Frankenstein And Macbeth Comparison Essay

Both Mary Shelley’s, “Frankenstein”, and William Shakespeare’s, “Macbeth”, present strong and noble men who end up taking the wrong paths in their lives. Both texts show what happens when a man is overpowered by their weaknesses. In this case, ambition appears to be at the center of their downfalls. Both protagonists go against the natural order of society to achieve their goals, and as a result, both suffer from mental instability. Macbeth defies the Divine Right of Kings as well as the Great Chain of Being, two hierarchal structures that were used to govern the Jacobean society, as he unrightfully tries to become King. Similarly, Victor Frankenstein goes against nature and the Church, as he tries to play God and reanimate dead body parts. As a result, both characters ultimately fall victim to their fatal flaws.

In

However, its significance in each text is different. In “Frankenstein”, light symbolizes knowledge, “from the midst of this darkness a sudden light broke in upon me”. When Mary Shelley wrote “Frankenstein” there was a yearning for scientific discovery and exploration. During this Age of Enlightenment, scientists were pushing the bounds of nature congruent to Victor. Whereas, in “Macbeth”, the scheming couple both talk about hiding their deeds under the “blankets of the dark”, away from heaven and even from themselves. Macbeth talks in asides, emphasizing the secretive nature of his plans, he says to himself, “stars hide your fires! Let not light see my black and deep desires”. Here, Macbeth uses starlight as a metaphor for everything that is good, as he thinks about murdering Duncan as well as Malcom. It is odd, as even though both protagonists are going against nature, Victor associates his experiments with good, he recognizes that light will clarify his problems. Whereas Macbeth feels exposed in the light, he wants to hide in the dark and wallow in his guilt.