“. . . quantity of laudanum. . .” (163)

Victor is so distraught with himself and his experiment gone awry that the only way he can get any rest is to drug himself into unconsciousness. Without the modern-day convenience of Tylenol PM or something similar, he turns to what modern society would consider “hard drugs”. Laudanum, a combination of alcohol and opium, was discovered in the 1500s by Paracelsus and, eventually, became a catch-all drug, used to treat almost any problem a member of the middle or upper class may have – mental or physical. However, it proved lethal for many by accidental overdose - something well known to people at the time of Shelley's writing. While it directly is never held responsible for Victor’s eventual death, it provides the foreshadowing for what is to come. His admitted use of a drug which is best known for those it killed makes the reader assume that he is to meet the same fate.

Source:

"Laudanum - Definition from the Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary." Dictionary and Thesaurus - Merriam-Webster Online. Web. 23 Aug. 2009. http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/laudanum.

Picture Credits:

Laudanum. Digital image. Visible Proofs. National Institute of Health, 16 Feb. 2006. Web. 23 Aug. 2009. http://www.nlm.nih.gov/visibleproofs/media/detailed/ii_b_109.jpg.