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Allusions In Frankenstein Research Paper

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Frankenstein as both a gothic and romantic novel is brimming with excessive loads of allusions that impacts the view of major characters in the novel, like The Creature and Victor Frankenstein. The novel is a gothic one as it deals with the theme of loneliness and frightening settings. It is also a romantic novel as the whole novel is generally based on the idea of nature. An allusion is an expression designed to call something to mind without acknowledging it explicitly. Frankenstein has various types of allusions; biblical allusions, historical allusions, poetic allusions and a lot more in the text. Allusions in the novel include; allusion to the Mariner from The Rime of the Ancient Mariner, the poem Mutability, another poem Orlando Furioso, …show more content…

Another allusion is recognized in chapter 6 of the novel where it says “…and I recollect you once remarked that if you were in an ill humour, one glance from Justine could dissipate it, for the same reason that Ariosto gives concerning the beauty of Angelica – she looked so frank-hearted and happy.”(Shelley 52). Here, Mary Shelley alludes this quote to the poem, Orlando Furioso by Ludovico Ariosto. In the poem, Ariosto dispatched his army in search of Angelica, a pagan princess who ended up fleeing with a soldier from Ariosto’s enemy army. When Ariosto realizes that the thing he most wanted is gone forever, he went deranged and started a rampage throughout the countryside. Therefore, Shelley uses this allusion to not only emphasize how important Justine was to Victor but also indicates that since Victor refused to create a female companion for The Creature, he decided to cause chaos for Victor by killing his best friend, Henry Clerval and his cousin and wife, Elizabeth. However, as a result of The Creature’s actions, Victor died while grieving the death of Elizabeth. The death of Victor really hit The Creature as his intention was to convince Victor to make him a female companion rather than to see him die. Furthermore, similar allusion is detected in chapter fifteen of the novel where it says “In the …show more content…

Mary Shelley alludes this quote to the book, Sorrows of Werter. Just like Frankenstein, the book was written in letters. The book exhibits intense pain from not receiving mutual affection. Werther falls in love with a girl who is already engaged to someone. So he had to live the rest of his life not being loved the way he loved the girl. Him not able to withstand this situation, he decided to take his own life. This alludes to The Creature because he was furious that Victor refused to make him a female companion, but instead of taking his own life, The Creature decides to punish others for Victor’s inhumane

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Works Cited Enstein, Vicki F. "Frakenstien" Vicki F. Enstein. 8 Mar. 2005. Web. 19 Jan. 2016. Higgins, Nicholas.

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While Victor is in Ireland, attempting to create a female companion for the creature , he gives up on his efforts, which ends up angering the creature and leading to the death of his beloved friend Henry Clerval. Victor basically wants nothing to do with the creature and this makes the creature furious, because when looked upon from a religious point of view, the creator is obliged to take care of the being created. This is significant, because if Victor had just followed the creatures wants for a female companion, or not even create him in the first place ,his friend Henry would still be alive, and the ordeals of death wouldn’t keep following Victor. Tragically for Victor ,the creature vows to be there at his wedding day to take the life of his loving Elizabeth. The creature’s persistence to take away everything Victor loves and everything he couldn’t have himself, is what drives the monster to make Victor’s life a living hell.

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The creature killed Justine, an innocent friend of the family, William, Victor’s younger brother, and Henry Clerval, Victor’s close friend. All of this exemplifies that the creature only killed these people because Victor and others had wronged him, and he was seeking revenge in the only way he saw

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”(Millhauser). This violent rejection is a repetition of Victor’s lack of acceptance for the monster and attention to his family. Victor knows that the monster will never be able to live within society and that his ability to create life is the only hope the monster has of achieving companionship. Victor's own aversion to companionship surfaces as he, “ fails to give him the human companionship, the Eve, the female creature, that he needs to achieve some sort of a normal life.” (Mellor).

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