Frankenstein And The Modern Prometheus

Frankenstein, or The Modern Prometheus (1881), written by Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley, depicts the story of the scientist Victor Frankenstein who is infatuated with reanimating a dead body for the purpose of fame and ultimate scientific knowledge. He believes that if he could “bestow animation upon lifeless matter” he might “renew life where death had apparently devoted the body to corruption”. He succeeds in his mission, but the creation of life does not contain the triumph of scientific knowledge that Victor had anticipated. He creates a monster, which will have a negative lasting impact on Victor’s life throughout the story. Victor is horrified with the monster he has created, and flees to avoid the responsibility that follows. However, although he escapes from the responsibility he has created for himself, the monster feels betrayed by his maker and hell ensues when he kills every person Victor loves. In the end of the story Victor dies, haunted by his own actions.

The story, which was written in a time where science and technology held promise of great advances for society, has become a cult classic. There has been made countless movie adaptions of the novel, thus every cultural consumer in the Western world knows the story about “the crazy scientist” and his horrible creature. However, the tale is not only a stereotypical story, it is also a popular myth which provides another dimension to deep concerns in connection to today’s science.

”Learn from me, if not by my