Dante's Inferno
The monsters in Dante's Inferno are drawn almost directly from classical mythology. He creates some small demons and other beings, but the major monsters are taken from Greek and Roman lore. Dante uses monsters in his poem for many purposes. They all have specific jobs and are not just there purely to freighted the reader. Most of the jobs, that the monsters serve are in a modified municipal fashion. They are ferrymen, and guards to the prisons of hell. The monsters are not truly feared by the other characters of the story, for the people just seem to expect the monsters to do the jobs that they are doing. On the other hand, the demons that Dante creates are objects that strike fear into the hearts of those who see them. There are certain exceptions to the rule but for the most part the monsters fit this general mold. The first monster, that Dante encounters, is the ferryman Charon. Charon is not a true monster, for he is an old may with circles of flames around his eyes. The main reason that Dante fears Charon is not because he is physically imposing. It is because he is a little uneasy about his passage into the underworld and he does not know what to expect. Keep in mind that he has just passed thru the gates of hell, that are inscribed with some imposing sentences. These words cause Dante to think about whether he is going to be able to return from hell or if he is going
How is the creature presented in chapters 11-16 of Frankenstein?
How is the creature presented in chapters 11-16 of 'Frankenstein'? The novel 'Frankenstein' was written in early the 1800s by Mary Shelley. The idea to write 'Frankenstein' came to Shelley in a dream but she wrote the story when she was challenged by her comrade Lord Byron whilst relaxing an Lake Geneva to write a gothic story. The novel 'Frankenstein' is a story about a young scientist who wanted to create life and a perfect creature. In fact, he creates a supernatural monster looking very little like a human. The plot of the story starts with a group of sailors travelling to the North Pole who then they came across Victor Frankenstein chasing after what he wanted to call the 'perfect living-being'. A while later the creature is out of reach and cannot be seen. That is when Frankenstein comes aboard the ship and tells his story from chapters 2-10 about creating life with electric shocks and his god-like ambitions. Then, he continues telling the sailors how everything went wrong as putting life in a creature resulted in many dead. After creating it he abandoned the creature. Then from chapters 11-16, the creature narrates his side of the story, which seems very different to Frankenstein's. Finally, the story ends with Frankenstein talking to the sailors about how he came to find them. Just as he finishes his story he is overtaken by death. The book is considered to be
How does Mary Shelley present the character of the monster so as to gain sympathy for him?
How does Mary Shelley present the character of the monster so as to gain sympathy for him? When Mary Shelley wrote Frankenstein, or The Modern Prometheus, in 1818 at the tender age of 18, it was often wondered how such a young girl could imagine such a horrific story. In fact, one could find that the idea of 'playing God' and manipulating the ideas behind life and death were very much real at the time, and even today. Many scientists were investigating the process of bringing a dead being back to life, or galvanism, and there were some, like Humphrey Davy, who believed that scientists had no limit as to what they could do, believing that they could become masters, even creators. Shelley's character, Frankenstein, shares these views and with great confidence he vowed, "more, far more, will I achieve... [I will] explore unknown powers, and unfold to the world the deepest mysteries of creation", thus he created his 'monster'. Frankenstein's ambitious, perhaps dangerous, dream of exploring 'unknown powers' by creating a human being and pouring "a torrent of light into our dark world" is incredibly similar to the story of Prometheus, almost certainly the reason behind Mary's subtitle to the novel. Both Prometheus and Frankenstein defy the God's and the intentions of nature by creating life, supposedly for the good of mankind. However both men fail to recognise the consequences
How does Kenneth Branagh create an atmosphere of horror and suspense in the wedding night scene?
How does Kenneth Branagh create an atmosphere of horror and suspense in the wedding night scene? In Kenneth Branagh's movie version of Frankenstein, Branagh tries to create an atmosphere of horror and suspense. I am going to try and discover how Branagh creates the atmosphere of horror and suspense in the wedding night scene. I will do this by analysing four to six scenes or sequences by focusing on what the audience sees and hears. The first scene I chose to analyse was the scene when, straight after the wedding, Elizabeth and Victor are in bed kissing. The lighting is soft and romantic. After a short while, the sound a recorder being played is heard. The monster played the recorder to let Victor know that he was there like he had said. Both Victor and the audience realise that the monster played the recorder but Elizabeth does not know this and therefore doesn't realize that the monster is nearby. From the soft and romantic lushness in the atmosphere, comes an atmosphere of suspense where the audience eagerly await the appearance of the monster. Branagh uses the lighting and the sound of the recorder to make us feel calm and romantic because of the recorder, although this does give us a strange feeling inside as when the recorder stops playing, there is a silence where we become eager to find out what happens next. The scene is a medium close-up. This is
Frankenstein, by Mary Shelley
Frankenstein Frankenstein, by Mary Shelley is a novel that was written during the age of Romanticism. It contains many themes which are common in Romantic novels such as dark laboratories, the moon, and a monster; however, Frankenstein includes lot more than a common romantic novel. Shelley came to write Frankenstein in 1816 when she was in Switzerland and the poet Lord Byron proposed for entertainment they would each write a 'ghost story,' this is when Shelley started to write 'Frankenstein'. I will now consider the character of the monster and how Shelley uses him to raise themes and issues. In the novel, she describes a monster that is hideous and wretched looking. A monster's whose appearance prohibits anyone from going beyond his exterior to reach the inside qualities. 'His yellow skin scarcely covered the work of muscles and arteries beneath; his hair was of a lustrous black, and flowing; his teeth of pearly whiteness; but these luxuriance's only formed a more horrid contrast with his watery eyes, that seemed almost of the same colour as the dun-white sockets in which they were set...' At 'birth,' the creature appears to not be either violent or vicious, but then unfortunately, the rejection by his creator drives it to a life full of revenge. Rather than focusing this child-like hatred on Frankenstein, the monster takes it out on his loved ones, this suddenly
Frankenstein, by Mary Shelley.
