For the most part, Guillermo del Toro’s “Frankenstein” is a faithful adaptation of Mary Shelley’s 1818 novel. Yes, there are plenty of narrative changes – characters removed or condensed, adjustments to the creature (Jacob Elordi), and adjustments around the narrative framework, among others. But the essence of the story – the romantic, gothic tone, the thematic focus on life and creation, etc. – is intact and it carries the film through magnificent shot after magnificent shot.
However, when you’re adapting a work of fiction that’s over 200 years old, the invitation to go meta is hard to ignore. There have been so many “Frankenstein” movies, not to mention other Frankenstein books, TV series, video games, comics, etc., all drawn from the same legendary source. And while del Toro’s version doesn’t break the fourth wall dramatically, it does include a subtle detail acknowledging the tale’s actual history.
Midway through the film, after escaping Victor Frankenstein (Oscar Isaac), the Creature moves to a farm in the countryside. When everyone except the elderly, blind patriarch of the family goes on a months-long hunting expedition, he and the creature become friends, with the old man even teaching him to read. Towards the end of this montage, the Creature can be heard reading a particularly relevant poem: the famous sonnet “Ozymandias”, written by Mary Shelley’s husband, the famous Romantic poet Percy Shelley. And if this inclusion may appear as a simple nod to the author, mixing real and fictional worlds, the chosen poem is also particularly poignant for the story of the film.
Ozymandias speaks of the pride of so-called great men
If you’ve never studied romantic poetry, or didn’t pay attention to it in 11th grade English class, you probably know “Ozymandias” best for its namesake episode in “Breaking Bad” — one of the most famous shows in the acclaimed series and often referred to as the pinnacle of the modern era of “prestige television.” This episode, written and directed by all-star duo Moira Walley-Beckett and Rian Johnson, details the collapse of an empire and the man who built it, perfectly reflecting the themes of Shelley’s sonnet.
The poem itself describes a ruined statue of the Egyptian pharaoh Ramesses II, whose Greek name is Ozymandias. The desiccated nature of the statue, combined with the surrounding absence of any other sign of the dead king’s empire, clashes with the lingering inscription, which reads: “My name is Ozymandias, king of kings; look upon my works, ye mighty, and despair! »
Percy’s poem was first published on January 11, 1818, just ten days after his wife published “Frankenstein.” Although the two texts were written independently, they fit together quite well, and del Toro draws a clever parallel between the pride of great men depicted in the sonnet and the selfish tragedy created by Victor Frankenstein.
Is it paradoxical, by distorting reality, to bring the spouse of the author of a story into the world of the story itself? Yes, but come on, this is all for fun breaking the fourth wall. And really, the poem fits too well when heard in the context of “Frankenstein.”
