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Frankenstein Ambition Research Paper

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Do we Know how Far Ambition can Take us? What if death was not the end of the road? Wouldn't it be great if humanity were able to break boundaries and become creators ourselves? The novel “Frankenstein, or The Modern Prometheus” written by Mary Shelley, explores the complexity of human ambition. In this engaging masterpiece, Victor Frankenstein is a brilliant scientist consumed with the desire to conquer death, and create life itself. He becomes obsessed with his creation, which results in disastrous consequences not only for himself but also for those close to him. This essay will examine the role of ambition in the main character, with his desire to conquer death as a god-like figure, the unchecked consequences, as well as the implications for modern scientific pursuits. Victor Frankenstein's …show more content…

He aspires to alleviate human suffering and conquer death, a desire that fits humanity's inherent passion for progress. Shelley (2008) shows us Victor's ambition in the words he said: “There only remained a resolution to return to my ancient studies and to devote myself to a science for which I believed myself to possess a natural talent.” Despite this, his motivation takes a dangerous turn, transforming into a constant obsession with acquiring god-like power over life, and death. "A new species would bless me as its creator and source; many happy and excellent natures would owe their being to me" (Shelley, 2008, p. 35). Blinded by this fervor, Victor fails to consider the implications of his actions. As a result, he places a strong emphasis on scientific discovery, and knowledge, disregarding the potential consequences of altering the natural order. His fascination with creating life, and his inability to consider the effects of his choices led to his mental, and physical degradation. He worked days and nights on his masterpiece for many years. As a result of his devotedness to the project, he lost interest in every aspect of his

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(Shelley 65). This quote informs the reader that Victor is now well aware of what he has done. Victor has crafted and created life with his own two hands just to have the credibility of it. He wanted nothing more than to be considered as their “god”,

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This profound statement raises the important question of personal responsibility for both the creator and the created. Victor Frankenstein, the ambitious protagonist of the gothic novel, is ardent with revealing the deepest, darkest mysteries of existence, and is lead by modern science and the occult to discover the methods to create life. By this dramatic discovery, Frankenstein is able to create an engineered man, a proclaimed monstrosity, whose miserable destiny perpetually connects with his creator’s. The novel chillingly dramatizes the dangerous potential of life begotten, and subsequently rejected upon a laboratory table, and shows

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Mary Shelley's Frankenstein explores the consequences of playing God and the complex nature of humanity. The central characters, Victor Frankenstein and the Creature, both receive gifts that are both a blessing and a curse. Victor is gifted with an exceptional mind and a passion for science, while the Creature is given life and consciousness. However, these gifts ultimately lead to destruction and despair for both characters. Through analyzing the nature of these gifts and how they contribute to the characters' development, we can better understand the themes of the novel.

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Jumanah Zoud Mr. Good Humanities 20 1 March 2023 Ambition in Frankenstein In Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, ambition can be compared to a burning flame that drives the characters toward their goals. If left unchecked, it can quickly grow out of control, consuming everything in its path and leading to its ultimate downfall. Several different characters in Frankenstein depict ambition, which includes the portrayal of ambition by Victor Frankenstein, Captain Walton, and the monster Frankenstein creates. Frankenstein is scientifically ambitious; his goal was to become accomplished within the scientific field by creating life.

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Frankenstein by Mary Shelley has been an American classic for almost 200 years, which contains both philosophical and moral themes in the text, making the reader question the limits of humankind and its desire for power. For every character presented in the story their independent desire to overcome their intentions becomes so intense that the future that lies upon them is nothing close to what they can imagine. Victor Frankenstein´s desire to quench his thirst for power ends up clouding his judgement and making him elude the future that awaits him. As Victor´s intention to succeed in natural sciences grow to an abnormal point, his judgement about what to do with that knowledge didn't let him contemplate the future consequences

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In the book and in the movie, he created a monster not thinking about the possible consequences of his actions even though he only thought of good. In the movie, it was shown that he took body parts off his dead roommate to further his studies, which shows he was taking it too far. In the book, Victor says “A new species would bless me as its creator and source; many happy and excellent natures would owe their being to me. No father could claim the gratitude of his child so completely as I should deserve theirs” (Mary Shelley, Chapter 4). This shows that Victor does not think of the possible implications of his actions, even though he thinks of good.

