Fritz (Frankenstein)

Fritz is a fictional character who appears in the 1931 Universal film version of Mary Shelley's novel, Frankenstein. He was played by Dwight Frye. Frye played a similar character in the sequel, Bride of Frankenstein, but that character was named Karl.

Variations of his character, usually named "Igor", have appeared in subsequent adaptations of Shelley's novel (despite the fact no such character appears in the book). The character of Fritz first appeared in an 1823 stage adaptation, Presumption: or the Fate of Frankenstein by Richard Brinsley Peake,[1] being played by Richard Keeley.

Fritz, a hunchback, is hired by Henry Frankenstein to assist in his experiments to give life to a corpse. Fritz's primary purpose is to acquire body parts for Dr. Frankenstein, assisting him in digging up graves. Following the creation of Frankenstein's monster, Fritz takes great delight in tormenting the creature with a whip and torch, despite Henry's repeated warnings. Ultimately, this proves to be Fritz's undoing; after being pushed too far, the Monster lashes out and kills him.

See also

References

  1. ↑ Rohrmoser, Andreas. It Lives!: Early theatre and film adaptations. Accessed February 24, 2014