Zeus In Frankenstein

In this essay I will be discussing who really is portrayed as the monster in her gothic horror novel, Frankenstein or “The Modern Prometheus”. Frankenstein was written in 1816, (thought by many to be the first real science fiction novel) during the age of Romanticism and it tells the story of a selfish man, Victor Frankenstein, whose ambition conducts him to seek for supernatural powers and leads him to death. He is a young scientist, eager to discover something new, the key to life, help to make scientific advances and let other scientists get a better idea of how the body works and who after studying chemical processes and the decay of living beings, gains an insight into the creation of like, leading him to create a monster that becomes

The bulk of his essay refers back to the title of his essay, An excerpt from a study of Frankenstein: or, The New Prometheus. Upon finding the article I was confused on the meaning of the title. Even through the first read, I didn't understand exactly who Prometheus was. By doing a little research outside of the article, I uncovered that Prometheus is a Titan who stole fire from Olympus and gave it to humankind for which Zeus chained him to a rock and sent an eagle to eat his liver, which grew back daily.

     In the stories Prometheus and Frankenstein the protagonists both tried to play God in their own way. They did this by trying to create their own being or race to worship them. In the story Prometheus, the protagonist Prometheus takes all the human beings under his wing and teaches them the beginning of civilization and changes their lives completely. "He grudged men all the gifts that Prometheus had given them and he was angry with Prometheus for granting to

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

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

Frankenstein, Or the Modern Prometheus written by Mary Wolfenstein Shelley(1797-1851), is a classical novel that is nothing short of legendary. Born out of a leisurely cabin visit, Mary Shelley crafted one of the hallmark novels of the English Romantic period. Set in the gothic, science fiction genre, Frankenstein tells the tale of scientist Victor Frankenstein creating a monster that wreaks havoc over his world. What is on the surface just a spooky book, actually delves in the time tested narrative of creator vs creation. In this particular situation, it begs the question; Is Frankenstein(creator) good or bad? The answer is straight-forward and absolute. Frankenstein is bad due to his various displays of foolishness, selfishness and irresponsibility.

Though the conclusions arrived at here are of the same theoretical place as the philosophical minds had deliberated before, the explanations had by Burke and Shaw circumvented parallel processes of thought, to more rely upon their similar conclusions, both rooted in historical precedent. With Frankenstein, however, Shelley stays committed to its endgame in practicing metaphorical weight and symbolic meaning, not only for setting the classical arguments incorporated here, in definite terms. This isn’t even in creating some microcosm of a singularized case in which man had sought to defy the natural barriers, and replicate the things he saw, and experienced. Instead, interactions between characters and unfolding conflicts set upon them, are to represent both these spheres converging. They are depicted less as staunch absolutes, but more so met with being altered, and changing the perceptions drawn up all along. Conferred later in an accounted byproduct of a more recent mindset, this nonetheless stands for lessons at the underpinnings of how we have grown as a society in general, which Shelley would seem to remind us of. As opposed to some alleged “Modern Prometheus,” Victor’s pursuit comes up barely mythicized, and as Bate says, “is a healthy disorientation… to realize that the Western man may not after all be the master of all things” (Bate 480). Likewise, the creature takes on a role within the self-fulfilling prophecy, subject to the maltreatment of human benefactors, and,

Some people see Frankenstein and his creature as complete opposites, but they are not as different as they may seem. Victor and his creature have no mother figure in the novel. Victor’s mother was there for Victor in the beginning but “resigned cheerfully to death… she died calmly” (Shelley 53), whereas the creature was born without one. Therefore, throughout the novel, both Victor and the creature have to depend on their fathers for guidance. Frankenstein and the creature are both intelligent. Frankenstein gains his intelligence through his schooling and experience, while the creature gains intelligence through observations, experience, and “Paradise Lost, a volume of Plutarch’s Lives, and the Sorrows of Werter” (Shelley 155). These characters want to be accepted in the world. Frankenstein wants to be accepted in the

Psychologists and sociologists often refer to Mary Shelley 's masterpiece Frankenstein or the Modern Prometheus as a starting point to drive the question: what it means to be human. Mary Shelley 's Frankenstein or the Modern Prometheus suggests the possibility of reconstructing a broader approach towards scientific discovery by portraying the dangers of blindly pursuing scientific knowledge done so by the modern Prometheus that is Victor Frankenstein. Thomas Vargish in "Technology and Impotence in Mary Shelley 's Frankenstein" states that although technology serves to express, aid and extend values (325), Victor Frankenstein immerses himself to creating a creature that manipulates what technology is made to do. Bernd Jager in "Mary Shelley 's Frankenstein and the Fate of Modern Scientific Psychology" affirms that science and technology brings man in direct confrontation with an anonymous natural order. Furthermore, this order ignores man 's presence. Jager 's definition of the meaning of humanity is to learn and master technology and science while maintaining an uninhabitable relationship with it (271). The cryptic title of the novel alludes to the classical Greek mythology of Prometheus, a Titan who was eventually punished by Zeus made man out of clay and gave them fire for survival. The novel thereby alludes to the Ancient mythology by giving the readers a sense of consequence resulting from seeking enlightenment and the ability to create life like God.

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.

Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein or The Modern Prometheus partially follows the narrative of Victor Frankenstein in his journey of mental and moral deterioration. Victor’s attempt to unnaturally create life through unorthodox methods is his metaphorical attempt to play with fire; he explores a realm beyond human capability by using a power only known to God. This novel leaves readers with a dilemma that makes them question who in fact is really the monster of this story, the creature he created or Victor himself. According to Jeffrey Jerome Cohen’s “Seven Monster Theses”, Frankenstein may actually be the embodiment of the monster of his third thesis in this story. The reasons Victor may conform to being the “Harbinger of a Category Crisis” is because of his seclusion from his family and the rest of society and his unethical inquiry and exploration into the laws of nature beyond what is thought to be possible.

In chapter 24, Frankenstein says, “ Scoffing devil! Again do I vow vengeance; again do I devote these miserable fiend, to torture and death. Never will I give up my search, until he or I perish. ” As shown in this quote, Frankenstein has gone mad over his revenge on the creature and even states that he will continue until one of the two, suffer death. “ Are you to be happy, while I grovel in the intensity of my wretchedness? You can blast my other passions, but revenge remains… I may die; but first you, my tyrant and tormenter, shall curse the sun that gazes on your misery. ” (Shelley 20) This quote shows how much madness has fallen into the mind of the creature for his creator tried to be happy and live the normal life, while he could

Mary Shelley's Frankenstein Mary Shelley is an author who wrote the novel of Frankenstein. Mary Shelley herself in her life, experienced many deaths of close friends and family. When she was first born her mother died, furthermore Mary had a baby, who died 12 days later and her husband Percy Shelly drowned. Maybe it was these experiences, which led Mary Shelley to write such a novel of great horror published in 1818. Frankenstein itself is called 'the modern Prometheus'.

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