Victor is often introduced as a sympathetic, inquiring mind driven by a "lofty ambition". Born in Naples and raised in Geneva, his early life was one of privilege and intellectual curiosity. However, the death of his mother when he was seventeen fueled a morbid obsession with the boundary between life and death. This obsession took him to the , where he turned away from modern science toward the "unhallowed arts" of reanimation. The Flaw of Hubris

The Man, The Myth, The Madman: A Closer Look at Victor Frankenstein

What makes Victor a tragic hero—or, as some critics argue, a flat-out narcissist—is his utter lack of foresight. He spends two years in a feverish state of isolation, driven by the desire to "play God" and create a being of "striking beauty".