The greatest modern stories often hail from ancient myths, and Mary Shelley's novel,
Frankenstein, proves no exception to this claim. Replete with references to John Milton's
Paradise Lost and the ancient Greek myth of Prometheus, the story of Frankenstein seems, in
many ways, very much like the Creature himself—which is to say, cobbled together from various
scraps of previously existing parts. Terry W. Thompson, however, argues convincingly that
scholars continue to ignore one of Frankenstein's most influential literary antecedents: the Greek
hero known as Hercules (Thompson 36). In his article, "'A Majestic Figure of August Dignity':
Herculean Echoes in Frankenstein," Thompson even goes so far as to list, point-for-point, the
story and character points that align the Creature with the Greek hero. All in all, Thompson
makes a compelling argument demonstrating the interconnectivity of literature. After offering a
brief summary of Thompson's article, I will next analyze the merits and flaws of his arguments
before finally demonstrating how his article serves as a useful template for examining the
influence of older art works on more modern art works.
Thompson begins his article by listing literary works mentioned by Mary Shelley in her
journals from 1815 and 1816 (36). Thompson seizes upon the story of Hercules as contained in
Ovid's The Metamorphoses—which Shelley, in her journals, claims to have read—as being one
among many interpretations of this myth that may have served as part of Shelley's inspiration for
the tale of Frankenstein (36). For the bulk of the article, then, Thompson builds on this initial
comparison, noting, for example, that just as Zeus marks the birth of Hercules with a m...
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Creature parallel one another, Thompson convinces the reader that Shelley may indeed have
drawn on such myths while writing Frankenstein. Although Thompson fails to discuss the
differences between Hercules and the Creature—not to mention the overall significance of his
argument—his article nevertheless proves a useful tool for considering the ways in which
different works of art influence one another. The article helps us see how all art is connected,
and this understanding of influences empowers us to understand culture more fully.
Works Cited
Shelley, Mary. Frankenstein. New York: Penguin Books, 2003.
Thompson, Terry W. "'A Majestic Figure of August Dignity': Herculean Echoes in
Frankenstein." ANQ: A Quarterly Journal of Short Articles, Notes, and Reviews 17.3
(2004): 36-41. MLA International Bibliography. Web. 12 October 2010.
Rouse, W. H. (1957). The Heroes: Heraclês. Gods, heroes and men of ancient Greece. New York: New American Library. (Original work published)
The legacy of Hercules began when Zeus, the chief god, fell in love with a mortal woman named Alcmene. When Alcmene’s husband, Amphitryon, was away, Zeus made her pregnant. This made the goddess Hera so angry that she tried to prevent the baby from being born. When Alcmene gave birth to the baby, she named him Herakles (Romans pronounced it "Hercules"). The name Herakles means "glorious gift of Hera". This made Hera even angrier. When Hercules was an infant, Hera sent two serpents to destroy him in his cradle. However, Hercules strangled them, one in each hand, before they could bite him.
Ingri and Edgar Parin D’alaure’s. Book of Greek Myths. New York: Bantam Dowbleday Dell Publishing Group, 1962.
Shelley’s allusions display the creatures anguish of being alone in the world and how it causes him to feel: “ Like Adam, I was apparently united by no link to any other being in existence… I was wretched, helpless, and alone.” (93-94), this allusion is crucial because it shows the reader just how awful the influences of solitude are on the creature and how his circumstances have caused him to become grieved and destitute. Another illusion similar to before take place when the monster compares himself to Satan: “Many times I considered Satan as the fitter emblem of my condition; for often, like him, when I viewed the bliss of my protectors, the bitter gall of envy rose within me.” (94), the monster now resents the people of the cottage because they are able to converse and associate with others while the creature is forced to stay secluded from all contact. Allusions such as these enforce Shelley 's purpose of depicting the calamitous effects of solitude on the mind. By now the reader should understand that men need to be around others like themselves because all creatures desire to have a group into which they
Frankenstein is the story of an eccentric scientist whose masterful creation, a monster composed of sown together appendages of dead bodies, escapes and is now loose in the country. In Frankenstein, Mary Shelly’s diction enhances fear-provoking imagery in order to induce apprehension and suspense on the reader. Throughout this horrifying account, the reader is almost ‘told’ how to feel – generally a feeling of uneasiness or fright. The author’s diction makes the images throughout the story more vivid and dramatic, so dramatic that it can almost make you shudder.
devotion show that Frankenstein is not as good of a scientist as he thinks himself
Frankenstein is among one of the most iconic novels written during the early 19th Century. This novel was written by a distinguished Mary Shelley and first published in the year 1818. Shelley’s story is considered to written before its time as it challenged many themes and ideas of humanism, natural science, ambition, abortion, etc. The novel itself sparked many controversies and debates as numerous different topics are challenged and discussed throughout the novel. Shelley flawlessly executes the story as she writes in a dramatic gothic drama tone and allows the reader to step into different views of the story by changing perspectives.
Duncan, Greg. "Frankenstein: The Historical Context." WSU.edu. Washington State University. Web. 07 Mar. 2011. .
Mary Shelly's "Frankenstein" narrates a story about a scientist, Victor Frankenstein, and his creation of a monster set apart from all worldly creatures. Frankenstein's creation parallels Milton's "Paradise Lost" and God's creation of man; Victor Frankenstein is symbolic of God and the monster is symbolic of Adam. The parallel emphasizes the moral limitations of mankind through Victor Frankenstein and the disjunction and correlation with "Paradise Lost". Shelly links the two stories together through Victor's creation of the monster and his "fall" from humanity which I will focus on initially. More importantly, the main divergence of the two works lies in the representation of God in "Paradise Lost" and Victor in "Frankenstein". Both the correlations and disjunctions prove three human moral limitations: omnipotence, ambition, and (in relating to Christianity) human imperfection. Furthermore, each limitation relates to the author's warning to humanity of our progression as a society.
In order for us to understand what he meant by using Hercules' name and amount of background would need to be known.
Hercules led anything but a normal life. From the moment he was born, he was special, not only to Zeus,
Shelley, Mary Wollstonecraft, Walter James Miller, and Harold Bloom. Frankenstein, Or, The Modern Prometheus. New York: New American Library, 2000. Print.
The legend of Hercules has been told and retold thousands of times; it is by far one of the best known Greek myths of all time. In fact, it was so well known that Disney made it into a movie. Like any story that’s adapted into a movie there are some differences and similarities between the myth and the movie. This paper will go over the main differences and similarities between the two versions of the same myth.
Walter Scott’s critique in the 1818, Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine Review of Frankenstein, is that Frankenstein is a novel of romantic fiction depicting a peculiar nature that narrates the real laws of nature and family values. This review explains that Mary Shelley manages the style of composition, and gives her characters an indirect importance to the reader as the laws of nature takes course in the novel. In addition, Walter Scott appreciates the numerous theme...
...Journey and examine the heroic parallels between Percy Jackson and the great Greek heroes Perseus, Theseus, and Hercules through a timeless lense.