The author of the novel Frankenstein, Mary Shelley, sub titled the book The Modern Prometheus. There are many similarities between the stories of the classic Frankenstein and the Greek myth of Prometheus. These stories were written as cautionary tales, warning us of what can happen if we disobey the rules of our creators. The novel is sub titled The Modern Prometheus because both Frankenstein and Prometheus created life, and they both obtained a form of knowledge they were not supposed to have.
Both Prometheus and Frankenstein created life. Prometheus was given the job of creating man, and Frankenstein was so fascinated by science that he spent all of his hours creating life from dead body parts. Greek mythology is used to explain where we came from and why. The myth of Prometheus explains where we came from and the creation of the world around us. Prometheus was one of the Titans spared from imprisonment in Tartarus. He was given the task of creating man. He created man from the clay that was found in the earth. He was also in charge of the task of giving the animals and creatures of the earth their various qualities, such as swiftness, cunning, strength, fur, and wings. Unfortunately, by the time he got to man Prometheus had given all the good qualities out and there were none left for man. He sought a way to make man superior. He made man stand upright like the gods did and gave them fire. Zeus had never agreed to give man fire, and was not pleased. He had his servants, Force and Violence, seize Prometheus and take him to the mountain Caucasus He was then chained to a rock with unbreakable adamantine chains. Here he was tormented everyday by an eagle sent by Zeus. The eagle would feast on his liver, which would grow back overnight, only to be eaten again the next day. The only way that Prometheus would be set free was if an immortal volunteered to die for Prometheus. Then a mortal must kill the eagle and unchain him. Eventually, Chiron the Centaur agreed to die for him and Hercules killed the eagle and unbound him. Centuries later, Victor Frankenstein grew up as a young boy in Geneva. He was captivated by science, and studied sciences at a university in Ingolstadt. He becomes fascinated by “the secret of life” and resolves to spend most of his waking hours looked up in his room experimenting. He would go to graveyards at night to dig up cadavers and steal their body parts. His room becomes his laboratory, as he sews the body parts together and creates “the monster”. One night, in the secrecy of his apartment, he brings his creation to life. All of this time he never thought of the consequences of creating life. When he looks at the monstrosity, however, the sight horrifies him. He had stumbled upon a knowledge no one had ever perceived of knowing. He simply tries to deny the existence of the monster, but that only leads to the monster killing Victor’s youngest brother, his best friend and his wife. He sets out on a quest to find the monster and exacting his revenge. He tracks the monster far north and almost catches him, but dies before he gets a chance to capture him. Both stories are about the creation of life, and how the plans of Prometheus and Frankenstein backfire.
