Mary Shelly's Frankenstein Or, The Modern Prometheus has as one of its themes the usurpation of established authority. In the sub-title of her novel, the author alludes to the legend from mythology. Prometheus angers the head god Zeus by secretly bringing fire to the earth. Another version of the myth has Prometheus forming the first man and woman from damp mud. The commonality of Prometheus and Victor Frankenstein is the striving for advancement despite the warnings or wishes of those in authority. To a lesser extent, Robert Walton also wants to bring knowledge to mankind. His methods are also unconventional and beyond the knowledge and authority of the science of the time. By overstepping the bounds of authority, both Frankenstein and Walton endanger the lives of those close to them. For Fr
ankenstein, the result was widespread grief and death. Frankenstein begins early by disregarding the warning of those who are more experienced. As a young boy, he is urged by his father to disregard the writings of Cornelius Agrippa. His father calls these works, trash. However, Victor continues to read because he wants to penetrate the secrets of nature. Even at Ingolstadt, his professor, M. Krepe, warns him about the dangers of the books he chooses to read. Frankenstein is drawn to the great and unexplored ocean of truth which he will later claim as his destiny and doom. Also attracting Victor is the fame and glory that would result if he could unlock the secret of life and rid the world of death and disease. While his motives are both ambitious and arrogant, Victor attempts to shortcut int
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