Many similarities and allusions lie within the unfolding plots of stories to instill reference or provide relevant context to subjects within the story itself. One of the most notable references in Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein is the parallel it establishes between itself and the ancient Greek myth of Prometheus. In this gothic novel, a titan named Prometheus, a notable trickster amongst his fellow celestial beings, bestowed the gift of fire and metalworking to the race of men of the earth; in response to his actions, Zeus, the most powerful of the gods, brought punishment down on Prometheus in the form of lifelong torment. In almost every way, Shelley modeled the plot of Frankenstein such that the exact same myth is retold in a different form,
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How both stories proceeded was based entirely upon one decision or pursuit in which an individual was unaware of what would result from his actions, the consequences that would inevitably follow. Another important similarity to take in is the fact that both sides suffered greatly from the protagonist’s actions. As discussed earlier, the perpetrators, Victor and Prometheus suffered through supernatural punishment, whereas the monster and humanity suffered through the very gift that was given to them. Although the monster was brought back to life, his existence was damned by all who saw him, and humanity’s gift of fire played more of a destructive purpose as evil was released upon them through Pandora. With the idea of action and consequence, both stories are also modelled such that they allude to the biblical story of the creation and the fall in Genesis. The story describes how god created the earth and all the living things on it, as well as the first man and woman; shortly after, they defied him by eating fruit from a forbidden tree, and, their actions being deemed as the first sin, unleashing evil unto the world (New International Version, Genesis 3). Through the similar message presented by the passage, Frankenstein and the myth of Prometheus communicate the same kind of supernatural punishment that was placed on Adam and Eve, and continuing through the ages as human population grew. The way that both stories reflected the idea of creation and punishment strengthens the evident relationship between their themes and
How both stories proceeded was based entirely upon one decision or pursuit in which an individual was unaware of what would result from his actions, the consequences that would inevitably follow. Another important similarity to take in is the fact that both sides suffered greatly from the protagonist’s actions. As discussed earlier, the perpetrators, Victor and Prometheus suffered through supernatural punishment, whereas the monster and humanity suffered through the very gift that was given to them. Although the monster was brought back to life, his existence was damned by all who saw him, and humanity’s gift of fire played more of a destructive purpose as evil was released upon them through Pandora. With the idea of action and consequence, both stories are also modelled such that they allude to the biblical story of the creation and the fall in Genesis. The story describes how god created the earth and all the living things on it, as well as the first man and woman; shortly after, they defied him by eating fruit from a forbidden tree, and, their actions being deemed as the first sin, unleashing evil unto the world (New International Version, Genesis 3). Through the similar message presented by the passage, Frankenstein and the myth of Prometheus communicate the same kind of supernatural punishment that was placed on Adam and Eve, and continuing through the ages as human population grew. The way that both stories reflected the idea of creation and punishment strengthens the evident relationship between their themes and