''Fortitude'' is a one-act play written by

Kurt Vonnegut Kurt Vonnegut Jr. (November 11, 1922 – April 11, 2007) was an American writer known for his satirical and darkly humorous novels. In a career spanning over 50 years, he published fourteen novels, three short-story collections, five plays, and ...

in 1968, and broadly based on

Mary Shelley Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley (; ; 30 August 1797 – 1 February 1851) was an English novelist who wrote the Gothic fiction, Gothic novel ''Frankenstein, Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus'' (1818), which is considered an History of scie ...

's 1818 novel ''

Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus ''Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus'' is an 1818 novel written by English author Mary Shelley. ''Frankenstein'' tells the story of Victor Frankenstein, a young scientist who creates a sapient creature in an unorthodox scientific exp ...

''. The brief 9 pageplay relates to the issues of

robotics Robotics is an interdisciplinary branch of computer science and engineering. Robotics involves design, construction, operation, and use of robots. The goal of robotics is to design machines that can help and assist humans. Robotics integrat ...

and the

ethical Ethics or moral philosophy is a branch of philosophy that "involves systematizing, defending, and recommending concepts of right and wrong behavior".''Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy'' The field of ethics, along with aesthetics, concerns ma ...

dilemmas of the "cyborg's rights." It was featured in the anthologies, ''Human-Machines: An Anthology of Stories About Cyborgs'' (Edited by

Thomas N. Scortia Thomas Nicholas Scortia (August 29, 1926 – April 29, 1986) was an American science fiction author. He collaborated on several works with fellow author Frank M. Robinson. He sometimes used the pseudonyms "Scott Nichols", "Gerald MacDow" ...

and

George Zebrowski George Zebrowski (born December 28, 1945) is an American science fiction writer and editor who has written and edited a number of books, and is a former editor of The Bulletin of the Science Fiction Writers of America. He lives with author Pamela ...

New York: Vintage, 1975) and '' The Ultimate Frankenstein'' (edited by Byron Preiss, New York:

Dell Publishing Dell Publishing Company, Inc. is an American publisher of books, magazines and comic books, that was founded in 1921 by George T. Delacorte Jr. with $10,000 (approx. $145,000 in 2021), two employees and one magazine title, ''I Confess'', and ...

, 1991). The story was also featured in the 1991 made-for-cable-TV anthology ''

Kurt Vonnegut's Monkey House ''Kurt Vonnegut's Monkey House'' is a Canadian television anthology series which aired on the Showtime network from 1991 to 1993. Author Kurt Vonnegut hosted the series himself, presenting dramatizations of several of his short stories from the 19 ...

''.

Synopsis

The story follows Dr. Elbert Little on a visit to Dr. Frankenstein's and his assistant Dr. Tom Swift's laboratory. Frankenstein's only patient and life work is Sylvia Lovejoy, who after some 70 operations has been reduced to a head on a tripod that is controlled by Frankenstein's machines. One of Sylvia's mood machines has malfunctioned, causing her to slip into a deep depression and to write Dr. Little to request that he provide her with cyanide. Seeing Sylvia's diminished emotional state getting worse, Gloria, Sylvia's beautician and only friend, agrees that Sylvia's only remaining freedom is "the power to commit suicide." Frankenstein fires Gloria for speaking about death in Sylvia's presence. Gloria sneaks back into Sylvia's room while she is sleeping and leaves her a revolver. Sylvia finds the gun and tries to kill herself, but her prosthetic arms have been designed to prevent her from doing so. Instead, she shoots Frankenstein, who promptly becomes the second head attached to the machines.

References

{{Frankenstein 1968 plays Works by Kurt Vonnegut Plays based on Frankenstein