The Children born of Lightning at the hands of Dr Frankenstein
Soaking in the tub of water rigged with his contraptions.
Lay the creatures after their first death.
First, he created a demon,
Later an innocent,
Only for the later to be ripped to pieces by the demon he once abandoned.
Today I saw the demon’s bride-to-be,
Come alive. bringing with her an uncertainty
Bringing with her a sinister beginning.
-Children Born of lightning at the hands of Dr Frankenstein.
Thunder stuck the tub on the screen, a bolt crossed over my evening sky. As I wondered what a coincidence it was. I had to write about the creatures born of lightning.
Watch the story of Dr Frankenstein on Netflix: Penny Dreadful.
Victor Frankenstein
“I believe in a place between heaven and hell. Between the living and the dead. A glorious place with everlasting rebirth, perhaps even salvation. Do you believe in such a place? Well, there is a price to pay for such a passage. As there is with all things. I know that you will pay it easily.”
- Victor to Brona
Played by Harry Treadaway sporting a very gaunt look that does justice to the character of a young London doctor fascinated by the thin veil separating life and death. He is obsessed with conquering death, addicted to Morphine, a scientist by professional but nurtures the soul of a poet.
Too young to be a father, friend or lover to the resurrected immortals, his creations…
Creature / John Clare
“What a simple thing it is, to snap your neck. You are so fragile, you mortals. Such things of skin and air. Such things of the past. The future belongs to the strong, to the immortal races. To me, and my kind. Look upon your master.
- Creature to Victor
The first to be resurrected by young Victor Frankenstein he is a mirror to the doctor’s soul. Assembled from the body parts of many dead criminals, the Creature has a terrifying appearance to ones who cannot venture beneath the surface. But under the garb of the monster, he shares the ephemeral poetic sphere with his creator. Abandoned by his master he teaches himself the ways of the world through novels and poetry and names himself John Clare.
Rory Kinnear of recent Black Mirror — the National Anthem and Imitation Game — Detective Robert Nock fame, steps into the skin of the creature like his own and transforms it to the lovely Mr Clare whom well are rooting for writing television’s most unique love story.
Proteus
“Enjoy the fairy lights”
- Proteus to Brona
A cameo that shattered us, Proteus, picks his name by pointing at a passage from William Shakespeare’s — ‘The Two Gentlemen of Verona (Penguin Shakespeare)
‘. Such is his endearing innocence that the Dr was more than willing to leash him around like a pet. Having forgotten most of his memories from his past life, except sudden flashes of having a family and technical details ships, Proteus was more of a newborn, naive and full of ignorant wonder.
Proteus means first born, ironically, reminding the Dr that he abandoned his first creation.
Brona / Lily
“We are the conquerors. We are the pure blood. We are steel and sinew both. We are the next thousand years. We are the dead.”
- Lily
A woman who accepted life as it comes. Falls in love with a handsome stranger only to be on her deathbed ridden with consumption. Resurrected, renamed, and renewed persona, from Brona- Sadness- to Lily-purity and the beauty of youth-. Lily is no more the simple woman who wanted nothing more than to live for the last moments looking at the man she loved, but in death, she has found her purpose. Played steady by Billie Piper.
