Frankenstein Vs Prometheus Research Paper

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In Mary Shelley’s “Frankenstein” and the Greek mythology, “Prometheus” there are several similarities that connect the two stories. “Prometheus” is a Greek mythology that tells the tale of a Titan who created men from clay and stole fire from Mount Olympus to give to man. “Frankenstein; or The Modern Prometheus” is a novel written by author Mary Shelley that shares the journey of a young scientist who created a flawed creature in an idiosyncratic way. Both the Titan (Prometheus) and the scientist (Victor Frankenstein) pay for their unholy actions of creating man. Prometheus is punished by Zeus, bound to a rock for eternity while an eagle constantly ate at his liver. Victor is punished by going mentally insane and dealing with a series of deaths …show more content…
Prometheus connects with Frankenstein so well in the sense that they both share stories where a man gains power over something they cannot control. Victor made an unsound creature in a lab and became just as deranged as what he created. Victor believed he should feel the power like a God feels when he brought his monster into the world. He went on to say, “Life and death appeared to me ideal bounds, which I should first break through, and pour a torrent of light into our dark world. A new species would bless me as its creator and source; many happy and excellent natures would owe their being to me” (Shelley 66). This exemplifies the unhealthy mindset Victor was in throughout the book. Prometheus started to create men out of clay, and let it get out of hand by needing to steal fire from the gods. He didn’t consider what would happen to him if he was caught, which eventually left him in eternal solitude. The main difference between Victor and Prometheus is that Prometheus rebelled for a justified cause. Victor didn’t rebel as much as he made ignorant decisions for an experiment that was not thought out properly. Prometheus was a courageous man and Victor Frankenstein was nothing but a coward. In the end, both men of the two tales tried to play God and were successful at it, but payed for