“Tilbury Fort” by Mervyn Rands, CC BY-SA 4.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0>, via Wikimedia Commons

Tilbury Fort is a fortress that was commissioned by King Charles II in 1667, following an earlier defeat. It has since been the site of much activity. During the time the novel was written, though, it wouldn’t be getting much use. Many of the fortress’ faculties are still standing to this day. In Frankenstein, Tilbury Fort is a place mentioned in passing. During the beginning of Victor’s two-year exile with the intention of creating a female companion for the creature, this is one of the places that he and Henry pass by. It makes Victor remember the Spanish armada, a naval force created during the discovery of the new world, which implicitly speaks to his ideas for pushing the boundaries of existence, even if he has fiercly denied it within himself as a terrible whim after the creation of the creature. There's probably something within him that will always aspire to a grandness that he must not reach, which is part of the cognitive dissonance that contributes to why he's so interesting.

Tilbury Fort | English Heritage