The Consequences of Betrayal must be paid
Victor Frankenstein fashioned himself to be a deific being. While his original intentions were to create a life form that would benefit mankind, he subsequently saw an opportunity to help himself. Keeping in mind the well-known proverb “keep your enemies close”, one must remember that it can be quite difficult to distinguish between a friend and a foe. This is largely attributed to the innate desire to see the people we deem closest and the strongest and most loyal of allies. Case in point, the people that were the closest to Victor Frankenstein were unaware he was their furtive enemy because once Victor Frankenstein discovered that his creation did not produce the expected result, he quickly turned his back on his creation. As in the assigned reading, Prometheus became the same enemy to the people who once trusted him when he shared knowledge that the god’s deemed as sacred, and not to be shared with the humans. Both stories tell a tale of betrayal that caused harm to the people who mistakenly trusted the wrong individuals. Moreover, as intended by Mary Shelley,
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Victor Frankenstein is seen as the modern Prometheus because of the ultimate betrayal of his colleagues, family, and the created monster, mirroring that of the story of Prometheus’ betrayal of the people that too, trusted and believed in him. Because of both Prometheus and Victor Frankenstein’s over inflated sense of self, their respective decisions caused them to suffer grave consequences. Victor’s love of science was conceived at an early age. While on a trip at the age of thirteen years old, he was bound by weather, causing him to find a book by Cornelius Agrippa. He was consistently discouraged by his father from reading the book and made several negative remarks towards it. He would make statements such as, “If, instead of this remark my father had taken the pains to explain to me the principles of Agrippa had been entirely exploded and that at a modern system of science had been introduced which possessed much greater powers than the ancient , because the powers of the latter were chimerical, while those of the former were real and practical under such circumstances I should certainly have thrown Agrippa aside and have contented my imagination, warmed as it was, by returning with greater ardor to my former studies. It is even possible that the train of my ideas would have never received the fatal impulse that led to my ruin. But the cursory glance my father had taken of my volume by no means assured me that he was acquainted with its contents, and I continued to the read with the greatest avidity.” This quote eloquently explains the exact position that led him to the pursuit of the course he took (Shelley). Successively, his father directed him towards a prestigious college and from that point on, Victor’s outlook on his future seemed to be positive. However, it was at that stage in his life when things took a turn for the worse. Victor’s mother was diagnosed with scarlet fever as she cared for her adopted daughter and later died right before he was to leave for school. This event changed his perspective on life, causing him to see the world from an evil perception. As he embarked on his studies, a course on anatomy sparked an interest and aroused a curiosity that subsequently had a devastating result. He began to experiment so much so that his research turned into an obsession. This is considered to be his first betrayal. Once Victor was in the throes of his obsession, those closest to him felt that he was beyond a level of logical reason. He began robbing graves for body parts in order to further expand his experimentations. Although he initially wanted to resurrect life to create cures for diseases and to help mankind, he consequently began creating a monster unbeknownst to him. Victor is now considered to be a betrayer of nature by creating the Monster.
It is the responsibility of nature, not that of man, to create human life. Nevertheless, Victor has accomplished something unnatural; creating life after death. As soon as he realized that he put all of this time and effort into creating this monstrosity, he abandoned his creation without attempting to amend his failure. "I have created a monster", he says (123HelpMe.com). He has also betrayed his family because they were under the impression that he was doing something extraordinary that would give them a sense of pride. In reality, Victor determined he would just leave it to its own devices. In doing this, he created “the monster” that he subsequently betrayed. The monster did not ask to be created and it was unfair for him to be shunned by all who came into contact with
him. Prometheus, like Victor set out to make a difference but subsequently allowed for his over inflated self-image to supersede his initial intentions. He conveys his story with the underlying bases and principle that he wanted to employ his knowledge to better help humanity for a greater good. Zeus, also known as the King of all gods, saw Prometheus as a friend and trusted he would keep their powers and intelligence amongst the gods. Prometheus was also a trusted ally to Zeus after he helped in the fight against the titans, which further solidified their bond. Contrariwise, Prometheus viewed the knowledge of the gods differently and felt as though the humans needed things such as agriculture, language, mathematics, the harnessing of animals, and sailing to improve their quality of life. He also taught medicine, divination, and mining. These teachings opposed the authority of Zeus because his plan was to destroy humanity (Spark Notes Editors). Zeus wanted to hold any and all power. However, with Prometheus providing divine gifts to the humans, he was inadvertently empowering them by providing them with important resources. This caused Zeus to feel betrayed