Throughout the novel, light imagery is used as metaphors for knowledge; an example of this would be the “thunder” that Frankenstein saw in the account of the oak tree, which symbolized the light of inspiration and the light of “utter ….destruction”. A powerful cousin of light is “fire” who harms all who “penetrate” it, also fire is able to cause a “terrible destruction” to anything that it is “bestowed….upon”, as seen in Frankenstein’s account of how the oak tree, that can been seen as symbolizing himself, was “blasted to a stump” by the “stream of fire” “issued” by the “thunder”. The association of light and “fire” then attaches a sense of harm to the light of “knowledge” and “discovery”. One way of seeing the light the association of light imagery with fire is through the myth of Prometheus. Like Prometheus, Frankenstein tries to introduce forbidden knowledge to the human race, but fails and is punished for it however; he is not bound to isolation by the Gods, but is psychologically bound, by himself, to alienation.
The idea of associating light with “fire” throughout Frankenstein can be seen as Shelley mocking Prometheus’s act of stealing fire and presenting it to mankind, and how it lead to the “terrible destruction” of himself, and the suffering of the things he loved, in the end. Victor Frankenstein had to watch those close to him suffer just as Prometheus had to watch the mortals that he loved suffer. By interrogating the aspects of joy, discovery and hope, which later on turned to become destructive and blinding, to the light imagery, and how it associates with fire and the myth of Prometheus, Shelley emphasize how the “glory” that “would attend [the] discovery” of forbidden knowledge, would eventually lead to the suffering of the ones who try and play God. Just like in Frankenstein’s attempt to try and become the “creator” of “a new species that would praise” him as their “creator”, and become a benefactor of mankind by trying to achieve what Prometheus did in the classical mythology.
Frankenstein is "The Modern Prometheus" as he usurps the authority that was to be in the hands of the gods. Prometheus presented a divine gift to man which was fire. Frankenstein gave his creation a divine gift which was life. The term "modern" acknowledges that Prometheus is from ancient, classical mythology and that his creations and knowledge were all of a natural sense, whereas Frankenstein combined the ideas of Prometheus with science and technology in order to create life. When Mary Shelley wrote the novel in 1816 and the industrial revolution was a part of Shelley’s period of time. This can bee seen as one of the reasons as to why she chose to describe Frankenstein as the ‘modern’ Prometheus. Galvanism was being experimented at that time with the hypothesis of being able to “animate lifeless matter”; hence it would have been inappropriate for Shelley to have called her novel the ‘other Prometheus’ as the life that Frankenstein created was not natural, but artificial. Also, Prometheus was a very popular ancient figure among the Romantics of her time, which can also be another reason as to why Shelley chose to imply the idea of Frankenstein being the ‘Modern Prometheus’, as a subtitle of her novel in order for the readers to easily be able to “deduce an apt morale….from [her] tale”.
Frankenstein is the monster at the moment he is totally self-interested. When he gets his mind for public benefit, he gets rid of the vice.
Prometheus... He and his brother Epimetheus were given the task to create humans. Prometheus loved mankind much more than he had loved the Olympians. When Zeus said that humans had to present a portion of each animal to the gods Prometheus, in trying to look out for the humans, decided to play a trick on Zeus. He made to piles from which Zeus was to choose from. One, being a pile with the good meat covered with the entrails, and the second being a pile of bones covered in the rich fat. Of course Zeus picked the pile that looked the best, the pile of bones. When Zeus found that he had been trick he was very anger. Knowing that he could not go back on his word, he just took fire from mankind making them forever with raw meat. However, Prometheus stole fire from the sun with a torch and brought it back to the mortals. When Zeus found out he was very anger. He then sent Pandora with her bow of evils to Prometheus' brother. She would later release all the evils of the world onto the humans. Meanwhile, Zeus had Prometheus tired to a rock and each day an eagle would eat out his liver and by night it would grow back so the next day it could be repeated.
Giving fire was symbolism of giving what was seen as life
Prometheus took fire from the gods and gave it to man... he ended up suffering for it. The gods punished him by tying him to a mountain and having two birds come every day and pluck at his liver. It symbolizes the pain Frankenstein felt. He thought he was doing something good (trying to find eternal life) and it ended up coming back to haunt him.
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They differ in several respects too, if you are willing to delve into their motivations for creating life and their reactions once life was created. The endings were also different. Frankenstein died, along with his creation. Prometheus and his both lived, albeit after much anguish.
Well Frankenstein is Victor, not the monster (he is never given a name) so the
: title of Prometheus can infer that he created or made life like Prometheus did.
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Both Frankenstein and Prometheus are alike in many aspects; firstly both of them rebelled against the highest authority figures of their societies, Prometheus’s being Zeus, and Frankenstein’s being God. Secondly, both were creators of “a new species”, Prometheus made mankind out of clay, while victor Frankenstein “animated…lifeless matter” using the technologies of galvanism. And thirdly, both Prometheus and Frankenstein introduced forbidden knowledge to mankind. As a result of “penetrating “the “unknown powers” that were meant to be kept as the “deepest mysteries” to mankind, both were punished. One interpretation from the novel of which the idea of the ‘Modern Prometheus is used’, is the idea being that if one defies “the heavens” in order to introduce forbidden knowledge to mankind, it would only lead to the “utter destruction” of the one who attempted to do so and eventually “destroy all that [they] held dear” to, as part of the punishment.
