Frankenstein Research Paper

Novels of the Romantic era, including Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, also known as The Modern Prometheus, were full of gothic elements, grasping yet tactful moments, and historical connections that provided accuracy to the novel. Frankenstein provides the reader with the narrative of Victor Frankenstein, a young and gifted scientist who attempts to create artificial life through the gift of his knowledge and discoveries. Through their game of cat and mouse, Frankenstein faces tragic losses caused by his very own creation, while that very creature struggles through the life that he was brought into and how he is perceived with his hideous appearance. As Victor desperately tries to reverse his actions, he experiences what it feels like to fall

In Frankenstein, when Justine Mortiz is to be executed after being wrongly accused of murdering William, she comes to accept her fate and claims that she “‘[does] not fear to die” as “‘God raises [her] weakness and gives [her] courage to endure the worst…’” (Shelley 98). Justine, like many of her time, as Christianity was on the rise in the 1800’s, admits to the crime that she did not commit purely out of fear of going to Hell, knowing that more dreadful events will occur if she does not confess and receive execution. This quote emphasizes how evil is occurring within the story not as a result of God or whatever beliefs one may choose to have, but of the creature that Frankenstein has created, as everything indirectly leads back to his actions and creation. In the novel, Frankenstein states that “A new species would bless [him] as its creator and source; many happy and excellent natures would owe their being to [him]” (Shelley 54). This quote shows how Frankenstein views himself as a God like figure for being able to create new life, but also his arrogance. Frankenstein is unable to handle the role of God, a creator, as the act of creating the creature and all the havoc that it brings to the world is his own fault. As Frankenstein claims to be a devoted Christian, he betrays what the religion stands for and attempts to portray God, which exemplifies how Shelley is taking a turn away

In Frankenstein, one of the most popular allusions is to Paradise Lost, as the creature says, “I am thy creature: I ought to be Adam, but I am rather the fallen angel, whom thou drivest from joy no misdeed.” (Shelley 114). When the creature begins to read, one of the books that he picks up is Paradise Lost, an epic poem by John Milton that focuses on the perspective of Satan, which intrigued people, especially those of the Romantic era, as they had not previously read anything that was from the “evil” character’s point of view. Shelly not only uses this quote as a mere allusion, but also accurately compares Victor Frankenstein to God, who took upon the role of God, a creator. She compares the creature to Satan, a character that is misunderstood by God and is seen as an awful monster, being judged by not who he really is but his appearance. The creature is bitter and jealous that he is not Adam, not receiving the treatment that he deserves. The novel also alludes to The Ancient Mariner by Samuel Taylor Coleridge directly, when Victor Frankenstein quotes “Like one that on a lonesome road doth walk in fear and dread…” (Shelley 61). The Ancient Mariner is a poem that likewise played an important role in Romantic literature, as it is about a man who is banished, relating to Frankenstein