by
John Opie, 1797
Mary
Wollstonecraft
Mary
Wollstonecraft was a well-known
feminist during the Enlightenment
and mother of Mary Shelley. In
1797
she married William Godwin because
she was pregnant with Mary, also
the year in which the above portrait
was drawn. Mary Wollstonecraft died
of birthing complications shortly
after Mary Shelley was brought into
the world. Wollstonecraft is also
mother to Fanny Imlay, Mary Shelley's
half-sister, and
daughter of Mr. Imlay.
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by
James Northcote, circa 1800
William
Godwin
William
Godwin was a philosopher, novelist,
and poet, in addition to Mary Shelley's
father. When Mary
asked his permission to run off
with her lover, Percy Shelley, he
opposed this proposition, much to
Mary's surprise. Mary assumed that
she would have her father's support
in the matter because of her own
parents' relaxed views on love.
She was inclined to follow her father's
wishes, but after Percy threatened
suicide, Mary rebelled against her
father and society by running off
with the love of her life.
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By
Aemilia Curran, circa 1819
Percy
Shelley
Percy
Shelley was still married to Harriet
Shelley at the time he ran off with
Mary Godwin. They rebelled against
their family, peers, and "both
were prepared to ignore the law of
the land and the rules of society."
After traveling together, they finally
married on December 30, 1816. Percy
Shelley was a renowned poet. "His
actions were in some degree abnormal,
dangerous to the settled basis of
society, and remarked by headstrong
and undutiful presumption."
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By
Aemilia Curran, 1819
Claire Clairmont
Claire
Clairmont was Mary Shelley's half-sister,
and the daughter of William Godwin
and Mary Jane Clairmont, his second
wife. Claire ran off with Mary and
Percy when they traveled to Lake
Geneva, and was present when Mary
first made up the story of Frankenstein.
She ended up in a love affair with
Lord Byron, bearing his daughter,
Allegra, in January 1817. Claire
traveled often with Mary and Percy
and spent much time with their family.
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By
Richard Westall, circa 1816
Lord
Byron
Lord
Byron was a renowned poet and good
friend of Mary and Percy Shelley.
He had an affair with Mary's half-sister,
Claire Clairmont, resulting in their
bastard child, Allegra. Byron was
present during the infamous Lake Geneva
vacation and accompanied the Shelley's
on many travels.
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William
Shelley by Aemilia Curran, 1819
William,
Clara, and Percy Florence Shelley
While
traveling to Italy with Claire Clairmont
in 1818, Mary and Percy Shelley
brought their infant children, William
and Clara. The two babies both soon
passed away and the Shelley's third
and only surviving child, Percy
Florence Shelley, was born in 1819.
The above portrait of William was
painted weeks before his death.
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By
F. G. Gainsford, 1816
John
Polidori
John
Polidori was Lord Byron's personal
doctor and traveling companion. Present
for the contest at Lake Geneva when
Mary Shelley first dreamed up the
idea of Frankenstein, John Polidori
also created a story. His work was
the only other to be published (in
addition to Shelley's Frankenstein).
It was called The Vampyre and
was published in 1819. |
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no
image available
Harriet Shelley
Harriet
(Westbrook) Shelley was Percy Shelley's
first wife. While he was still married
to her, he ran off with Mary Shelley,
leaving Harriet pregnant and alone
with their first child. She committed
suicide on November 9, 1816 by drowning
herself in Serpentine.
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no
image available
Fanny Imlay
Fanny
Imlay was the half-sister of Mary Shelley
and the daughter of Mary Wollstonecraft
and Mr. Imlay. She committed suicide in
October 1816, rumored to be hopelessly in
love with Percy Shelley, her half-sister's
future husband.
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