Frankenstein Tragic Hero Essay

Misery, despair, and pain. These character traits are often associated with the thought of a tragic hero, though it may be true there is more than the amount of tragedy a hero has to endure before achieving the title of a tragic hero. Defined by the greek philosopher, Aristotle, a tragic hero is someone who has fallen from nobility to suffer a doomed fate given by the gods. He or she has to battle against this damned future brought on as a consequence of self flaws and wrong choices that then offers enlightenment not only to themselves but also to the audience. Literature has implicated this template to create many well known tragic heroes such as Romeo, Hamlet, or Victor Frankenstein, the creator of the nameless monster from the novel Frankenstein

This fault cripples his ability to make rational choices leading to a “tragic-hero-like” annihilation. As a scientist, Frankenstein pursues discovery of what bestows animation upon men. After exhausting research to this subject, he finally unlocks the secret of life, exciting him to immediately put his research into action: “my imagination was too much exalted by my first success to permit me to doubt of my ability to give life to an animal as complex and wonderful as man” (53). Astonished by his accomplishments, Frankenstein decides to recreate the most complex species of all mammals—man. Through this action, he finds that he has a similar power to God, the creator of all. In this mindset, his new found power taints him with hubris and hinders him from thinking about what may go wrong if he pursues creating the creature. Like a tragic hero, Frankenstein’s hubris brings on his destruction. He is blinded by his self-endowed “greatness” and takes on the difficult and unpredictable creation of man, unable fathom the irrationality of the experiment or any consequences that may come as a result of his new species. Thus, he toils cluelessly on the creature who will bring his downfall, believing that, “a new species would bless [him] as its creator and source; many happy excellent natures would owe their creation to [him]” (54). Because

Trying to undo the damage, Frankenstein chases the monster across the arctic and nearly freezes to death but is then rescued by a young adventurer on a ship named Robert Walton. Walton nurses Frankenstein back to health and in the process of recovering, the two converse; Frankenstein learns of Walton’s ambition to seek knowledge and wisdom warns him not to pursue his inquiry: “I ardently hope that the gratification of your wishes may not be a serpent to sting you as mine has been… many things will appear possible in these wild and mysterious regions” (27). Suffering from his perilous mistake as a result of his fault, Frankenstein now enlightened about the dangers of the mysterious lure nature has. The hero learns from his ruining god-complex that it is best not to interfere with nature and with his insight warns Walton of the dangers in doing so. Like a tragic hero, Frankenstein is humbled by his mistake of playing the role God and realizes he has made a error. He is scarred by his experience and repents for his sins by preventing others from making mistakes like his with warnings. Furthermore, personifying the tragic hero, on his deathbed he leaves Walton a final critical lesson:“seek happiness in tranquility and avoid ambition, even if it be only the apparently innocent one of distinguishing