Blood and Ice

by Liz Lochhead

Renowned poet and dramatist Liz Lochhead tells the story of Frankenstein 's creation. Using flashbacks and the rich poetic language for which she has become admired, Lochhead weaves a spider's web of connections between Mary's own tragic life and that of her literary monster.

Genres: Plays, Drama, Gothic, Theatre, History, Biography

96 pages, Paperback

Published November 1, 2009

About the author

Liz Lochhead is a Scottish poet and dramatist, originally from Newarthill in North Lanarkshire. In the early 1970s she joined Philip Hobsbaum's writers' group, a crucible of creative activity - other members were Alasdair Gray, James Kelman, and Tom Leonard. Her plays include Blood and Ice, Mary Queen of Scots Got Her Head Chopped Off (1987), Perfect Days (2000) and a highly acclaimed adaptation into Scots of Molière's Tartuffe (1985). Her adaptation of Euripides' Medea won the Saltire Society Scottish Book of the Year Award in 2001. Like her work for theatre, her poetry is alive with vigorous speech idioms; collections include True Confessions and New Clichés (1985), Bagpipe Muzak (1991) and Dreaming Frankenstein: and Collected Poems (1984). She has collaborated with Dundee singer-songwriter Michael Marra.

In January 2011 she was named as the second Scots Makar, or national poet, succeeding Edwin Morgan who had died the previous year.

Reviews

[Doug · Rating 3 out of 5]

Works about the so-called 'haunted summer' of 1816, during which Mary Shelley composed Frankenstein: The 1818 Text constitute almost a cottage industry - I've seen at least three films about it (Ken Russell's 'Gothic' - my personal fave , 'Haunted Summer' and the recent 'Mary Shelley'), as well as umpteen novels and plays - I just read the one by Helen Edmundson (Mary Shelley), and both that and this one suffer from trying to cram too much into one evening of theatre. This also has a problem in that the language is over-the-top flowery and too philosophical to be rendered as actual dialogue. But the story is never less than interesting, no matter how poorly it's told. Also, oddly, Polidori remains an offstage character in this ... weird. The author's apologia preface is also of interest, in that she herself realizes the play is kind of a mess.

[Ella (book.monkey) · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this play, but I feel like I might have a better understanding of it if I actually read Frankenstein.
The use of lighting for this play would be what would make it work. the jumping between present day and 1816 would have to be a prior maybe jittery for the first act and during the second act a much smoother transition between the time zones.

[Jessica McDermitt · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’m not really sure what I think about this. I’ll have to let it marinate for a few days. It’s dark and dramatic and brilliant and disgustingly hedonistic.

[Mim · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

[Nisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

bi oturusta bitirdim, ilgi cekiciydi

[Aimee · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lochhead has a strong grasp on her characters and evocative language but her pacing and general structure, especially in act two, was left wanting

[Cee · Rating 4 out of 5]

The creation of the creature. Making of life and the tragedy of loss. The reflection of her grief and sorrow. Whirling in an endless tornado called "life."


I will never forget this play, my lines, playing the "respectable" Mrs. Shelley, all the rehearsals, memories, fun, joy, happiness, excitement, and lastly, the sadness of letting it go.

"We were all happy then. They were my most congenial companions—most of the time."

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Recommended if you loved "Poor Things."

[Pedro L. Fragoso · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fascinating take on creative people, the creative process and the price exacted for being different. There was a stormy night in Switzerland on the second decade of the XIX century when both Frankenstein's creature and vampires entered the literature cannon of the West, Frankenstein being the creation of a 18 years old girl eloping with a friend of her father and the vampyre the concoction of a troubled friend. Yeah, "life, ah life is full of potential..."

[Bettie · Rating 2 out of 5]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/...

How Frankenstein's creation was sparked by Mary Wollstonecraft's elopement with her lover Percy Shelley. Stars Gerda Stevenson.

MY THOUGHTS - I understand that this is made of teh clever but that does not make it so very likeable.

[Laura · Rating 3 out of 5]

How Frankenstein's creation was sparked by Mary Wollstonecraft's elopement with her lover Percy Shelley. Stars Gerda Stevenson.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/...