Mary Shelley: daughter of Mary Wollstonecraft; lover of Shelley; author of
Frankenstein…
Helen Edmundson’s compelling play explores a pivotal episode in young Mary’s life
– her meeting and scandalous elopement aged sixteen, with Percy Shelley – and its
consequences for her sisters and father.
This tumultuous period of private heartbreak, public outrage and family rifts defined
Mary’s future and influenced her writing. Shortly afterwards at just 18 years old, she
anonymously published one of the greatest Gothic horror novels ever written. This is
the story behind that story.
“Gripping... Edmundson suggests the destructive nature of a life lived without
compromise” The Times
