Running head: IS FRANKENSTEIN THE MODERN DAY PROMETHEUS?
Is Frankenstein the modern day Prometheus?
Irvin M. Beacham Jr.
ENC 1101
Dr. Gaspar
Is Frankenstein the modern day Prometheus?
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
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“When I was thirteen years of age, we all went on a party of pleasure to the baths near Thonon: the inclemency of the weather obliged us to remain a day confined to the inn. In this house I chanced to find a volume of the works of Cornelius Agrippa. I opened it with apathy; the theory which he attempts to demonstrate, and the wonderful facts which he relates, soon changed this feeling into enthusiasm. A new light seemed to dawn upon my mind; and, bounding with joy, I communicated my discovery to my father. When I returned home, my first care was to procure the whole works of this author, and afterwards of Paracelsus and Albertus Magnus. I read and studied the wild fancies of these writers with delight; they appeared to me treasures known to few beside myself. ” (Chapter 2) Victor attends college at an early age and surpasses the knowledge of his classmates and instructor. “When I had attained the age of seventeen, my parents resolved that I should become a student at the University of Ingolstadt.” (Chapter 3) “As I applied so closely, it may be easily conceived that my progress was rapid. My ardour was indeed the astonishment of the students, and my proficiency that of the masters.” (Chapter 4) “I made some discoveries in the improvement of
Embarking on the quest for forbidden knowledge and usurping the role by acting as gods, are ethically questioned actions that have been explored in literature. Examining "Frankenstein" written by Mary Shelley and "Edward Scissorhands" directed by Tim Burton, individuals view an expounded exploration of human nature. Mary Shelley's "Frankenstein" looks into the consequences of Victor Frankenstein's reckless pursuit of creating life, which can be explored through Gothic elements of monstrous creations and the Romantic exploration of individual ambition. Similarly, Tim Burton's "Edward Scissorhands" paints a vivid picture of societal rejection and the power of mother nature, blending Gothic elements with Romantic themes to exhibit the complexities of human nature. Forbidden knowledge
MJ DeMarco, author and entrepreneur, related choices in life to hitting a golf ball. If the club is rotated even a fraction of a degree when it hits the ball, the ball has a trajectory that diverges further away from the golf course until it is nearly impossible to get back on track. (Pros) At first the change is hardly noticeable, but later its consequences are so devastating that its new course is completely transformed from the course it used to be on. (Pros) Like this situation, DeMarco says that one bad choice can set one’s trajectory off by only one fraction of a degree today, but in the future the error is magnified and has monumental consequences. (Pros) What appears to be a good choice, ends up being a bad choice in the end. This idea connects to two of the main themes in Frankenstein or A Modern Prometheus: the dangerous pursuit of knowledge and fate versus free will. The choice to pursue knowledge may be appealing, but it has life threatening consequences, like fate for instance. In Frankenstein or A Modern Prometheus, Mary Shelley uses the motif of light to illuminate and connect the themes of fate vs. free will and the dangers of the pursuit of knowledge.
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
The poem “Rime of the Ancient Mariner” written by Coleridge and the book “Frankenstein” by Mary Shelly have a deeper connection then many may think. Both stories have many differences and similarities through the setting, theme, and characters. In these reads, both touch the same theme in a poetic way. In “Frankenstein” and “Rime of the Ancient Mariner” links to romanticism, the supernatural that merges the relationship between nature and human beings with no normal events that occur.
How would we place Frankenstein in modern times? People would most likely treat him as the characters in the book. If he was raised by a normal family he, would have been raised differently. I guarantee our society would have treated him worse. In the book it talked about how victor wanted to bring something to life and take care of him, but victor abandoned the creature that made the creature felt worthless, lonely, confused, and horrified. That made the creature do things like kill people close to Victor Frankenstein .I think that if the poor creature had actually normal parents that he would have reacted differently. The role of a parent are very important for somebody just entering the world. Just like a newborn baby being brought into the world they
What do a god and a crazy doctor have in common? Nothing right! Wrong! In the stories Prometheus and Frankenstein the protagonists are very alike in many ways. They both tried to play god, steal, and they both get punished for what they did.
Scarlet Fever: Then and Now Mary Shelley wrote the book Frankenstein in the early 1800s. In the book, a man who we ended up knowing as Frankenstein, goes through many life journeys and struggles. One of his struggles includes the death of his mother. His mother, Caroline, died due to an illness known as Scarlet fever.
Frankenstein has multiple mythological stand points behind it. According to research, Victor Frankenstein was compared to Prometheus, a Romantic Promethean hero. Frankenstein is also known as The Modern Prometheus, tying the two characters together. Prometheus was a famous Titan. He was created in the form of fire and was known for bringing mankind enlightenment and knowledge.
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."
Did Mary Shelley initially title her work about Victor Frankenstein and his creation The Modern Prometheus solely because of the glaring similarities between their stories? That is a question that is often discussed, but a conclusion rarely arrives. One of the possible reasons for this could be because there are many different interpretations of the Promethean myth, which are mainly based on the ambiguous nature of the story. The parallels between the Promethean myth and Frankenstein are obvious, and that, in combination with her subtitle, The Modern Prometheus, indicates that Mary Shelley did have the myth in mind as she wrote the story.
Shelley's Use of the Modern Prometheus as a Subtitle to the Novel The idea of the 'Modern Prometheus' is important in the novel in many ways as Frankenstein is widely known as being the 'Modern Prometheus'. In having said this, Frankenstein is called the modern day Prometheus as he stole from God something that was not meant to be known by humans and "animated" his idea with science and modern day technology. Also, just like Prometheus, Frankenstein and mankind were punished for these actions.
The foil is a person or thing whose traits, by differences and similarities, help to emphasize and enhances the qualities and actions of the protagonist. Many characters, such as Elizabeth Lavenza, Henry Clerval, Robert Walton and Frankenstein’s creature, in Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, Or, The Modern Prometheus qualify as foils for Victor Frankenstein, the protagonist. However, Frankenstein’s creature is the most effective foil for Victor Frankenstein. The creature’s similarities and differences with Frankenstein along with his actions and traits allow him to be a more effective foil than Walton, and contributes to the meaning and structure of the novel.
Victor Frankenstein, also known as the modern Prometheus according to Shelley, holds a similar yet different story and fate as Prometheus. While Prometheus only wanted to correct his brother’s mistake in making a superior race of man, Victor wants to understand “the secrets of heaven and earth” in order to elevate himself to a godlike status (Shelley, 30). He decides that he will create “a new species” which “would owe their being to” him and give him the
In Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein; or, the Modern Prometheus, Victor Frankenstein struggles against the monster that he creates. Their conflict eventually leads to tragedy for both of them. In the novel, the author provides numerous references to the opposites of fire and ice in the experiences of both Victor and his creation. Mary Shelley associates ice to Victor Frankenstein and fire to the monster to represent their respective underlying character.
Victor Frankenstein can indeed be seen as the modern Prometheus, by defying the gods and creating life, Victor puts himself in God's place and becomes