Analysis Of Mary Shelley 's ' Frankenstein '

Mary Shelley's Frankenstein is subtitled "The Modern Prometheus", and rightfully so. Prometheus, the Titan of Greek mythology that created man and gave them fire, is a fitting symbol for Victor Frankenstein, the man who created a "monster" and gave him life. The most obvious aspect of the similarity between Frankenstein and the Prometheus myth is the underlying theme - both stories deal with ill-fated actions with tragic consequences. The classic Prometheus stories, as told by Aeschylus, Percy Bysshe Shelley and summarized by Edith Hamilton, contain symbolic and thematic elements that closely parallel Mary Shelley's "modern Prometheus."

Mary Shelley wrote Frankenstein as a modern day version of the legend of Prometheus. Prometheus created men out of clay and taught them the "arts of civilisation" (Webster's World Encyclopedia CD-ROM 1999). Zeus, the chief god of the Titans, wanted to destroy Prometheus' creation but Prometheus stole fire from heaven to help mankind. Zeus punished Prometheus by chaining him to a rock where an eagle would feed on his liver during the day and each night the liver would grow back. Prometheus was able to bargain for his release because he knew a secret which concerned Zeus' future. Heracles shot the eagle and so Prometheus gained release. Victor Frankenstein is Shelley's modern Prometheus in that

Another similarity is that of demands that are placed upon Prometheus and Frankenstein. Frankenstein’s creation commands Frankenstein to make him a female friend. In Frankenstein’s bitterness he destroys his work on the female counterpart and claims that he had been “struck senseless by my creations fiendish threats (Shelley 121). The creation then punishes Frankenstein by killing Henry Clerval and Elizabeth. This parallels Prometheus in that he had the knowledge of the woman who will one day bear a son for Zeus that would one day dethrone the god. Prometheus is interrogated by one of the messengers of the god. He is threatened because he refuses to answer. Prometheus does not give away his knowledge. Both Frankenstein and Prometheus had enormous requests given to them. Both held their ground and did not give in to the people demanding their service and knowledge.

In order to illustrate the main theme of her novel "Frankenstein", Mary Shelly draws strongly on the myth of Prometheus, as the subtitle The Modern Prometheus indicates. Maurice Hindle, in his critical study of the novel, suggests, "the primary theme of Frankenstein is what happens to human sympathies and relationships when men seek obsessively to satisfy their Promethean longings to "conquer the unknown" - supposedly in the service of their fellow-humans". This assertion is discussed by first describing the Promethean connection. Thereafter, the two forms of the myth, Prometheus the fire-stealer and Prometheus the life-giver are reviewed in the context of Shelly's use of the myth in her novel

"A Hermit is simply a person to whom society has failed to adjust itself." (Will Cuppy). In the gothic novel Frankenstein by Mary Shelley we follow the life of Victor Frankenstein in 18th century Germany. Shelley displays a recurring theme of isolation and how it drives once good people to do terrible things. If civilization does not adjust itself to a creature of any kind they will be forced into isolation and ultimately self destruction.

The one significant difference between Victor Frankenstein and Prometheus are their relationships with their creations. Frankenstein has little to no positive relationship with his creation. “I rushed out of the room and continued a long time traversing my bed-chamber, unable to compose my mind to sleep.” (Shelley 5.3). This beginning of the end of the relationship

The story of Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein is similar to that of a Greek tragedy and namely the myth of the titan, Prometheus. The characters as well as the plot are all similar between the two stories. Many have argued that Frankenstein is based on the Prometheus myth. I will attempt to show that there are many different parts of Frankenstein that are remarkably similar to the myth and draw a comparison between the two stories.

Prometheus punishment for stealing fire from the Greeks Gods was an eternal hell where a bird will rip out his liver daily for eternity. For Victor Frankenstein, his punishment was similar to Prometheus’s. For Victor Frankenstein, his punishment was similar to Prometheus’s. He too suffered daily as a reminder of what he did. Victor Frankenstein’s punishment is also similar to Prometheus because he too has something ripped away from him. Prometheus had his liver ripped away and Victor Frankenstein had his love ones taken away from him. Both Prometheus and Victor Frankenstein suffer by “ playing God,”. Prometheus crafts man while Victor crafts the daemon.