Frankenstein, by Mary Shelley is a complex novel that was written during the age of Romanticism. It contains many typical themes of a common Romantic novel such as dark laboratories, the moon, and a monster; however, Frankenstein is anything but a common novel. Many lessons are embedded into this novel, including how society acts towards the different. The monster fell victim to the system commonly used to characterize a person by only his or her outer appearance. Whether people like it or not, society always summarizes a person's characteristics by his or her physical appearance. Society has set an unbreakable code individuals must follow to be accepted. Those who don't follow the "standard" are hated by the crowd and banned for the reason of being different. When the monster ventured into a town"...[monster] had hardly placed [his] foot within the door ...children shrieked, and ...women fainted" (101). From that moment on he realized that people did not like his appearance and hated him because of it. If villagers didn't run away at the sight of him, then they might have even enjoyed his personality. The monster tried to accomplish this when he encountered the De Lacey family. The monster hoped to gain friendship from the old man and eventually his children. He knew that it could have been possible because the old man was blind, he could not see the monster's
Frankenstein by Mary Shelley
G.C.S.E English and English Literature coursework: Frankenstein by Mary Shelley The novel Frankenstein was written by Mary Shelley in 1818, although it was first told orally in 1816. She told the story because she was with her husband, Percy Shelley and some friends, who decided to tell stories, as it was a stormy night in Germany, by the lakeside. They all made up stories and they decided that her story was the best. They suggested that she make her sorry into a book, so she did, Mary Shelley's story had many influences. For example electricity had just been discovered in the 18th century, There was also an experiment on a man called Thomas Foster in which it was discovered that when applying electricity onto certain parts of a human corpse, it would make the corpse move, which happens in the story Frankenstein. Mary Shelley was also influenced by her father, William Godwin, a philosopher. Mary Shelley's mother died during childbirth. Mary Shelley was brought up believing that men and woman were equal; that she could do anything men could do. She also had a quality education, so she understood science and the human body. Her husband, Percy Shelley, was also amazed at electricity. This is shown in Frankenstein. Mary Shelly changed the 'Gothic Horror' genre with the story Frankenstein. This story is not just about monsters, as it also has a meaning; that man can play
Frankenstein Essay
Frankenstein: The Modern Prometheus "Look at the significance of chapter five of Frankenstein to the novel as a whole. Focus on the relevance and effect of writer's use of language to describe setting, character and what it shows about social and historical context." "This is the reason why mothers are more devoted to their children than fathers: it is that they suffer more in giving them birth and are more certain that they are their own." - Aristotle, Greek Philosopher "The sooner you treat your son as a man, the sooner he will be one." - John Dryden, British poet, dramatist and critic. Never judge a book by its cover. Doing so puts you in danger of jumping to huge conclusions about something before you've even gave it a chance. Frankenstein is a prestigious gothic horror story written by British, 19th Century novelist Mary Shelley. It tells the enthralling tale of Dr. Victor Frankenstein, a scientist consumed by his need to find a way to preserve life, as he succeeds in creating an immortal, super strong creature using different attributes of corpses. Shelley wrote the novel when she was around the age of 19, after envisioning the story when her and husband, Percy Shelley, spent the summer with Lord Byron and friends near Geneva, Switzerland. According to Shelley, "it proved a wet, ungenial summer" and so the insistent rain confined them to the house most days. Due
Frankenstein essay
Frankenstein - Mary Shelley Show how Mary Shelley achieves effects through the skilful use of settings in "Frankenstein". I am going to explore how Mary Shelley uses settings and locations to great effect in her novel Frankenstein. Mary Shelley was born in 1797 and was an only child. Her father was a novelist and her mother was a feminist. However her mother died only ten days after she was born. This meant Mary did not receive much emotional support or nurture as a child. In her teens Mary ran away with the poet Percy Shelley across Europe. They visited Switzerland and stayed at the Villa Diodati near Lake Geneva, the home of poet Lord Byron. Whilst there it rained constantly and many storms passed by with lots of thunder and lightening. The occupants decided to have a competition to write a story and this is where Mary Shelley began to write "Frankenstein", aged only 19. The book begins with the explorer Robert Walton and his crew trying to find a passage through the North Pole. He then discovers a despaired Victor Frankenstein on the ice sheets. After being rescued, Victor begins to tell his story. His story starts with his childhood in Geneva, then going to university in Ingoldstadt and making the creature there. Then he talks of escaping it by going to Chamonix in the French Alps. The book ends with Victor chasing the creature to the North Pole where Victor meets
Frankenstein essay
Frankenstein essay The monster is called such because of his appearance; Frankenstein could be judged a monster because of his actions. Who do you think is most monstrous and why? Support your opinion with references to Shelly's book, Pullmans play and any other interpretations you have seen. To answer this question we must first define the term monster. There are many ways a person can be a monster. If someone does not look good they are defined as a monster, if someone kills people they are defined as a monster, and if their beliefs are different to ours we also call them a monster. Keeping all this in mind it is very hard to label someone or something a monster, but in this essay I will try to describe who is more monstrous- the creator Frankenstein or his creation the monster. Frankenstein could be called a monster because he is trying to play god. He created the monster from the bodies of the dead so this makes him a monster because he will be causing masses of emotional pain to the relatives of the dead. However this could also be a strong proof of his humanity because his experiments show the curious nature that is in every human; he has just taken it one step further and decided to act on his curiosity. Atheist's who don't believe in life after death could even call him good hearted because he is recycling! Another reason for Frankenstein being monstrous is that
