Frankenstein 4
According to the Greek poet Hesiod, the Titan demi-god Prometheus was responsible for the creation of men. He manufactured them from clay, from the natural earth. When Mary Shelley wrote Frankenstein or the Modern Prometheus, she left little doubt that the creator of the monster, Victor Frankenstein, by making a living creature from inaminate parts was a new Prometheus. But her metaphor extends beyond the immediately obvious. In Hesiod's myth, Prometheus had an inflated sense of self importance and was determined to be adored by men. Because men had no control over fire they were destined to remain mere animals. The forbidden knowledge of fire, the most basic and natural form of energy was the domain of the god, Zeus. The ego-centric Prometheus became obsessed with devising a means by which he could procure fire and with no other motive in mind than glory, he cunningly stole fire from Zeus and gave it to a grateful mankind. Prometheus' trickery was bound to invite catastrophe. Zeus' retribution was swift and twofold. Firstly, with the help of Hephaestus, Hermes and Aphrodite, he fashioned out of clay the first woman, Pandora. Thereafter, men would no longer be born directly from the earth; now through women, they would undergo
say, "Villain! before you sign my death-warrant, be sure that you are yourself safe" (168). As far as Victor is concerned, the safety of Elizabeth is not a consideration; as far as his 'perpetual torture' is concerned, her fate is sealed. The seeking of glory is a pursuit of ego driven males which, if left unchecked, deserves the fate of Prometheus. Shelley tells the story of three men who deal with Prometheanism in three ways. Innocent Clerval lived a happy, fulfilled, albeit brief life. Victor, refusing to repent until his last breath, and unable to pursue the monster, is 'chained' to his bed with only his memories to persecute him. And Walton relinquishes his own egoism and abandons his quest in the Arctic thus allowing the story of 'The Modern Prometheus' to be told. The product of Prometheanism, the hapless monster, regretful of his own existence and with revenge complete, exits stage right, presumably to his death in the unknown wilderness. inferior object; but what glory would attend the discovery, if I could banish disease from the human frame, and render man invulnerable to any but a violent death!"(40). And like Prometheus, he is able to fashion a living being from inaminate parts. But here he has made a double transgression. Not only has he gone against nature, and circumvented the act of procreation, he has used the parts of dead humans to achieve his result. Compounding his crimes, Victor makes his gravest error. His egoism does not allow him to fulfil his obligations as a creator; to nurture and provide for his 'offspring' . Victor finds the look of the 'demoniacal corpse' too abhorrent; "....but now that I had finished, the beauty of the dream vanished, and breathless horror and disgust filled my heart"(57). Shelley employs the monster to mete out Victor's punishment. Frustrated by a lack of compassion, the monster seeks revenge upon his creator. By killing William, Clerval, and Elizabeth, the monster enslaves Victor to the turmoil of his own mind and emotions, thereby destroying any hope of tranquillity, and his subsequent ability to rationalise clearly and deeply. Victor's ability to devise a plan whereby he can destroy his creation is overshadowed by his own predicament, merely pursuing the
Some common words found in the essay are:
Victor Prometheus, Victor Frankenstein, Ingolstadt University, Prometheus' Walton, Clerval Elizabeth, Robert Walton, Confessor' Victor's, Secondly Zeus, Innocent Clerval, Pandora Thereafter, forbidden knowledge, male egoism, victor makes, prometheus chained, monster victor, victor frankenstein, ego driven,
Approximate Word count = 1509
Approximate Pages = 6 (250 words per page double spaced)
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