Frankenstein: An Analysis Of Irony In Mary Shelley's Frankenstein

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Frankenstein: An analysis of irony Mary Shelley uses irony in the development of Frankenstein and the creature in order to create more dynamic and complex characters who are foils of one another. Shelley uses several types of irony, including situational irony. In one such situation, she uses situational irony when the Creature tells Victor he will be there on his wedding night. Both the readers and Victor assume the threat is directed towards him, as Victor mentions “That then was the period fixed for the fulfillment of my destiny. In that hour I should die, and at once satisfy and extinguish his malice.” This is an example of situational irony because we are led to believe that Victor is going to be killed on his wedding night, though, …show more content…

He toils endlessly in alchemy, spending years alone, tinkering. However, once the Creature is brought to life, Frankenstein is no longer proud of his creation. In fact, he’s appalled by what he’s made and as a result, Frankenstein lives in a perpetual state of unease as the Creature kills those that he loves and terrorizes him. Victor has realized the consequences of playing god. There is irony in Frankenstein’s development, as realized in Victor’s desire to destroy his creation. Frankenstein had spent so much effort to be above human, but his efforts caused him immediate regret and a lifetime of suffering. Victor, if he had known the consequences of what he’s done, would have likely not been driven by his desire to become better than …show more content…

The Creature, after learning what it is to love, requests that Victor creates a companion for him. Victor rejects the creature’s proposition, as Victor now understands the consequences of animating what shouldn't be alive, the Creature wants nothing more than for Victor to suffer, to feel the pain that he, as a wretch, faces. The Creature does so by devoting his life to the destruction of Victor’s. In chapter 24, the Creature states “But it is even so; the fallen angel becomes the malignant devil.” The creature is viewed as entirely evil by the characters of the novel, despite the scenes in which his benevolent nature is shown. It is ironic that Victor and his creature are foils of one another, yet they suffer a similar fate: their desire to destroy one another led to their ultimate

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