The Bride of Frankenstein: A Tragedy

Blog Post #2: Genre

The Bride of Frankenstein: A Tragedy

Maureen O’Donnell

            Genre can be defined as archetypes that mediums fall into in order to classify and describe them. In films, one can identify which genre a particular movie can be categorized into based on certain tropes, visual cues, and stereotypes that are incorporated into the piece. However, films can embody multiple genres that can be blended within the story; they not just being restricted to just one genre. In James Whale’s 1935 classic The Bride of Frankenstein, which has become a staple of American horror, distinct elements of tragedy are intertwined into the film such as identification with certain characters by invoking strong emotions within the viewer and shifting character roles. 

Traditionally, tragedy involves the portrayal of human suffering in order to get the viewing audience to identify and sympathize with the sufferer. It invokes melancholy in the viewers to help them become more immersed and invested in the plight of the suffering character(s). The Bride of Frankenstein commences its tragic elements starting with the scene where the monster is wondering around the forest near a stream in a setting that is calm, brightly lit, and has pleasant, light music playing in the background. In this scene, he is portrayed as a gentler creature that is frightened by his own reflection. This is the first instance where the monster has conveyed any emotion other than anger.

In later scenes, the roles of the villagers and the monster have switched. Frankenstein’s monster becomes the “innocent” victim of the villagers’ cruelty as he is attacked, bound, and imprisoned by the townspeople. There is even a brief shot of the monster resembling the figure of Jesus Christ being crucified. This imagery is meant to resonate with the audience to help them recognize that the monster's role is shifting away from being the antagonist of the film. The scene could also be interpreted as the villagers taking justified revenge on the monster for past grievances, such as in the first film. But this is not the case, as almost all of the monster’s evil deeds were committed in the previous movie, not in The Bride of Frankenstein. This has left room for the audience to “forgive” the monster for his past murders and makes it easier for the monster to transition into becoming the victim.

Another important element of tragedy that is incorporates is the hermit character. He is a disabled “other” who is seen as an outsider in society, paralleling the monster’s experience of being cast aside as well. When the hermit and the monster meet, they bond over their loneliness and their unique disabilities of blindness and muteness. The hermit shows the monster human kindness and friendship, which further enhances the audience connection with the monster. The scene ends with the hermit praying and weeping over the belief that God has sent him a friend. The monster seems to understand the hermit’s emotions and he begins to cry too while placing his hand on the hermit’s shoulder. This is signifies that the monster can now cry and comfort others as he feels and conveys empathy for others.

As the film goes on, Frankenstein’s monster experiences hope and loss. He has finally found a friend who does not fear him, only to have that friendship abruptly ended by other villagers, leaving the monster alone once again. The monster also experiences loss as he dreams of being in a relationship with the new female creation made by Henry, only to be rejected once again. This leads to the famous tragic ending of committing suicide. With tears rolling down his cheeks, the monster laments, “We belong dead” and destroys himself, the innocent newborn bride, and Dr. Pretorius, who has filled the monster’s role as the villain of the film. While the monster embodies the sympathetic proletariat, Pretorius, Henry, and Elizabeth represent the higher class and bourgeois which become the "other" which is hated in the film: "[T]he Monster is clearly the emotional center, and much more human than the cardboard representatives of normality. The Frankenstein monster suffers, weeps, responds to music, longs to relate to people; Henry and Elizabeth merely declaim histrionically” (32). This final and tragic act cements the monster’s role as a victim for he leaves the story as a character that constantly suffered throughout the film and did not receive a happy or fair resolution.

Work Cited

Wood, Robin. "The American Nightmare: Horror in the 70s" (1979): 25-32. Print.