Dreadful Doctor: Tempering Genius with Empathy to End the Curse of Frankenstein

"Dreadful Doctor: Tempering Genius with Empathy to End the Curse of Frankenstein," was a presentation given at the Northeast Modern Language Association conference in Pittsburgh, PA, on April 14, 2018. This paper argues the Showtime television series Penny Dreadful embraces the emotional intensity of Mary Shelley’s original portrayal of Victor Frankenstein while also incorporating innovations to the character over two hundred years. More than any other depiction, Penny Dreadful takes Victor from his frenzied beginnings to evolve him as both a scientist and as a man. Harry Treadway’s performance as Victor expresses sympathy and emotional awareness for both of his children, he understands their loneliness and loss. As a scientist, he has also learned when not to pursue the experiment, when to establish an ethical boundary.