Similarities Between Frankenstein And Prometheus

Mary Shelley's Frankenstein depicts the remarkable resemblance to the “modern” myth of Prometheus. The intertextuality used to connect these two stories, allow Shelley to bring out the most prominent themes of Power and suffering. As both of the characters deal differently with the struggle to resist the power that comes with creating life, the inevitable end for both characters are the same; they fall at the hands of their own creations.
Shelley carefully utilizes the legend of Prometheus to express the connection between punishment and creation. In the myth of Prometheus, he creates man and steals the gift of fire to give to humanity. His punishment is eternal torture, having his liver eaten and regrown every night. Much like Prometheus, Viktor creates a ‘monster’ only for it to destroy him. The major similarity between Viktor and Prometheus is the consequences they dealt with after the making of their creations. Despite the thrill they got from creating life, both faced the harsh consequences of rebirth and were ripped away from their irrevocable attachment to creation. The most prominent similarity in this case comes from fire and lightning. It’s symbol provides not only a birth of life, but also of destruction, seeing that it holds so much power it becomes formidable.

By connecting the character of Viktor to Prometheus, and adding an allusion to create a better understanding of the characters Shelley allows the reader to uncover the fate of both characters along with their creations and the punishments that follow. The connection to the greek myth, allows the readers to take on a second perspective when reading Frankenstein. The very prevalent themes enhance not only the authors writing but also the characters themselves. Overall, Shelley’s use of Prometheus as a silent background helped foreshadow the inevitable fate of Frankenstein's creator,