“Portsmouth (28257922139)” by Mike McBey, CC BY 2.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0>, via Wikimedia Commons

Portsmouth is an area on Portsea Island, which despite its name, is actually a peninsula. The city itself is a major naval base today and is considered to be a very historical area for the United Kingdom. The city was started by a settlement created by King Richard I in 1194. In Frankenstein, Portsmouth is the place that Victor and his family pass through to get to Havre on their way back to England after Victor is freed from his imprisonment in Ireland. He takes this route because he wanted to avoid the places he saw with Henry before his unfortunate death. The decision to have a place connected strongly to boats and the water as a transitory environment may be linked to Victors character, which is one that is shown to thrive and be calmed by such places in times of turmoil.

Portsmouth | Map, Population, History, & Facts | Encyclopedia Britannica