Id, Ego, and Superego In the story, Frankenstein, Victor Frankenstein creates a monster out of dead people’s body parts. When he brings the monster to life, he becomes fearful and runs away. The monster then goes searching to find out the way of life, in the process, he kills many people for the simplest things. Victor, feeling responsible goes on a hunt for him and kills the monster. Freud’s Theory of id, ego, and superego are all prevalent throughout the play. Id, which is the part of the mind that innate instinctive impulses and primary processes are apparent, ego, the part of the mind that reconciles between the conscious and the unconscious and is responsible for testing reality and a sense of individual identity, superego, the part of
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The id if often the reactions of a newborn child, "It is with considerable difficulty that I remember the original era of my being; all the events of that period appear confused and indistinct. A strange multiplicity of sensations seized me, and I saw, felt, heard, and smelt at the same time; and it was, indeed, a long time before I learned to distinguish between the operations of my various senses” (Shelley 63). The quote is said by the monster and shows that he indeed has the qualities of a newborn child, he experienced what being alive felt like. The id is a part of a person’s unconscious mind that relates to basic needs and desires. For example, when Shelley writes, “When I found this, I resolved to quit the place that I had hitherto inhabited, to seek for one where the few wants I experienced would be more easily satisfied” (Shelley …show more content…
Ideal self would be proficiently expressed by Elizabeth. She is the ideal person, she treats others appropriate, she is a prime example of what society says a “good” person should be, and she expresses the ways she was taught by her parents and society. “The saintly soul of Elizabeth shone like a shrine-dedicated lamp in our peaceful home. Her sympathy was ours; her smile, her soft voice, the sweet glance of her celestial eyes, were ever there to bless and animate us. She was the living spirit of love to soften and attract; I might have become sullen in my study, rough through the ardour of my nature, but that she was there to subdue me to a semblance of her own gentleness” (Shelley 17). Shelley’s words explain how Elizabeth is a perfect example of what society thinks a “good” person is in this time period. The conscious aspect of superego would be represented by the killings throughout the story. For example, “‘William and Justine were assassinated, and the murderer escapes; he walks about the world free, and perhaps respected. But even if I were condemned to suffer on the scaffold for the same crimes, I would not change places with such a wretch.’ I listened to this discourse with the extremest agony. I, not in deed, but in effect, was the true murderer” (Shelley 56). This shows the conscious feeling of agony, this shows that the conscious knows that the killing was wrong, that it was indeed not the right
The id if often the reactions of a newborn child, "It is with considerable difficulty that I remember the original era of my being; all the events of that period appear confused and indistinct. A strange multiplicity of sensations seized me, and I saw, felt, heard, and smelt at the same time; and it was, indeed, a long time before I learned to distinguish between the operations of my various senses” (Shelley 63). The quote is said by the monster and shows that he indeed has the qualities of a newborn child, he experienced what being alive felt like. The id is a part of a person’s unconscious mind that relates to basic needs and desires. For example, when Shelley writes, “When I found this, I resolved to quit the place that I had hitherto inhabited, to seek for one where the few wants I experienced would be more easily satisfied” (Shelley …show more content…
Ideal self would be proficiently expressed by Elizabeth. She is the ideal person, she treats others appropriate, she is a prime example of what society says a “good” person should be, and she expresses the ways she was taught by her parents and society. “The saintly soul of Elizabeth shone like a shrine-dedicated lamp in our peaceful home. Her sympathy was ours; her smile, her soft voice, the sweet glance of her celestial eyes, were ever there to bless and animate us. She was the living spirit of love to soften and attract; I might have become sullen in my study, rough through the ardour of my nature, but that she was there to subdue me to a semblance of her own gentleness” (Shelley 17). Shelley’s words explain how Elizabeth is a perfect example of what society thinks a “good” person is in this time period. The conscious aspect of superego would be represented by the killings throughout the story. For example, “‘William and Justine were assassinated, and the murderer escapes; he walks about the world free, and perhaps respected. But even if I were condemned to suffer on the scaffold for the same crimes, I would not change places with such a wretch.’ I listened to this discourse with the extremest agony. I, not in deed, but in effect, was the true murderer” (Shelley 56). This shows the conscious feeling of agony, this shows that the conscious knows that the killing was wrong, that it was indeed not the right