‘Frankenstein is not merely intended to entertain; there are messages Shelley wants the reader to recognise.’ Mary Shelley did not just write ‘Frankenstein’ to entertain the audience but there are certain morals that she wants the readers to be understand; in particular, the pursuit of knowledge and responsibility. Knowledge is power but it can also be dangerous in the wrong hands. Everyone is responsible for their own actions and certain roles expect certain responsibilities. ‘Frankenstein’ was written as a result of a proposal by Lord Byron. Shelley and some others were to write and tell a horror story.
Most critics have received the novel as an amalgamation of the gothic novel with elements of the Romantic Movement. A lot has also been written on the subject of Frankenstein from a Freudian psychoanalytic perspective because of the complexity of the characters and the thought processes that drive their actions. This essay attempts to analyze the Freudian element present in Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein and draws a parallel between the Freudian psychoanalytic approach and motives in the novel. Sigmund Freud was one of the most renowned psychologists of all time and introduced the concept of psychoanalysis to the world. There has always been a lot of debate regarding his theories and their validity.
Grendel and Beowulf show a lot of the same characteristics, but they show a lot of differences in the way they act and respond to things. A reason Grendel and Beowulf are similar is because they both value family, and they both fight by themselves with no help, they both also value their reputation. In Grendel the similarity is that he was born a young monster who always explored, then events occurred that changed his views to more of a existentialism outlook. Grendel died a totally different person from the way he was born. The way he was raised plays a role on the way he still lives.
They exhibit humanity, by loving each other, hating the monster, the monster murdering his creator’s friend and loved ones, and Frankenstein path to avenge the loss of his family to the monster. On the same side you also have BAIL (Bible as in Literature). It features many of the reoccurring themes seen in many great works of fiction. Once again many characters exhibit the many characteristics and they provide the solid backdrop for the book. There are many similarities that can be pegged as relevant between the two.
The monster is introduced to the reader from Victors point of view. This is a technique to influence the readers reaction since we already have our opinions on Victor Frankenstein due to previous events in the novel but later when the narration switches to Frankensteins monsters we read the story from a different perspective and learn that Victor is not a good man at all. The reader is also given a positive image of Victor Frankenstein. One of the first things we read is Robert Waltons opinions of him and from this we know that Walton saw him as a very successful, respected and good man. From the start of Victors narration, we are shown his character in a good light through the account of his childhood - "I, their eldest child, their plaything and their idol, the innocent and helpless creature bestowed on them by Heaven" We see from this quote that he's painting the picture that he is from Heaven, that he's such a good man who is of high importance.
Perhaps it is true and applies to this “double” situation when they say “you are who you marry.” This brings meaning and relates to Frankenstein in the sense that unconsciously, Frankenstein creates a creature that possesses and resembles Frankenstein’s most deep and inner thoughts and desires. He is able to mimic himself through his own creation and therefore cannot grasp to lose the connection he shares with the monster. Subtly and indefinitely, Frankenstein is depicted to share a bond with the monster by exhibiting the uncanny, raw and, monster-like characteristics, while the creature shares both the emotional and unrefined aspect of his creator. Throughout the novel, there are constant references to elements of the non-living and/or the re-creation of man and/or human form. Victor Frankenstein proves to posses an uncanny passion for the dark and paranormal.
Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein has inspired many in Hollywood to make movies based n the ideas from the book. However they do not always stick very close to the original ideas. The Kenneth Branagh version of Frankenstein stayed close to the original ideas of Shelley’s book but there were major differences that changed the overall theme of the movie. Although there are many film versions, they do not always stay close to the ideas of Mary Shelley’s original work; the Kenneth Branagh version stays close to the original idea of creating a monster but adds his own spin to the film to keep the audience entertained. These changes keep the common themes intact from Shelley’s original ideas.
The Reality and the Imagination “Frankenstein” by Mary Shelly To write a book , a writer should be influenced by something important for him/ her .It could be anything - a life , a motive , a person , a smile, an event. We realize that years of research have find out that it is not a coincidence that there are connections in Mary Shelly`s life and here novel masterpiece - Frankenstein .There are various references to her family members and she expresses situations and feelings of her life among pages of the book ,that makes her novel Frankenstein a puzzle in which she has secretly hidden pieces of he own life. There are a lot of examples for placing secrets in masterpieces, a lot of authors enjoy hide secrets in their works- for instance there is Leonardo Da Vinci`s painting “The Last Supper” – which is a great example for secrecy .To reveal the secret of the work , to expose every hidden part of it , to find the connections, to decipher it - makes every individual researcher replete with proud and satisfactions . Such is the case when studying the Mery Shelly`s life and her acknowledged book “Frankenstein”. A small hidden detail which can be considered as insignificant , can turn to be great hints and help to understand and reveal the feelings of the author.
In the world now, there are many people thinks that having as much as knowledge is better, because then you know how to protect yourselves. A lot of people learn things that they will never need for their entire life, but some just gain batter and batter skills of how to live in the world we have now. In Frankenstein, Victor study science, and he is really good at it. He uses most of him living time on science, even his friend Robert have the same interest as him. I think that know a lot science isn’t bad, but I think that if you are using science in a bad way, it might be really dangerous.
When one thinks of the novel Frankenstein by Mary Shelley, the concepts of knowledge and science are deeply inscribed in the mind. In her work, Mary Shelley tells the story of how one man attempted to emulate the knowledge of his day. Burning with a passion to invent the science of life, Victor Frankenstein soon realizes that such a desire to go beyond current knowledge will backfire and torment the remainder of his life. In the Gothic novel Frankenstein, Mary Shelley conveys her attitudes towards science by portraying it as having the capability to exceed the bounds of human restraint. The overwhelming theme of science that is expressed in Frankenstein is that knowledge has the potential to go beyond the boundaries of human control.