The protagonists in both literary works, Victor Frankenstein in Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein and the Mariner in Samuel Taylor Coleridge’s “Rime of the Ancient Mariner”, are forced to undergo similar nightmares of watching their companions die off around them as a result of their actions. An identical theme of accountability and blame accompanies both works, Frankenstein feeling guilty for the creation of his monster causing his close relationships grief while the Mariner feeling responsible for the killing of the albatross also causing his close companions agony. The gothic style of both works parallel each other on the surface regarding themes, plots, and literary devices but also at a deeper level with respect to overall meaning of each piece. …show more content…
This quote represents a reoccurring theme of the consequences of human actions. It depicts how Victor’s creation of the creature had such terrible effects. Similarly, the Mariner in Coleridge’s work also suffers due to consequences of his actions. The epic and the novel also share a major theme of the power of knowledge or trying to achieve too much. The Ancient Mariner believes that by killing the albatross he is challenging nature, similarly, Victor Frankenstein believes that by creating a creature from scratch he can venture into a never before explored region of science. Both the Mariner and Frankenstein are punished for their actions; the Mariner losing all of his crew members and being forced to sail alone on rough seas and Frankenstein’s neglect of his creation brings death upon those around him. Ironically, while narrating his own personal story, Victor Frankenstein actually refers to the ‘Rime of the Ancient Mariner’ by quoting “but I shall kill no albatross, therefore do not be alarmed for my safety, or if I should come back to you as worn and woeful as the ‘Ancient Mariner’” (Shelley 6). This clues the reader in to the similarities between Victor and the Mariner, as well as the monster and the
This aligns with the author's argument that science can be a force for good if handled wisely and used with good intentions. Moreover, the article's comparison between Frankenstein and Coleridge's "The Rime of the Ancient Mariner" sheds light on shared themes of science as a threat to nature and the division between the enlightened and nature. This comparison deepens our understanding of Frankenstein and highlights the broader Romantic concerns about the consequences of human interference in the natural
If readers understand the poem, The Rime of the Ancient Mariner, by Samuel Taylor Coleridge, as an allusion in Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, then they can gain a deeper understanding of what Robert Walton feels and they can determine the meaning behind his actions. In Coleridge’s poem, the Ancient Mariner is in a dire situation, and believes that shooting an albatross will save him in the lines “With my cross-bow/I shot the ALBATROSS.” (Coleridge 1) This impacts the Mariner because it leaves a curse on him. However, the curse is soon lifted off of him when he prays to God.
As a result of the mariner killing the albatross, “Four times fifty living men… dropped down one by one”(Coleridge, 6). The effects of the mariner’s kill his entire crew. Just as the mariner’s crew is killed because of the mariner’s impulse, other people are also affected in Frankenstein when Victor’s machinations cause “The death of William, the execution of Justine, the murder of Clerval, and lastly of [Victor’s] wife”(Shelley 184). Victor’s impulsive reanimation of a human causes dire consequences which extends to those he loves, not only himself. In both cases, their impulses result in the death of those around them.
Frankenstein by Mary Shelley is a gothic novel that tells the story of scientist, Victor Frankenstein, and his obsession with creating human life. This leads him to creating a gruesome monster made of body-parts stolen from grave yards, whom upon discovering his hideousness, the monster seeks revenge against his creator, causing Victor to regret the creation of his monster for the rest of his life. Shelley uses the literary elements of personification, imagery, and similes to give a vivid sense and visualization of Victor Frankenstein’s thoughts and feelings as well as to allow us to delve deeper into the monster’s actions and emotions. Throughout the novel, Shelley uses personification of various forces and objects to reflect the effect in Victor’s actions.
Mary Shelley alludes to Samuel Taylor Coleridge’s “The Rime of the Ancient Mariner” in her gothic novel, Frankenstein, in order to enhance the development of a gothic hero, and the impact of the setting in relation to plot throughout her novel. As Shelley takes us through four letters from Frankenstein that are written by a man to his dear sister about the voyage he is undergoing, Shelley alludes to Coleridge’s work. Robert, who is writing the letter tells his sister how he has “one want which [he has] never yet been able to satisfy,” and then he tells her that he is lonely because he “desire[s] the company of a man”; a friend (Shelley 4). In comparison, when the Mariner is the lone survivor out of his crew, he expresses his pain as he cries out, “Alone on a wide wide sea!
