Alphonse Frankenstein

Alphonse Victor Frankenstein is the patriarch of the Victor Frankenstein family, a man of advanced age whose primary concerns are the welfare and happiness of his children. When tragedy strikes—William Frankenstein's mysterious murder—he writes to Victor Frankenstein with a father's anguish, preparing his son for the terrible news while urging him to return home as a source of comfort to the grieving family rather than as an avenger. His letters reveal a man of considerable moral reflection, one who counsels peace and gentleness over vengeance, recognizing that hatred will only compound the family's suffering. Though physically weakened by age and unable to undertake the journey to Ingolstadt to nurse Victor Frankenstein through his fever, he remains emotionally present and concerned, learning of his son's illness and recovery through the kindness of Henry Clerval, who shields the old man from the full extent of Victor Frankenstein's torment.