Frankenstein is a young, idealistic student of natural philosophy who, finding the secret of giving life to matter, creates a living being. The monstrous creation, though tender-hearted and gentle in nature, inspires fear in those who meet him and must hide away from society. Increasingly lonely and isolated, the monster becomes embittered and cruel, taking a hideous revenge on his creator. In a dramatic denouement in which Frankenstein pursues his creation to the Arctic in order to destroy him, Mary Shelley reveals the terrifying consequences of playing God.