Frankenstein Versus Prometheus
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.
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 these wretched creatures of an hour the ability to shape their lives into something better and to rise their thoughts up to heaven itself." Pg.5. In the story Frankenstein, the protagonist creates a creature to worship and control. Dr. Frankenstein is trying to be a god which is why he is trying to create this new race. "I became myself capable of bestowing animation upon lifeless matter. What had been the study and desire of the wisest men since the creation of the world was now within my grasp." Pg.167. To hold their roles of playing Gods both characters in each story had to steal to get the creation they wanted, which is what they both did.
Prometheus and Frankenstein both stole different things to achieve their own creations but their ...
Abstract On June 26, 2015 a divided Supreme Court ruled in the landmark case Obergefell v. Hodges that same-sex couples could now marry nationwide. At the time of the split ruling there were 9 supreme court justices, 5 of the justices were Republicans, and the remaining 4 were Democrats. In high profile cases it is except that the justices will vote along party lines. When the 5-4 ruling was reveled by the following statement. “It would misunderstand these men and women to say they disrespect the idea of marriage. Their plea is that they do respect it, respect it so deeply that they seek to find its fulfillment for themselves. Their hope is not to be condemned to live in loneliness, excluded from one of civilization’s oldest institutions. They ask for equal dignity in the eyes of the law. The Constitution grants them that right (Corn,2015).” written by
Wolf, Richard. “Timeline: Same-Sex marriage through the years.” USA Today, Gannett Satellite Information Network, 26 June 2015,
Written by author Tim O’Brien after his own experience in Vietnam, “The Things They Carried” is a short story that introduces the reader to the experiences of soldiers away at war. O’Brien uses potent metaphors with a third person narrator to shape each character. In doing so, the reader is able to sympathize with the internal and external struggles the men endure. These symbolic comparisons often give even the smallest details great literary weight, due to their dual meanings. The symbolism in “The Things They Carried” guides the reader through the complex development of characters by establishing their humanity during the inhumane circumstance of war, articulating what the men need for emotional and spiritual survival, and by revealing the character’s psychological burdens.
“What is the point of being alive if you don’t at least try to do something remarkable?”-John Green, an American author of young adult fiction, such as The Fault in Our Stars, and the YouTube blogger of crash course history. The mythological character Prometheus and Victor from Frankenstein by Mary Shelley, try to influence mankind in a positive way, but instead the result is detrimental to society. Victor and Prometheus both want to help mankind, regardless, both overstep their bounds, and are severely punished. Although their true characters are revealed through how they handle their suffering.
Both characters from the novels Prometheus and Victor Frankenstein were similar because they were both intelligent. Victor loved science, he sued to go on journeys to seek more information about life and death, because at home he had nobody to teach him.” My father was not scientific, and I was left to struggle with a child's blindness, added to a student's thirst for knowledge. (Victor Frankenstein quotes on education). And he even studied abroad to see more knowledge on his favorite subject. This created major conflicts with his professor at the university but also admiration among professors and peers.
Prometheus' creation of man parallels Frankenstein's own creation. Prometheus, whose name means forethought, was very wise, wiser even than the gods...Epimetheus[Prometheus' brother] gave all the best gifts to the animals-until no good was left for man. Prometheus, then, took over the task of creation and thought out a way to make mankind superior. He fashioned them in a nobler shape than the animals, upright like the gods; and then he went to heaven, to the sun, where he lit a torch and brought down fire. (Hamilton 71)
Mary Shelly was absolutely correct when she compared Frankenstein to “The Modern Prometheus.” Frankenstein and Prometheus were similar in their character and how they wanted to help humanity, though one protagonist took it too far. They both attempted to be godlike by creating life and they suffered consequences for their actions. The mortal humans were in need of saving so two intelligent, gentle, men came forth to help. Did they try to become too godlike or were their attempts of helping the mortals of the world justified?
Striking similarities between a duo of novels are not unusual. The novel Frankenstein, by Mary Shelly, deals with a scientist named Victor Frankenstein who embodies a creature, who eventually wreaks havoc on his life. The novel Lost Paradise, by John Milton, exposes the cruelty of Christianity or the Christian God within the characters God, Satan, Adam, and Eve. Victor Frankenstein and God have many similarities, as they are both creators of incarnations. Victor's creature known as the monster shows striking similarities with Satan and Adam. Characters from different novels have similar personalities.
Frankenstein’s entire family and his best friend are murdered by his creation. The monster is abandoned by Frankenstein the moment he was created. Frankenstein’s creation feels that Frankenstein did not do him justice, seeing as he was rejected from society, and therefore vows to get revenge on him. The monster is successful in making Frankenstein suffer throughout the novel by murdering his wife, father, best friend, servant and brother. At one point, Frankenstein admits that he has “turned loose into the world a depraved wretch whose delight was in carnage and misery” (Shelley 63). Prometheus’ creation, humans, also caused Prometheus to suffer. One of the creations, Pandora opened a box which unleashed evil and suffering upon humans. Prometheus was punished by his creation just like Frankenstein is punished by the monster. Due to the similarities between their punishments, it is evident that Frankenstein portrays a modern
In Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, Victor Frankenstein and the monster that he creates are very similar. For example, Victor creates the monster to be like himself. Another similarity is that the anger of both Victor and the monster is brought about by society. One more parallel between Victor and the monster is that they both became recluses. These traits that Victor and the monster possess show that they are very similar.
The lines that define good and evil are not written in black and white; these lines tend to blur into many shades of grey allowing good and evil to intermingle with each another in a single human being. Man is not inherently good or evil but they are born innocent without any values or sense of morality until people impart their philosophies of life to them. In the words of John Locke:
In ancient Greek society, myth was used to provide explanations for natural forces, as well as to provide collective interpretation on issues for the Greeks. Morally speaking, the ancient myths of Prometheus greatly discourage rebellion. Frankenstein also displays this theme, as Victor rebels against his own advice that, “A human being in perfection ought always to preserve a calm and peaceful mind and never to allow passion or a transitory desire to disturb his tranquility” (Shelley, 37). Both Prometheus and Frankenstein were reckless in their actions. Although they did not have harmful intentions, neither asked for consent from whom the creature would affect. Prometheus causes two major punishments of men. First, he tricks Zeus with man’s
The novel, Frankenstein, by Mary Shelley portrays two characters, Victor Frankenstein and the monster. Despite their drastically different appearances and lives, Victor and the monster have many similarities. Although, Victor Frankenstein and the monster share many similarities, there are four significant qualities. These include a need for family, a love of nature, a great want for knowledge, and an isolation from society. Though they're different in many ways, these similarities bond the two.
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 he, too, created man. The themes that relate to the myth of Prometheus in the novel are Frankenstein's torment, the monster's education, and the absolute determination of the individual spirit and how this determination can rival that of God. Shelley uses these themes to show that the human spirit is capable of many things - of noble pursuits that rival God himself, but also of the darkest of actions that draw comparisons with the acts of Satan.
Everyone is born to be good, but as we grow up the society or the environment around us influences us. Things we see and do everyday changes our way to act from good to evil. In the society we are living today; crimes are happening everywhere. An example would be in the article, The Reckoning, written by Andrew Solomon interviews the father of the Sandy Hook Elementary killer, Adam Lanza who was 20 years old when he fatally shot his own mother in their home, twenty-six people at his former elementary school, and himself. This article is good example because it shows from my perspective that being absent in your child’s life can lead to horrib...