Frankenstein essay 2 
Frankenstein's Monster and Milton's Satan
An Essay on Paradise Lost and Frankenstein
By Chris Davidson
Almost all great works of literature contain allusions to other great works of literature that enhance the meaning of the work. Mary Shelly’s Frankenstein is an excellent example of a major literary work that contains a sustained allusion to another major work. Frankenstein contains many references to Milton’s Paradise Lost, and the two stories are parallel in many aspects.
In Shelly’s novel Frankenstein’s monster in often compared to Adam from Milton’s epic work. In fact, the monster himself tells Victor Frankenstein that he sees himself as being very similar to Adam. Like Adam, the monster was, in a sense, perfect at his creation. The monster was full of love for humanity and nature at his creation but was turned to a life of evil and hardship by outside forces beyond his control. Similarly, it was a circumstance beyond Adam’s control, namely Satan, that turned him to a life of sin and hardship. This comparison of Milton’s Adam and Frankenstein’s monster focuses attention on the ideal of the “noble savage,” an important idea in Romanticism. The idea of the noble savage stressed that man, left to his own devices, is inherently good, and it is an important theme in Frankenstein. The monster also sees himself as being similar to Milton’s Adam because he has no others like himself and fervently desires the companionship of an equal. He, like Adam, implores his maker to create such an equal. With this comparison Shelly brings to the reader’s attention the idea that every person needs another person, an equal and a friend, in order to be complete and happy. This idea is also a central idea in romanticism.
Frankenstein’s monster is also compared to the Satan of Paradise Lost. Like Satan, the monster was created to be beautiful. However, also like Satan, the monster falls from his creator’s grace and becomes a perversion of beauty. The monster is cast away
An Essay on Paradise Lost and Frankenstein
By Chris Davidson
Almost all great works of literature contain allusions to other great works of literature that enhance the meaning of the work. Mary Shelly’s Frankenstein is an excellent example of a major literary work that contains a sustained allusion to another major work. Frankenstein contains many references to Milton’s Paradise Lost, and the two stories are parallel in many aspects.
In Shelly’s novel Frankenstein’s monster in often compared to Adam from Milton’s epic work. In fact, the monster himself tells Victor Frankenstein that he sees himself as being very similar to Adam. Like Adam, the monster was, in a sense, perfect at his creation. The monster was full of love for humanity and nature at his creation but was turned to a life of evil and hardship by outside forces beyond his control. Similarly, it was a circumstance beyond Adam’s control, namely Satan, that turned him to a life of sin and hardship. This comparison of Milton’s Adam and Frankenstein’s monster focuses attention on the ideal of the “noble savage,” an important idea in Romanticism. The idea of the noble savage stressed that man, left to his own devices, is inherently good, and it is an important theme in Frankenstein. The monster also sees himself as being similar to Milton’s Adam because he has no others like himself and fervently desires the companionship of an equal. He, like Adam, implores his maker to create such an equal. With this comparison Shelly brings to the reader’s attention the idea that every person needs another person, an equal and a friend, in order to be complete and happy. This idea is also a central idea in romanticism.
Frankenstein’s monster is also compared to the Satan of Paradise Lost. Like Satan, the monster was created to be beautiful. However, also like Satan, the monster falls from his creator’s grace and becomes a perversion of beauty. The monster is cast away