Elizabeth Lavenza

"They consulted their village priest, and the result was that Elizabeth Lavenza became the inmate of my parents' house--my more than sister--the beautiful and adored companion of all my occupations and my pleasures."

- Chapter 1

Elizabeth Lavenza is a major character from Mary Shelley's Frankenstein. She is the adoptive daughter of Alphose Frankenstein and Caroline Beaufort and the adoptive cousin/wife of Victor Frankenstein.

A pretty, young woman adopted into the Frankenstein family household, Elizabeth falls in love with Victor and eventually marries him, but was murdered by the Monster on his quest of revenge against his creator Victor.

Description
Elizabeth Lavenza is one of the most important people in Victor's life; if not his most special and beloved. She was taken into the home at a young age and they were close as children and fell in love as adults. She was loved and adored by everyone and wasn't always seen as just a foster child. She would also fill in the role of a mother-figure; such as when her adoptive mother Caroline Beaufort passes away, she says to her that she must "supply her place". She is even considered to be a feminine character with the role she had played since the beginning of the novel.

She is also a source of information to Victor. She is the one who mostly writes letters to him on some updated information about their family and are a major importance in the novel. She is perhaps the one person Victor had depended on the most than anyone. While he didn't get to spend much more quality time with her in his adulthood, she was still looking forward to their upcoming marriage.

Like Victor, Elizabeth was deeply affected by the tragic deaths caused by her lover's creation, such as William Frankenstein and Justine Moritz, while she still had Victor to be with. Unfortunately, not even her happiness with him could save her from her demise at the hands of the Monster on her wedding night, which was an even more devastating blow to Victor.

Early Life with the Frankenstein's
In the original 1818 edition, Elizabeth is the daughter of an Italian gentleman and his wife, who was Victor's cousin. After Alphose's sister and Elizabeth’s mother married the Italian man at a younger age, she and her new husband lived together in her native country, and Alphose had very little contact with her. When the sister died, his brother-in-law entrusts him to take in his young daughter to raise alongside his son Victor, who was around 4 years old at the time. Elizabeth was an infant at the time of her mother's passing and a fortune was secured with her. Alphose travelled to Italy to retrieve Elizabeth and bring her back to Geneva and into his family home.

In the 1830 edition, Elizabeth is the orphaned daughter of a Milanese man and a German woman. After her mother died giving birth to her, the father placed her in the care of a poor Italian family, who already had other children of their own to raise. The father attempted to gain freedom of his country from Austria, but had either died or was imprisoned. His property was confiscated and his only daughter was left penniless. Elizabeth was the only fair, blonde-haired child of all the dark-eyed, dark-haired children of her foster parents. When Caroline Beaufort was travelling to Milan with her husband, they went to the Lake Como district where they visit the poor families' homes. She discovers Elizabeth in the household of one of the families when visiting their house. Since Caroline really wanted to have a daughter and saw how beautiful the young girl was, she asks the Italian parents if she could take her home with her. After turning to their local priest, the Italians let Caroline adopt Elizabeth and bring her home to Geneva, where the Frankenstein family lived with their 4-5 year old son Victor.

Victor and Elizabeth grew up together. He saw her as his companion than just his adoptive sister, and the two of them are close; even sometimes referring to each other as 'cousin'. She was loved and adored by the whole family, and she enjoyed reading poetry and viewing the beautiful scenery around her. About 7 years after being taken into the Frankenstein home, Elizabeth's brother Ernest was born, followed by another brother named William a few years later.

Family Tragedies
When she was in her mid teens, Elizabeth fell severely ill with scarlet fever and was nursed back to health by her adoptive mother. She recovers, but Caroline falls ill and died shortly afterwards. While at their mother's deathbed, Caroline tells both Victor and Elizabeth that she hopes they would get married one day, and asks Elizabeth to take over as a mother-figure and caregiver to the younger children.

After Caroline’s death, Elizabeth and the family went into mourning, and she bid an emotional farewell to Victor as he departs to the University of Ingolstadt while she is left at home to look after her younger siblings and the family home.

For the next several months, Elizabeth had no contact with Victor while he was in Ingolstadt and she continued to help out at the family home in his absence. Around November, she manages to write him a letter, after hearing that he was too ill and weak to contact her while he was being treated by his friend Henry Clerval. In the letter, she describes the newest information back at home. She explains that their father is very eager to see him, and their younger brother Ernest is now 16 years old and dreams of being part of the foreign service army in a different country; although she comments that he would need some guidance. She adds that Justine Moritz, a young girl who the Frankenstein's were close with, had just moved into the family following the death of her mother. The youngest brother, William, is already growing up and is loved by everyone.

Months later, in mid May, William suddenly disappears while Elizabeth and the family were out on a walk. She assumes that he went back home but he wasn't there and everyone searches in vain for William. She was worried about her youngest sibling and when William's corpse was brought back home, she examines him and faints in anguish, believing she has caused his death. When she was awoken, she breaks down into tears. She says that she had given her brother a locket with a miniature portrait of their mother, and it is nowhere to be found on him.

Soon afterwards, Justine was falsely accused of William's death after the locket was found in her apron pocket, and Victor didn't found out about it until he came home. Both Elizabeth and Victor refuse to believe that Justine is a murderer, and they try to prove her innocence, as he had told it to her upon seeing her again. She began to cry while her father tried to comfort her.

