References: Penny Dreadful Season 2

The entirety of Penny Dreadful is steeped in inspiration from classic works of horror. Occasionally, this inspiration comes out in small references and quick allusions. Other times, it comes out in full adaptations of entire characters and storylines. Within this article, we’ll be breaking down all of these inspirations and explaining the original work from which it was derived.

 

Warning: Spoilers for Penny Dreadful Season 2

Angelique

Though Angelique is a character native to Penny Dreadful, pieces of her storyline appear to be influenced by elements from Oscar Wilde’s The Picture of Dorian Gray.

One of these elements is the character of Sibyl Vane. Like Angelique, Sibyl was in love with Dorian and, like Angelique, she died by drinking poison. However, Sibyl’s death was a suicide brought on by Dorian’s rejection, instead of a murder by Dorian himself.

Angelique’s murder could also be inspired by the character of Basil Hallward. In the novel, Basil is killed soon after viewing Dorian’s famous portrait. However, this is the only real similarity these two characters share.

Brona Croft/Lily Frankenstein

Though Brona is a character native to Penny Dreadful, pieces of her Season 2 storyline appear to be influenced by elements from Mary Shelly’s Frankenstein.

To start, her cover identity bears some similarity to the role of Elizabeth Lavenza. In Frankenstein, Elizabeth is raised as Victor Frankenstein’s cousin and is also his love interest. Though Elizabeth is clearly a very different character from Brona, it is possible that she was used as a mild inspiration for Brona’s Season 2 cover identity.

In addition, Brona fills the role of the monster’s female counterpart. However, in Frankenstein, the monster’s female counterpart was destroyed before she was brought back to life.

The Creature/Caliban/John Clare

In Season 2 of Penny Dreadful, Frankenstein’s monster shares a few additional story elements with his literary counterpart. Both characters meet and befriend a blind person and both characters make the decision to go to the Arctic in order to isolate themselves from humanity. Though these similarities exist, they are heavily altered in order to fit Penny Dreadful‘s narrative.

Dorian Grey

The Penny Dreadful version of Dorian Grey appears to be able to regenerate from any wound. This ability is not demonstrated by the literary version.

Ethan Chandler

It is revealed that Ethan Chandler’s real name is Ethan Lawrence Talbot. This is a clear reference to Lawrence Talbot, the name of the classic Wolfman character from a series of movies produced by Universal Studios. The two characters are both werewolves who share a hatred for their affliction and a desire to be free of their curse.

However, besides both characters being reluctant werewolves, they share very few similarities. The original version of this character has no connection to an apocalyptic prophecy and does not share Ethan Chandler’s origin as a soldier.

Evelyn Poole

Though Evelyn Poole is a character native to Penny Dreadful, pieces of her Season 2 storyline appear to be influenced by elements from the legend surrounding Elizabeth Báthory. Elizabeth Báthory was a woman who, during the 16th and 17th centuries, was accused of torturing and killing somewhere between 80 and 650 people. Rumors about her are varied but one of the most common stories alleges that she would bathe in her victim’s blood in order to restore her youth; Evelyn Poole is seen bathing in blood during Season 2.

The Putney Family

Though each member of the Putney family is native to Penny Dreadful, they bear a very slight similarity to a family from Frankenstein. In the novel, the monster observes a family for an extended period of time, one of whom is blind. After a while, the monster believes he can befriend the family and tries reaching out to the blind man, who he believes is less likely to reject him. However, in the end, the entire family ends up chasing him away. The presence of a blind family member and an ultimate betrayal is essential to the Putney family’s interactions with the monster, though the stories do differ significantly.

Victor Frankenstein

Both the literary and television versions of Victor Frankenstein are forced to create a female version of their monster. However, the literary version destroys the female corpse before it is reanimated; the television version goes through with the reanimation.