong that you wish you were dead. Despondence is a stronger feeling, in which you wish to die because everything seems so hopeless. Both nouns emphasize that the creature is capable of human feelings; they also show how upset he is that his monstrous appearance would not allow others to believe his nature can be good.
  38. arbiter
    someone with the power to settle matters at will
    I looked upon them as superior beings who would be the arbiters of my future destiny.
  39. genial
    agreeable; conducive to comfort
    The pleasant showers and genial warmth of spring greatly altered the aspect of the earth.
    The adjective is used to describe the weather but its alternate definition of "diffusing warmth and friendliness" can be used to describe a person's nature. At this point, the creature's nature is just as genial as the spring weather. But unlike the warm weather that is publicly enjoyed by humans, animals, and vegetation, the warmth of the creature's heart can only be expressed through secret acts of kindness that the cottagers credit to an invisible spirit.
  40. gild
    decorate with, or as if with, gold leaf or liquid gold
    My spirits were elevated by the enchanting appearance of nature; the past was blotted from my memory, the present was tranquil, and the future gilded by bright rays of hope and anticipations of joy.
Created on Fri Jan 23 10:36:19 EST 2026 (updated Fri Jan 23 10:44:58 EST 2026)

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