King Arthur's Use Of Archetypes In Frankenstein

The use of archetypes in works of literature is especially prominent in stories of characters with bad past, the evident pattern of a bad home life or abandonment builds a connection between the readers and the character. While researching I was quite shocked by the vast resemblances, at odd times I has epiphanies of the subject and their attributes.Though many authors The similarity between Frankenstein’s monster and King Arthur is not difficult to find as both display the innocent and orphan archetype. In the same fashion, both men experience betrayal, loneliness, the need for approval, and pure optimism as children only to have it stripped away. In this research paper I aim to throw spotlight upon the affinity between the creature from

Mary Shelley’s novel “Frankenstein” and King Arthur from “Le Morte d’Arthur.
Born into the world to be neglected and to be betrayed by one’s true love is truly devastating, and a disastrous fear that an orphaned character is burdened with. From birth the creature was forsaken by his creator due to his looks, leaving him to fend for himself. “Oh! No mortal could support the horror of that countenance. A mummy again endued with animation could not be so hideous as that wretch.” (Shelley 680) Sadly, even during the time of his formation Victor Frankenstein, his creator, found the “wretched” monster grotesque. “Victor labored for two years in order to give the creature life, but he is so appalled by the creature's hideous appearance that he flees,
leaving the creature to fend for himself.” (The Monster’s story).

No matter the time and cost of the creation of the creature, Victor still departed from his product. The abandonment by his father left the fragile creature to become an orphan only hours after his birth. The creature soon develops a desire for companionship that only Victor could quench, sorrowfully, pride blockaded him from ever fulfilling this. Correspondingly, King Arthur from Le morte d’Arthur was made orphan at birth as well. Having his life entirely planned from the beginning by Merlin took control and his parents away from young Arthur. “I shall then give him into the care of foster parents who can be trusted not to reveal his identity before the proper time.” (Baines 4). Both King Arthur and Frankenstein’s monster were products of magic or human intervention. The monster was created by Victor from gathered discarded corpses Arthur’s life began “with the aid of a wizard named Merlin, Uther disguised himself as Gorlois and conceived a child [Arthur] with Igraine.” (overview 117). Conceived out of wedlock and indebt to Merlin’s magic, King Uther impregnated the soon widowed Igraine, thus bringing forth Arthur. However with every favor come a debt, in which the royal paid off by giving up their child to Merlin the magician. “Merlin took charge of the boy's upbringing, arranging for a knight named Sir Hector to raise Arthur as his foster son.” (Overview 117). Although Arthur’s childhood was stripped away from him, Merlin’s decision to do this later on showed to be a good choice. Ultimately, the creature and King Arthur model attributes of that of orphans, having life altering

experiences.
Innocence; though well appreciated, it comes with bountiful downsides. The rationale of an innocent archetype consist of a search for happiness Arthur exhibits the well known humble and down to earth trait of an orphan archetype. Though, Arthur pulled the sword he let his brother, Sir Kay, proclaim to his father “the succession falls to me, for I have here the sword that was lodged in the stone” (Malory 6). When his foster brother falsely claims he pulled the all-too-famous sword from the stone, Arthur keeps quiet thus letting Sir Kay take the credit for his deed. This characteristic is one that causes people to step on and over the innocent archetype. However, Arthur’s reign was rather fruitful and brought numerous homages to the king, people from near and far knew of Arthur and truly respected him for his wise decision. Overtime Arthur’s skills on the battlefield became well know and “Arthur became a force to be reckoned by virtue of Merlin’s investment in him.” (A brave heart 115). Merlin’s assistance became one of few reasons Arthur was a successful king. Merlin’s magic protected King Arthur from many dangers, “Merlin prevented Arthur from dying many times over the course of the book.” (117). Merlin carried the burden of being the advisor for many, however Arthur is shown to have gained the most. As the book comes to an end it is quite important to notice how the lack of Merlin’s advice brought about King Arthur demise. Frankenstein's monster is plagued with the innocent archetype, this puts him in the character of the rejected and the used. The monster has emotions like human due to being programmed to be "like himself." (Shelley 57). Like most human beings, the creature wanted happiness and to fit into society. cause his spiral into“And what was I? Of my creation and creator I was absolutely ignorant, but I knew that I possessed no money, no friends, no kind of property. I was, besides, endowed with a figure hideously deformed and loathsome; I was not even of the same nature as man. I was more agile than they and could subsist on a coarser diet; I bore the extremes of heat and cold with less injury to my frame; my stature far exceeded theirs. When I looked around I saw and heard of none like me. Was I, then, a monster, a blot upon the earth, from which all men fled and whom all men disowned?” (Shelley 157). Shelley describes the monster’s feelings in a self-conscious way to show how the abandonment he got destroyed his once pure view on the world. His view on himself only seemed to decrease more and more, seeing his reflection in a pool of water he “became fully convinced that [he] was in reality the monster [he] was. The creature, however, is shown to have found a source of normality which came in the form of the Delacy family. The family’s tutoring of the Arabian girl Safie expanded to the monster, the “lessons were impressed upon me...deeply” and over time he gained knowledge and became literate. Like King Arthur, the monster gain advice and became wise from the Delacy family indirectly. When young the two characters, King Arthur and the monster, were very impressionable and these characteristics set them in the archetype Innocent.
In a final analysis, it is simple to see the alignment of both King Arthur and Frankenstein’s creature.Taking into notice the diversity both characters have, one can see the clear similarities. The various characteristics displayed in their novels play them in orphaned innocent archetypes.