by Prometheus. Although Prometheus felt what he was doing was for the greater good of humanity, he was consequently chained to a rock with his liver being pecked out by an eagle and banished to Tartarus until a god agrees to die for him (Spark Notes Editors). He was, however, given an escape, but refused to accept it. As he was telling his story to the Chorus, the daughters of Oceanus, Oceanus offers to speak with Zeus (Shmoop Editorial Team). Conversely, Victor was punished for his betrayal in several different ways. First the monster killed Victor’s younger brother. Then, a family friend is killed for being accused of killing William. Moreover, when Victor refuses to follow-through with his promise to make the monster a companion, the monster is enraged and in turn kills Henry Clerval, Victor’s longtime childhood friend. While, this devastated Victor, nothing was more hurtful than when the monster kills Elizabeth. This is also followed by the death of his father two days later. Victor has now lost everyone that he has deeply cared for due to the results of his irresponsible and unethical experimentations and choice of actions. People have to make a choice as to whether or not to commit a betrayal against something or someone. While we all make daily conscience decisions, we do not always have the wherewithal to see how these decisions may have a negative impact on our future. In both stories, both characters thought they were doing the right thing when in actuality, they both end up suffering for it. In Victor’s case, he could have easily created the monster a companion to prevent losing anyone else that was close to him. Unfortunately, he chose to not continue this second experiment therefore losing everyone close to him, including his own life in the end. In the case of Prometheus, he could have found other ways to assist humanity. Instead, he chose to take a stand that cost him his freedom and reputation amongst the gods. In the end, the power of betrayal held the ultimate consequence in both stories.
As a romantic, archetype and gothic novel, Victor is responsible for the monsters actions because Victor abandons his creation meaning the creature is dejected and ends up hideous and fiendish. It is unfair to create someone into this world and then just abandon it and not teach it how to survive. The quote from the creature “Why did you make such a hideous creature like me just to leave me in disgust” demonstrates how much agony the creature is in. He is neglected because of his creator. The monster says “The hateful day when I received life! I accurse my creator. Why did you form a monster so hideous that even you turned from me in disgust?” Victor is wholly at fault for his actions, image and evil.
"Cursed, cursed creator! Why did I live? Why, in that instant, did I not extinguish the spark of existence which you contains several thematic elements; specifically, the element of betrayal. Through a complex plot, Shelley creates dynamic characters who come to the realization that the dangers of searching for the unknown secrets of life can lead to ruined and tarnished relationships. The irreversible damage that comes with finding the unknown appears to have a substantial effect on the character’s relationships with one another; especially, the central relationship between Victor Frankenstein and the monster. To the reader’s surprise Frankenstein is not the monster, but the doctor and creator of the monster, Victor. Victor Frankenstein, the creator of the monster and avid scientist, is perhaps the most complex character due to the
In Frankenstein, everyone treats Victor’s creation like a monster, including Frankenstein himself. This leads to the creation accepting that title and going on a murder spree. His creation says “When I reflect on his crimes and malice, my hatred and revenge burst all bounds of moderation” (69). Victor’s creation shows that he did not ask to be created, and his existence is miserable.
Literature often works as depicted act of betrayal. Many people, friends, and family may portray a protagonist, but they will likewise be guilty of treachery or betrayal to their own values. In the novel Frankenstein by Mary Shelley, there is acts of betrayal between Victor Frankenstein and the monster. In the Novel Victor Frankenstein is a betrayal of life itself because it should be given naturally and not created by a scientist man. The monster is actually the one who is majorly betrayed, he may look like a hideous dangerous monster on the outside but, not one within himself. From the beginning of the novel, Victor betrays the monster, and this betrayal is seen on many levels throughout the novel. The tragic figure in Mary Shelley’s horror novel Frankenstein, Victor Frankenstein, is truly the instrument of betrayal to his creation of the monster because life should be given naturally not by creation of suffering and horrific which is made by man.
As a tragic hero, Victor’s tragedies begin with his overly obsessive thirst for knowledge. Throughout his life, Victor has always been looking for new things to learn in the areas of science and philosophy. He goes so far with his knowledge that he ends up creating a living creature. Victor has extremely high expectations for his creation but is highly disappointed with the outcome. He says, “I had desired it with an ardour that far exceeded moderation; but now that I had finished, the beauty of the dream vanished, and breathless horror and disgust filled my heart” (Shelley 35). Frankenstein neglects the creature because of his horrifying looks, which spark the beginning of numerous conflicts and tragedies. At this point, the creature becomes a monster because of Victor’s neglect and irresponsibility. The monster is forced to learn to survive on his own, without anyone or anything to guide him along the way. Plus, the monster’s ugly looks cause society to turn against him, ad...