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Through the comparison of these two strong figures, the author submits an insightful philosophical tale about the dangers of ambition and the need for moral accountability in the face of humanity’s creative capabilities. At the core of the novel’s conflicts lies a major division in how these two characters perceive the essence of humanity. Victor Frankenstein is consumed by his persistent quest for scientific advancement. He sees humanity only through the lens of intellectual superiority and the potential of human reason. He sees no other purpose in life but to accomplish scientific achievements.

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In the novel, Frankenstein by Mary Shelley, ambition evolves into a form of obsession with revenge. But the result of vengeance is a curse to human life and its longevity. Both main characters in the novel, Victor and the monster become obsessed and let vengeance be their downfall. Victor was a very ambitious character who longed for knowledge and the presence of new life. He soon became obsessed with his creation and said,“I had worked hard for nearly two years, for the sole purpose of infusing life into an inanimate body.

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The Representation of Ambition and its Consequences in Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein; or, the Modern Prometheus (1818). What could go wrong if we put together science and ambition? According to Mary Shelley’s novel Frankenstein; or, the Modern Prometheus, a lot. Its main character, Victor Frankenstein, is a brilliant but arrogant and ambitious young man. The conflict in the novel is unleashed precisely because he decides to use the scientific knowledge acquired at university in a brilliant but irresponsible way, by manufacturing a humanoid body from fragments of dead humans and bringing it to life.

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Inspired by medical progress, Victor becomes obsessed with the idea of animating the lifeless. Influenced by the narrations recommended by his rigorous university professors, he believed that he was able to uncover the fundamental principles of existence and then been closer to discovering the secret of immortality, this ended up pushing him carrying out towards his fateful experiments. " Under the guidance of my new preceptors I entered with the greatest diligence into the search of the philosopher's stone and the elixir of life; but the latter soon obtained my undivided attention" (Shelley, 2008, p. 24). The consequence of this quest for knowledge is the creation of a creature he cannot control, care for, or love.

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Depending on one’s ambition can lead to tremendous leaps of advancement for mankind or its inevitable destruction. Thus, Victor Frankenstein demonstrates that tragic

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Victor Frankenstein, through his actions, changed his destiny; sadly, his deeds led to the negative effects destiny had prepared for him. He failed to recognize the “hidden power” destiny holds when he sought to make nature accommodate to his superfluous creation. By disregarding the effects of providing life to a lifeless creature, fate, in the end formed a path of suffrage, and took those most dear to him. Unfortunately, Frankenstein’s recognition of destiny’s power was discovered to late and along with those whom he loved, his happiness and peace were also taken

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Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein criticizes the human quest for knowledge through science and it highlights the moral implications of such undertakings. By following the story of the “mad scientist”, Victor Frankenstein, we see how a man’s ambition can be his downfall. However, Shelley notes that although it is dangerous to partake in immoral science, this curiosity to know more about the world around us and who we are is human instinct. This essay will consider Hindle’s premise that Frankenstein is a criticism of the “lofty ambition of man”. One could argue that by writing Frankenstein, Shelley was “loftily ambitious”, just like the characters in her novel.

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Such passion is seen in Victor’s ‘noble intent’ to design a being that could contribute to society, but he had overextended himself, falling under the spell of playing ‘God,’ further digging his grave as he is blinded by glory. His creation – aptly called monstrous being due to its stature, appearance, and strength – proved to be more of a pure and intellectually disposed ‘child’ that moves throughout the novel as a mere oddity, given the short end of the stick in relation to a lack of familial figures within his life, especially that of parents. Clearly, Victor Frankenstein had sealed his fate: by playing God he was losing his humanity, ultimately becoming the manifestation of Mary Shelley’s hidden desires, deteriorating into The Lucifer Principle by which the author Howard Bloom notes social groups, not individuals, as the primary “unit of selection” in human psychological

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ENG-3U0 November 20 2015 Frankenstein: The Pursuit of Knowledge Throughout the course of their individual journeys, Victor Frankenstein’s extreme passion for gaining knowledge about creating life, Robert Walton’s curiosity to discover land beyond the North Pole and the monster’s eagerness to obtain knowledge about humans was the principal cause of each of their suffering. As such, In Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, the pursuit of knowledge is a dangerous path which leads to suffering. Victor Frankenstein develops a keen interest in discovering knowledge about living beings which ultimately results in his personal suffering as well as others suffering. To begin with, Victor embarks on an assignment through combining body parts and following various

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