On the day of Justine's trial, Elizabeth was chosen to be among the witnesses to testify, while Justine remained calm. She comes forward and explains about her relationship with Justine, stating that she is a kind and friendly girl who once nursed her dying aunt, and convinces the court that she believes in her friend's innocence against the evidence pointed to her.

Justine was convicted and sentenced to death. Elizabeth is told by Victor that she has confessed, which upsets her. She agrees to go with him to visit Justine, and the two girls cried when they saw each other. Elizabeth consoles Justine and listens as her friend claims that she was forced to confess a lie so that she can face salvation. Elizabeth tells her that she would do anything to save her from the gallows by proving her false accusation. Both she and Victor stayed with Justine for a while when she bid both of them farewell and ready for her execution, which happens the next day. Elizabeth had even commented that she wished she could die with her.

The Frankenstein's retreat to their cottage at Belrive shortly after Justine's death. Elizabeth becomes depressed, doesn't do her usual hobbies, and wasn't the same happy woman she always was after the two terrible tragedies. She even recalls to Victor that she no longer see the world the way it is after the execution of her dearest friend. She knew that Justine was innocent, and that the murderer of William and Justine is still out there. She tries to console Victor and tells him to try to get over his dark thoughts, since he still had his family and friends to be with him. But while she and the others were asleep, Victor slips out of the house and travels to Chamonix, where he would later encounter his monster creation and urges him to make a female monster for him.

Marriage to Victor/Murder
Elizabeth once again finds herself on her own while Victor is away from her. Upon his return, he begins to feel distressed. He agrees on the idea of marrying her, but would put the wedding on hold and would travel to England. Elizabeth and Alphose could see that he wasn't himself and they decide to have Henry Clerval accompany him on his journey. Elizabeth and Victor would be married when he returns. While her soon-to-be husband was away, Clerval was murdered by the Monster and Victor was nearly accused of the crime until Alphose comes to him and brings him home.

Elizabeth writes Victor another letter while he was in Paris. She expresses her worry on him since his stressed, anxious behaviour and that she is miserable whenever she was alone. She's awaiting their wedding that their mother had hoped would happen eventually, but is worried that he would be in love with someone else during the time he was always away. But she says that she still loves him and would understand him. She soon gets a response from him, revealing that he wants to be married right away but that he has a terrible secret from her.

She welcomes Victor home with open arms, but she had changed and wasn't the lively, cheerful woman she once was. When Victor experiences fits of madness, she manages to help him, and the couple look forward to their upcoming wedding with pleasure while the preparations were being made.

Ten days later, Elizabeth and Victor were married and prepare to spend their honeymoon at a cottage in Lake Como. They spend the night at Evian before travelling to their destination. Victor gets more anxious and frightened, while Elizabeth tries to comfort him and view at the beauty of nature.

They arrive at their cottage after sunset, and a storm starts to brew. Elizabeth was asked to stay confined in her room while Victor keeps a lookout for his monster who vows to be with him on his wedding night. But while she was alone in her room, the Monster enters. She screams in terror as the Monster strangles her to death. Victor arrives just in time to see her body on the floor and the creature escapes. He becomes insane with grief and sets out to destroy his creation, while Elizabeth was laid to rest at a local Geneva cemetery with her deceased family members.

Personality/Appearance
Elizabeth is an angelic and beautiful young woman, whose beauty makes her lovable by her relatives. When she was discovered by Caroline Beaufort while in an Italian family's foster care, she noted how the young girl was among the most prettiest of the children and that it made her into wanting to adopt her. She is friendly and loving towards her adoptive parents and her siblings, mostly to Victor, who she enjoyed playing and interacting with during their childhood. While he is away, she would send letters to him with information about their family and her concerns about him. She is understanding of his suffering and seems to be patient when he told her he had a terrible secret and is wanting to wait for the right moment to tell it to her. She was mostly innocent and cheerful when she is with her family and Victor, but after the deaths of William and Justine, she starts losing her innocence.

In addition, she acts as a mother-figure towards her foster siblings. After Mrs. Beaufort‘s death, she is told to take her place and raise the younger children as their mother. She can also be maternal towards Victor, as she would warmly welcome him back home and gave him the source of information from their family. She is dutiful to her tasks and protective of the younger boys, mainly to William. After the youngest child disappears, Elizabeth became anxious and afraid for him, and when his body was brought back, she was so hysterical that she faints in shock. She even went on to believe she has caused his death.

Elizabeth is often described as having blonde hair with curls and blue eyes, which is the definitive example of her beauty.

Relationships
Victor Frankenstein- Elizabeth's adoptive brother and husband. After being taken into the family at a very young age, she became a playmate towards him as a child, and as an adult, she loves him unconditionally. She is often concerned about him whenever he is feeling depressed or stressed out, but knew that she will soon one day become his wife.

Justine Moritz- A young girl taken into the Frankenstein family. Elizabeth is close to Justine and is like a sister to her. But after Justine was accused and convicted of William's death, Elizabeth tries everything to prove Justine is innocent, but not even her kindness could save her foster sister from execution. Justine's death causes Elizabeth to slowly lose her own innocence.

Alphose Frankenstein- Elizabeth's adoptive father. She is supportive towards him when raising the family and is loved and adored by him.

Caroline Beaufort- Elizabeth's adoptive mother. She takes her into the Frankenstein home at a young age and before Caroline passes away, Elizabeth accepts her task to take her mother's place and to marry Victor.