Light and Dark in Frankenstein Throughout Frankenstein by Mary Shelley, the reader is torn between the forces of good and evil, as well as which characters represent which force. Perhaps the most masterful element of this novel is conveying how an individual can not be judged as wholly good or evil, and how having elements of both traits greatly forms the human experience. By using the motifs of light and dark to represent the positives and negatives of humanity, Mary Shelley is able to effectively convey character traits, depict transitions of good and evil within characters, and employ haunting symbolism and imagery into the novel and transform it into a literary masterpiece. The use of light and dark as imagery in the novel could not be
The Dangers of Knowledge Frankenstein, a novel written by Mary Shelley, is notoriously accredited for its development and implication of multiple themes. Set in the 1700’s, Frankenstein is a gothic fiction telling of isolation, knowledge, and nature. The biggest of these being knowledge and inevitably its consequences. With knowledge comes question; What poses the most danger? The knowledge itself, or the journey to gain information?
Both make the mistake of acting on impulse as Frankenstein creates his monster and the mariner kills
Throughout Frankenstein, Shelley uses Victor to warn the reader of the dangers of aspiring to godliness, and the consequences one faces in the aftermath doing so, even going as far as to compare Victor to Satan, tempting the crew of Walton’s ship, in the book’s final pages. The Victor Shelley creates is very similar to the Satan created by Milton in his book, Paradise Lost, which explores the biblical tale of Adam and Eve. In Frankenstein, Victor speaks of his desire to create the Creature, saying, “I deemed it criminal to throw away in useless grief those talents that might be useful to my fellow-creatures.” (152). Shelley’s diction choices, such as the word “useless” exemplify Victor’s excessive hubris, portraying him as a man who creates his Creature for, in his mind, the good of society.
In the book Frankenstein, Mary Shelley used distinctive techniques to draw the reader in and find themselves to be similar, as well as dissimilar, to characters in at least one way. Shelley knew how to tie some characters together, even if they seemed to be complete opposites. Victor contrasted with the monster he created is one of the most prominent examples of her work. Throughout the book, some similarities and differences between the Victor and the monster consist of their relations to nature, desire for family, the reactions of those around them, and as well as their reactions to difficult situations. Frankenstein is beautifully written and deserves all the recognition it receives.
The fictional horror novel of Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein is driven by the accentuation of humanity’s flaws. Even at the very mention of her work an archetypal monster fills one’s imagination, coupled with visions of a crazed scientist to boot. Opening her novel with Robert Walton, the conduit of the story, he also serves as a character to parallel the protagonist’s in many ways. As the ‘protagonist’ of the story, Victor Frankenstein, takes on the mantle of the deluded scientist, his nameless creation becomes the embodiment of a truly abandoned child – one left to fend for itself against the harsh reality posed by society. On the other hand, Walton also serves as a foil to Victor – he is not compulsive enough to risk what would be almost
In Mary Shelley’s Romantic novel, Frankenstein, an over-ambitious young scientist, infatuated with the creation of life without a female and the source of generation, breaks the limits of science and nature by conjuring life into a lifeless form constructed from stolen body parts. The young experimenter confesses his monstrous tale that defies nature to a captain who shares his desire for glory and the pursuit of knowledge. Though a Romantic novel itself, Frankenstein serves as a critique of part of the philosophy behind Romanticism, that is, the promotion of radical self-involvement that celebrates the individual’s pursuit of glory and knowledge. Both the lone captain and the young scientist seek glory from their quest for knowledge but ultimately their pursuits end disastrously. Throughout the novel, Shelley warns against excessive self-confidence, the ambitious overreaching in the acquirement of scientific knowledge, and the arrogant pursuit of glory, using the young scientist as a forewarning to the lone captain against his
The basis of the article includes the two opposing attitudes in the characters, Walton and Victor, in Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein. The differing beliefs are Free Will and Fate; Walton believing in free will and Victor in fate. John Reed’s article, “Will and Fate in Frankenstein”, argues the true theme of the novel, not just being of human will, but rather about self-enslavement. Reed believes that “while its ostensible subject is the pursuit of knowledge, its real concern is human ignorance and folly”, meaning that Frankenstein is full of oblivious human impulses. Through Walton, Victor, and the Monster Reed explains his thesis not through mere plot summary, but uses of allusions made, evidence, and character analysis producing his argument thoroughly.
After a slight repose, during which the spirits of the dead hovered round and instigated me to toil and revenge, I prepared for my journey. I exchanged my land-sledge for one fashioned for the inequalities of the frozen ocean, and purchasing a plentiful stock of provisions, I departed from land.” (Shelley, Chapter 24) In conclusion, the theme, Frustration can lead to revenge, is clearly seen throughout Frankenstein.
“Whenever the creation order is inverted, there is disorder, destruction, and death. When we tamper with this order, even a little, we become life-takers rather than life-givers”(J. Ligon Duncan III ). This quote plays a large part in the overall literature that is Frankenstein; it pulls together the attributes of the story in a way I haven’t seen before. This essay will be focusing on the relationship between the gothic novel of Frankenstein, and the greek myth of Prometheus. It will be a compare and contrast of the dueling stories.