Essay on Shelleys Frankenstein and Miltons Paradise Lost

Shelleys Frankenstein and Miltons Paradise Lost Even upon first glance, Mary Shelleys Frankenstein and John Miltons Paradise Lost seem to have a complex relationship, which is discernible only in fractions at a time. Frankenstein is Mary Shelleys reaction to John Miltons epic poem, in which he wrote the Creation myth as we perceive it today. His characterizations of Adam and Eve and the interactions of Satan and God and the impending Fall seem to have almost taken a Biblical proportion by themselves. By the time that Mary Shelley read Paradise Lost, it was indeed a stalwart in the canon of English Literature, so it should not come as a surprise to the reader the it should play such a large part in her construction of†¦show more content†¦Frankenstein is still the story of a Creator, Victor Frankenstein, and his Creation/Opposer, the Creature or Monster (he is not given a name), just as Paradise Lost is the story of a Creator, God, being foiled by that embodiment of Evil, Satan. Already the questions abound: If Satan/C reature is created from their respective Creator, are they not Adam-like on their own? Victors Frankensteins childhood was an idyllic existence, much like how Milton would describe the early days of the Garden of Eden. His problems start occurring when he starts to wonder about the origin of life, and eventually Victor himself creates life in the lab in the form of the Creature. This can be seen as a secularization of the Creation myth, where the role of God is placed upon Victor. Victor not only has aspired to Godhead, but he has also put science ahead of God. He is aspiring to Godhead and omnipotence when he says: The world was to me a secret which I desired to divine. The use of divine is particularly telling in Victors statement. Victor wields the power to create, as God does, but his God-like powers come through modern science. Those powers which he uses, though, contain a complex series of effects which he does not understand. This lies in contrast to the Miltonian God, who is all-knowing, ever-present Father-figure. Miltons crafting of God is as a man attemptingShow MoreRelated Mary Shelleys Frankenstein and John Miltons Paradise Lost Essay1685 Words   |  7 PagesMary Shelleys Frankenstein and John Miltons Paradise Lost â€Å"Forth reaching to the Fruit, She pluck’d, she eat:/ Earth felt the wound, and Nature from her seat/ Sighing through all her Works gave signs of woe,/ That all was lost [†¦]† (PL 8. 781-784) In the gothic novel Frankenstein, Mary Shelley weaves an intricate web of allusions through her characters’ expedient desires for knowledge. Both the actions of Frankenstein, as well as his monster allude to JohnRead MoreParadaise Lost by John Milton and The Divine Comedy by Dante Alighierie1821 Words   |  8 Pageswith Dante Alighieri who has a great influence on Milton’s epic Paradise Lost. The significance of The Divine Comedy for Milton lies especially in Dante’s Inferno and Purgatorio. Scholars1 have quoted plentiful echoes of Dante throughout Milton’s works, and have compared these two great poets for centuries. In the 19th century Mary Shelley employed a cluster of images and ideas from Milton’s Paradise Lost (especially from Book Ten) in Frankenstein -- the work that establishes the fame of Mary -- toRead MoreEssay about The Reasons for Victor Frankensteins Emotional Turmoil1140 Words   |  5 Pages10. Explore the basis for this turmoil and Mary Shelley’s portrayal of Victor’s state of mind. In this Essay I shall explore the reasons for Victor Frankenstein’s emotional turmoil in chapters 9 and 10 and look at how some events in Mary Shelley’s life mirrors some events in the book. I will also look at a few of the themes running through Frankenstein. Such as religion, parenting, hate, revenge, guilt and compassion. At the time that Frankenstein was published most people still believed the genesisRead MoreEssay on Structuralism as a Literary Movement2595 Words   |  11 PagesThe Death of the Author. Also, Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein (1818) is taken as an example to explain these structuralist methods. Ferdinand de Saussure, founder of structuralist linguistics, defined language as a â€Å"system of signs.† He proposed the components signifier and signified which makes a sign. Signifier is the sound-image and signified is the concept or meaning. Levi-Strauss based his study of myth on structural linguistics. In his essay, Structure and Dialectics, he observesRead More Frankenstein Kickass Paper2707 Words   |  11 Pagesnbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;The daughter of an active feminist, Mary Woolstonecraft Shelley eloped with the famous poet Percy Bysshe Shelley at the age of 15, and after was continually and profoundly influenced by his words and writings. Her novel Frankenstein is named among the best written and most meaningful of the gothic works, and is one of the few still popularly read today. A precursor to the Romantic trend in art and intellect, gothic novels rejected of the precepts of order, balance, idealizationRead MoreIn What Ways Does Frankenstein C omplicate the Romanticist Conceptions of Creativity and Individualism? Make Reference to Frankenstein and at Least One Other Romanticist Text.1884 Words   |  8 PagesIn what ways does Frankenstein complicate the Romanticist conceptions of creativity and individualism? Make reference to Frankenstein and at least one other Romanticist text. Mary Shelley’s novel, Frankenstein, complies with all the fundamental principles associated with Romanticism; use of the supernatural and sublime, especially with regards for nature, thus leading to pantheism, compassion and a sense of morality towards humankind, individual freedom and rebellion against contextual societalRead More Social Ostracisation Within Frankenstein Essay examples1607 Words   |  7 PagesSocial Ostracisation Within Frankenstein One of the powerful images conjured up by the words ‘gothic novel’ is that of a shadowy form rising from a mysterious place, Frankenstein’s monster rising from a laboratory table, Dracula creeping from his coffin, or, more generally, the slow opening of a crypt to reveal a dark and obscure figure, which all share in common the concept of Social Ostracisation both to the creator and creature. Gothic writing can be dated back for centuries, Shelly immediatelyRead More The Role of Women in Mary Shelleys Frankenstein Essay1434 Words   |  6 PagesThe Role of Women in Mary Shelleys Frankenstein Whether an author is conscious of the fact or not, a fictional work cannot avoid reflecting the political, social, economic, and religious background of the author. Therefore, regardless of Frankensteins categorization being that of science fiction, Mary Shelley reveals her own fears and thoughts, and, as a result, reveals a great deal about the time and place in which she wrote. She mentions specific geographical locations throughoutRead MoreFrankenstein, By Mary Shelley3475 Words   |  14 PagesMary Shelley is best known for her gothic horror classic Frankenstein. Frankenstein has been heralded by many as the first science fiction book, and Frankenstein’s monster had become an integral character in the public’s cultural pantheon. However, Mary Shelley’s novel is also a cautionary tale of the dangers of intellectual curiosity. Robert Walton, the arctic explorer Victor Frankenstein meets in his final days, serves as a cautionary tale. By embarking on his arctic exploration mission, he placesRead MoreEssay on Creation and Alienation in Mary Shelleys Frankenstein3425 Words   |  14 PagesThroughout Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, also known as The Modern Prometheus, this notion of alienation, is an illuminating theme that is manifested throughout the story. Another theme is that of creation, in which Victor Frankenstein, a main character in the book, usurps the role of God by giving life to a creature in his laboratory, but by artificial means, rather than conceiving one legitimately. Furthermore, the underlying factors of creation, that are carried out by Frankenstein, as well as the