The silver hair and benevolent countenance of the aged cottager won my reverence, while the gentle manners of the girl enticed my love. He played a sweet mournful air which I perceived drew tears from the eyes of his amiable companion, of which the old man took no notice, until she sobbed audibly; he then pronounced a few sounds, and the fair creature, leaving her work, knelt at his feet.
Chapter 11 · The Creature
Context
Observing the De Lacey family through a chink in the wall, the Creature watches the blind old man play music while his daughter weeps and then kneels at his feet.
Analysis
The Creature's diction—'won my reverence,' 'enticed my love'—frames his voyeurism in the language of courtly admiration, as if he were a knight observing nobility rather than a hidden intruder spying on strangers. This elevated register masks the unsettling power imbalance of the scene: he watches them without consent, yet narrates as if he were the one granting them honor by his gaze.
Essay Tip
Support a thesis that the Creature's beautiful, romanticized descriptions of the De Laceys obscure the disturbing reality of his surveillance—his narrative control lets him reframe intrusion as admiration, revealing how unreliable his self-presentation can be.