Is Victor Frankenstein Innocent

Can Victor Frankenstein fairly be accused of playing god?

Romantic and Gothic elements are combined into a one piece of work known as Mary Shelly’s Frankenstein. The story of Frankenstein is one of isolation, ambition, nature, revenge, and loss of innocence. The novel begins with a ship captain Robert Walton rescuing the near death Dr. Victor Frankenstein from the ice. Upon Frankenstein’s rescue he offers to tell the ship captain his story. While at university Frankenstein forms an interest in chemistry, biology, and electricity in the pursuit to reanimate and re-create life from a dead body. Much to disbelief Frankenstein’s creation, or monster as you will, comes to life. Over whelmed with guilt of his creation, Frankenstein runs away in

Frankenstein gained his fascination for science early on, while at university. When talking to Robert Walton, Frankenstein tell him “My dreams were undisturbed by reality; and I entered with the greatest diligence into the search of the philosopher’s stone and the elixir of life” (Shelly 23). Frankenstein having cast his lot with natural philosophy and read avidly in the ancient works of Cornelius Agrippa, Paracelsus, and Albertus Magnes, is hooked by the fraudulent experiments of the alchemists, who sought the find the “philosopher’s stone” for turning base metals to gold and “the elixir of life” for prolonging human age. Expanding on his scientific research Frankenstein continues his pursuit to be renowned for advancements in science. Frankenstein is aware of the potential consequences of his work, but continues anyways. “I had contempt for the uses of modern natural philosophy. It was very different, when the masters of the science sought immortality and power; such views, although futile, were grand” (Shelly 28). Frankenstein admits to knowing the visionary experiments of the alchemists were ultimately futile, yet he somehow sees them as grand and worthy of application to the advances of modern science. It is evident that Frankenstein still chases the quest for life. The creation of life is a mysterious still to this day. When Frankenstein finally unlocks the secrets of creation he transforms into a high being, a god. “I paused, examining and analyzing all the minutiae of causation, as exemplified in the chain from life to death, and death to life, until from the midst of this darkness a sudden light broke in upon me – a light so brilliant and wondrous, yet so simple, that while I became dizzy with the immensity of the prospect which is illustrated, I was surprised that so many men of genius, who had directed their inquiries towards the same