Frankenstein and Prometheus Essay

Frankenstein and Prometheus Essay In the novel Frankenstein, by Mary Shelley, Victor exhibits qualities similar and different to Prometheus in ways such as both of them create life however Victor so on his own volition suggesting that he challenges god by performing a task that only deity’s should perform, also in that Victor creates life of his own accord while Prometheus follows Zeus’ instructions, a contrast which implies Victor defies moral and ethical rules, and in the end Victor and Prometheus both get punished for their actions. In the stories Prometheus and Frankenstein the protagonists both tried to play God in their own way. They did this by trying to create their own being or race to worship them. In the story Prometheus, the protagonist Prometheus takes all the human beings under his wing and teaches them the beginning of civilization and changes their lives completely. "He grudged men all the gifts that Prometheus had given them and he was angry with Prometheus for granting to these wretched creatures of an hour the ability to shape their lives into something better and to rise their thoughts up to heaven itself." In the story Frankenstein, the protagonist creates a creature to worship and control. Dr. Frankenstein is trying to be a god which is why he is trying to create this new race. "I became myself capable of bestowing animation upon lifeless matter. What had been the study and desire of the wisest men since the creation of the world was now within my grasp." To hold their roles of playing Gods both characters in each story had to steal to get the creation they wanted, which is what they both did.
Also in comparison to these two novels Victor creates his life without the approval of anyone else unlike Prometheus who is instructed to by Zeus which is not tolerable. Victor creates his form of life just to see if he could do this and if it was possible. Prometheus was told to by Zeus and it wasn’t one of those “just do it” moments, it was