Although some critics say that the monster Victor has created is to blame for the destruction and violence that follow the experiment, it is Victor who is the responsible party. First, Victor, being the scientist, should have known how to do research on the subject a lot more than he had done. He obviously has not thought of the consequences that may result from it such as the monster going crazy, how the monster reacts to people and things, and especially the time it will take him to turn the monster into the perfect normal human being. This is obviously something that would take a really long time and a lot of patience which Victor lacks. All Victor really wants is to be the first to bring life to a dead person and therefore be famous. The greed got to his head and that is all he could think about, while isolating himself from his friends and family. In the play of Frankenstein, when Victor comes home and sets up his lab in the house, he is very paranoid about people coming in there and finding out what he is doing. At the end of Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, Victor says:
If Victor had stayed around and showed the monster the real world, he might have not have went on to perform violent actions. This portrays Victor as a selfish character and gives more of an insight on his personal life. As a child, Victor is only interested in furthering his own knowledge and not worried about anyone else. He spent much of his time “drawing the picture of [his] early days... when [he] would account to [himself] for the birth of that passion which afterwards ruled [his] destiny” (Shelley 34), or otherwise a magnificent creation that would change his future. When constructing the Monster, he put all of his relatives in the back of his mind, and only focused on his own success and victory. This further explains the theme of being selfless and only doing certain things that will benefit
Victor Frankenstein from Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein is the embodiment of the Greek titan, Prometheus. Victor is controlled by his desire for results but he ignores his path to getting those results. It’s helpful that he is able to ignore reality when doing so because then he is able to focus more on the developments. Being on the selfish side, Victor Frankenstein never bothers with the questions such as “Why” but focuses on the “Why not”. Victor Frankenstein is the modern Prometheus because of his realization when reality does not match what he imagined, brute strength to compensate for his ignorance and constant reluctant to take responsibility for his actions.
Since the fall of Adam, humanity has always been keenly aware of the existence of good and evil, right and wrong, justice and injustice. Any person who has been betrayed or abused has felt the weight of injustice. Anyone who has been mistreated has experienced the desire for vengeance. However, opinions begin to differ when defining the boundaries of justified revenge. Varying perceptions prevents humans from viewing and validating the motives of others. In Mary Shelly’s Frankenstein, the two main characters were driven to madness by their desire for revenge against each other. In the book, Victor Frankenstein and his creature both relayed the same story; however their individual perspectives drastically shift the roles of the perpetrator and the victim. Mary Shelly’s brilliant juxtaposition between the Creature and his Creator demonstrated the relativity of justified revenge.
The theme in a piece of literature is the main idea or insight on characters. Most pieces of literature do not limit itself to one but many other themes all collected into one. This is just like in Frankenstein by Mary Shelley. This horrifying story was produced in 1818 and has several themes that she portrays throughout. The theme of dangerous knowledge is unmistakably seen theme in Frankenstein. In Frankenstein we see this theme through three of the main characters, Victor Frankenstein, Robert Walton and the creature. We can see how their desire for knowledge can take them places and show them eventually what they are looking for. Sooner or later it will take them to dangerous and unwanted places. The desire for knowledge can eventually lead one to its grave. Victor Frankenstein’s scientific endeavor, Robert Walton’s search for the North Pole, and the creature’s kind heart but scary features creates this theme of dangerous knowledge.
In gothic novels tragic figures are symbols of pain to the characters. Victor Frankenstein brings misfortune to his loved ones, which concludes to his overall tragedy. Ironically the monster in this novel is Frankenstein the creator not the creature. He has seven victims including himself and his fall is due to his ambition to be superior.
Victor has a lack of respect for the natural world that leads him on the path to becoming a monster. In creating the monster Victor is trying to change the natural world. He is trying to play the role of god by creating life.
Victor is responsible for the monster’s actions because it is his creation that he did not account for the potential consequences of. Prior to Victor’s creation, he explains that his only real motive to create this new being was so that "a new species would bless me as its creator and source;
He created a life, and then spontaneously he quickly decided to run away from his creation. Victor’s actions after creating what he created were really irresponsible, and did not correctly took care of the circumstance’s he put himself in. The creation was never actually evil, but he felt abandoned by what could had been called his father. Frankenstein, the monster, was only a seeker for companionship. He strongly desired to feel loved, rather than abandoned. Society’s evil behavior toward the monster is what altered the monster’s conduct and followed to how he acted.
Mary Shelley in her book Frankenstein addresses numerous themes relevant to the current trends in society during that period. However, the novel has received criticism from numerous authors. This paper discusses Walter Scott’s critical analysis of Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein in his Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine Review of Frankenstein (1818).