Fire is arguably the greatest knowledge that mankind ever received, and with time, sparked all further technical developments, allowing for man to transcend mere animals. The story of Prometheus, tells of how the titan Prometheus gifts fire to man, and all of the beneficial consequences that subsequently arose from this knowledge. Frankenstein draws from Prometheus to develop the topic of god-like knowledge, and even originally titling itself as The Modern Prometheus. On the other hand, Milton designs fire in Paradise Lost as the incarnation of wrath and pain. However, even though the fire of Frankenstein remains heavily symbolic, Promethean in nature and seemingly unlike the fire of Paradise Lost, it possesses similarities that lack negligibility.
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In Frankenstein, Victor tells a story of intrigue with the physical sciences when he “beheld a stream of fire issue from an old and beautiful oak which stood about twenty yards from our house; and so soon as the dazzling light vanished” (Shelley 42). The phenomenon of lightning fascinates Victor to such an extent that he wishes to learn more about nature. The description however, does not stop there. Interestingly it details the destruction as well as describing it as being “reduced to thin ribbons of wood” then Shelley to emphasizes that Victor has “never beheld anything so utterly destroyed” (Shelley 42). highlights the importance to the situation, even though his first impression is great curiosity. It is also noteworthy how she makes this observation his last about the tree. This indicates that she wants to leave a lasting impression on the reader of the destruction maybe more so than the curiosity. Traditionally, the fire which Shelley derives from Prometheus represents knowledge in its purest form, but this emphasis of destruction seems far more similar to that of Paradise Lost, where Milton describes fire as the “sign/ Of wrath awakened” (Milton, 6.58-59). This wrathful fire which burns and punishes angels seems to be much more …show more content…
Soon after his conception, one of the first things that the monster learns is the warmth of fire, but he begins to see it has both helpful and volatile aspects. The monster tells Victor: “One day, when I was oppressed by cold, I found a fire which had been left by some wandering beggars, and was / overcome with delight at the warmth I experienced from it. In my joy I thrust my hand into the live embers, but quickly drew it out again with a cry of pain. How strange, I thought, that the same cause should produce such opposite effects” (Shelley 107). Once again drawing upon the idea that fire is knowledge, this situation is heavily symbolic. When the monster “thrusts his hand into the live embers” he feels pain surprisingly, however, there is not one other object or idea that the monster finds more intriguing than this fire. The monster wants most in the world to understand the one entity that could hurt him, this directly parallels Satan’s desire for the knowledge of the entity known as God. This entity is the only being in the universe who Satan has always been told is more powerful than him, and yet he yearns for the knowledge to explain God. Yet, God is still the only entity that could potentially erase Satan from all existence, and he still chooses to fight for this seemingly
In Frankenstein, Victor tells a story of intrigue with the physical sciences when he “beheld a stream of fire issue from an old and beautiful oak which stood about twenty yards from our house; and so soon as the dazzling light vanished” (Shelley 42). The phenomenon of lightning fascinates Victor to such an extent that he wishes to learn more about nature. The description however, does not stop there. Interestingly it details the destruction as well as describing it as being “reduced to thin ribbons of wood” then Shelley to emphasizes that Victor has “never beheld anything so utterly destroyed” (Shelley 42). highlights the importance to the situation, even though his first impression is great curiosity. It is also noteworthy how she makes this observation his last about the tree. This indicates that she wants to leave a lasting impression on the reader of the destruction maybe more so than the curiosity. Traditionally, the fire which Shelley derives from Prometheus represents knowledge in its purest form, but this emphasis of destruction seems far more similar to that of Paradise Lost, where Milton describes fire as the “sign/ Of wrath awakened” (Milton, 6.58-59). This wrathful fire which burns and punishes angels seems to be much more …show more content…
Soon after his conception, one of the first things that the monster learns is the warmth of fire, but he begins to see it has both helpful and volatile aspects. The monster tells Victor: “One day, when I was oppressed by cold, I found a fire which had been left by some wandering beggars, and was / overcome with delight at the warmth I experienced from it. In my joy I thrust my hand into the live embers, but quickly drew it out again with a cry of pain. How strange, I thought, that the same cause should produce such opposite effects” (Shelley 107). Once again drawing upon the idea that fire is knowledge, this situation is heavily symbolic. When the monster “thrusts his hand into the live embers” he feels pain surprisingly, however, there is not one other object or idea that the monster finds more intriguing than this fire. The monster wants most in the world to understand the one entity that could hurt him, this directly parallels Satan’s desire for the knowledge of the entity known as God. This entity is the only being in the universe who Satan has always been told is more powerful than him, and yet he yearns for the knowledge to explain God. Yet, God is still the only entity that could potentially erase Satan from all existence, and he still chooses to fight for this seemingly