In ‘Frankenstein: the Modern Prometheus’ the themes of science and aspiration are often intermingled, Frankenstein’s passion and “fervent longing” for the study of science is also his hubristic desire for kleos. One of the main ways that Mary Shelley presents this is through Victor’s creation of the Monster and the means he goes to so that he can create it. Frankenstein’s hubris causes him to pursue the study of science so that “a new species would bless me as its creator and source: many happy and excellent natures would owe their being to me”. Although Victor does succeed in creating this “new species”, there is dramatic irony in that his creation did bless him as its creator, yet Frankenstein was the one who rejected him because of his …show more content…
The way that he describes the monster once he has been reborn shows that he only cares for superficial beauty rather than for the immense and great scientific discovery that he has made. “Beautiful! Great God!” the use of these exclamative sentences and the blasphemous language emphasises his shock at having believed that this creature could ever have been beautiful. And rather than being amazed at himself for the creation and successful birth of the monster, he chooses to focus on its “watery eyes” and “shrivelled complexion”. The use of “Great God!” also leads the reader to question whether Frankenstein is referring to the deity or in fact to himself, as he might now be referred to, since he now possesses the secrets of childbirth, which has been previously reserved for just women. The time during the novel is set, the Romantic era, is known for its significant progress in the natural sciences, with names like Galvani becoming such household names that Frankenstein is obsessed with the idea of gaining kleos through the creation of life. Yet once he accomplishes this he abandons the monster because it is too ugly. This shows us that Frankenstein’s character is shallow and that he doesn’t particularly care for the very thing that he claims drives