The story of Prometheus is a myth set in the early days of mankind. Prometheus and his brother, Epimetheus, travel down to earth to wreck havoc ordered by Zeus, the king of the gods. Epimetheus begins with creating animals. Prometheus waits and walks around enjoying the serenity of Earth. This action of not following what he is supposed to do is shown by young Frankenstein when he is more attracted to the writings of Cornelius Agrippa and Paracelsus. In the modern world, the writings of two fifteenth and sixteenth century scientists are not accepted as scientific facts.

Frankenstein by Mary Shelley exhibits an Eighteenth Century intellectual who travels into “the land of mist and snow” by assembling a creature of unimaginable size and granting it life. In the classical Greek myth Prometheus, written by Donna Rosenberg and Sorelle Baker, a powerful Titan creates mankind and provides it with fire, a gift stolen from Zeus. Prometheus and Victor Frankenstein’s character parallel each other across time. Victor Frankenstein and the Greek Titan Prometheus are very similar as seen by their attempt to help and advance mankind and the negative consequences they face as a result of their actions.

In Mary Shelley’s novel, “Frankenstein, Or the Modern Prometheus” she discusses the issue of rebirth through the hands of humans and how man is attempting to imitate God or nature, which can lead to disastrous results. The internal struggles of Victor Frankenstein and his relationship with his creature is some that not only affects them but his family and community as a whole. This story of creation and punishment is one that has been told for centuries and is what Shelley’s own novel was inspired by, the legend of the Greek Titan Prometheus. She uses the story of Prometheus as basis for Frankenstein; the connection between a creator and its child, the punishment for taking something that was not within your power or authority to take and the

1. Explain a character 's problem and then offer your character advice on how to solve his/her problem.

“I don 't understand why society is so interested in speculating about my appearance, anyway. What does my face have to do with my music or my dancing?” (“Michael Jackson”). Michael Jackson was a very talented musician, known for his singing and dancing. However, most people only knew him for how he intentionally changed his appearance, rather than focusing on his incredible talent. In a society that often judges only what is on the outside, beauty trumps talent nearly every time; an aesthetic society makes average looking people impotent. In a society such as this, it becomes difficult for a person to find their identity in the world or to use their talents for better. In Mary Shelley’s novel, Frankenstein, it shows how difficult it is to avoid the negative consequences of corruption within a narcissistic society. For example, in Frankenstein, the monster was ostracized solely because of his appearance which was so wounding to him, that he lashed out against his tormentors. Mary Shelley’s novel reveals how the search for personal identity in a society focused on beauty can lead to tragedy through the use of a destructive Jungian shadow.

When Mary Shelly wrote her 1818 classic Frankenstein, she subtitled it “The Modern Prometheus.” She compared the character of Dr. Victor Frankenstein a highly intelligent scientist to the Greek Titan Prometheus the wisest of the Titans. There are numerous parallels between Dr. Frankenstein and Prometheus which could be the reason why Mary Shelly subtitled her novel “The Modern Prometheus”. Dr. Frankenstein and Prometheus both create a male human being, they both sought glory from their creations, and they

In Mary Shelley’s “Frankenstein,” she provides the readers a subtitle “The Modern Prometheus,” in order to show the allusion she has drawn between Victor Frankenstein and the Titan god Prometheus throughout the novel. Prometheus was one of the few Titan gods that sided with Zeus during the war to take control and wasn’t banished to Tartarus. He became the god of forethought and crafty counsel who was given the task to create and protect mankind. Because of a trick played upon Zeus at Mecone, Zeus became infuriated and took fire from the humans as punishment. As the protector of mankind, Prometheus stole the fire from Zeus and gave it back to the humans, subsequently he caused the creation of Pandora, the first woman, and all the evils to be