Similarities Between Othello And Frankenstein

Appearances can be deceiving. In society, individuals use impressions and reputation to build up trust between other individuals, and also to become more distinguished among others. Occasionally, appearances and social status are the undoing of an individual. Consequently, appearances and its reality expose the faults of society and its values and Shakespeare’s Othello and Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein exhibits this. Shakespeare and Shelley use the contrast between appearance and reality in their works to illustrate the flaws of society, through the characters’ use of deception, the dehumanization and humanization of Othello and the monster, and society’s misplaced value on reputation and its façade. Through the characters’ use of

For example, in Shakespeare’s Othello, society places tremendous value on appearances and reputation, as expressed by Cassio and Iago. Iago proclaims “Good name in man and woman… Is the immediate jewel of their souls” (3.3.155) and confirms the obvious value of reputation in the Elizabethan Era. As a result of Othello’s status, no one dares to defy his belief that Desdemona was unfaithful out of fear for losing their own reputation. Although the reality is that Desdemona did not commit adultery, Othello believes in Iago’s lies due to the fact that he has greater trust in Iago since he has a higher status than Desdemona and he appears to be a loyal friend to Othello. Shakespeare emphasizes the potential of the power of deception and appearances that can cause misconceptions and false accusations. Similarly, in Shelley’s Frankenstein, society appears to be considerate and loving, as demonstrated through the DeLacey family. Supposedly, “the hearts of men… are full of brotherly love and charity”, however, men are truly ignorant to reasoning and facts (Shelley 118). Although there is no solid evidence of Justine committing the murder other than a photograph of someone in her pocket, society presumes that she is the convict without looking further in the evidence. Society believes in what it wants to believe in despite being false, without a greater insight to see the truth. The monster’s physical appearance is so hideous that society wants to believe that the monster is truly a monster and thus, rejects him. From this, Shelley greatly emphasizes the simplistic thinking of society as a whole and its narrow-minded ideology of others. In both Othello and Frankenstein, the masses exhibit themselves as an approval-based society where an individual must strive for validation and recognition in their good name and