Paradise Lost And Frankenstein Comparison Essay
Comparison of
Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein to John Milton’s Paradise Lost
Class: ENG 242-620
Instructor: Shaut
Assignment: Research Essay #1 – Frankenstein
Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein and John Milton’s Paradise Lost have many similarities. This may be due to Mary taking influences from Paradise Lost to add to her story. Paradise Lost is the same as Frankenstein in design by defining man’s place in the universe. They both describe the forces that threaten humankind.
In Milton’s poem it speaks of the fall of the rebel angels and the effect that it has on the history of humans. Lucifer revolts against his creator and tries to command power of everything. So Lucifer and his followers are cast out of Heaven and Satan is transformed into something hideous. Satan travels to Earth to tempt Adam and Eve from the Garden of Eden, and this begins man suffering in history. The poem ends with a promise of the redemption of Adam’s descendants through the sacrifice of God’s Son. Compare this to Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, and you can view a version of God in the novel. Dr. Frankenstein acts as “God” in the story. He becomes the creator of life. At one point in the novel, Victor feels like Satan. He says, “I trod heaven in …show more content…
Direct evidence of Mary Shelley’s reading of Paradise Lost is all through her novel including the Monster’s last speech where he states, “I shall ascend my funeral pile triumphantly and exult in the agony of the torturing flames” (Shelley 161). Her references to the poem may be contradictory in a few places, but she found a pattern in the poem which could give form to her fears and her understanding of what technology threatened for the
Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein to John Milton’s Paradise Lost
Class: ENG 242-620
Instructor: Shaut
Assignment: Research Essay #1 – Frankenstein
Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein and John Milton’s Paradise Lost have many similarities. This may be due to Mary taking influences from Paradise Lost to add to her story. Paradise Lost is the same as Frankenstein in design by defining man’s place in the universe. They both describe the forces that threaten humankind.
In Milton’s poem it speaks of the fall of the rebel angels and the effect that it has on the history of humans. Lucifer revolts against his creator and tries to command power of everything. So Lucifer and his followers are cast out of Heaven and Satan is transformed into something hideous. Satan travels to Earth to tempt Adam and Eve from the Garden of Eden, and this begins man suffering in history. The poem ends with a promise of the redemption of Adam’s descendants through the sacrifice of God’s Son. Compare this to Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, and you can view a version of God in the novel. Dr. Frankenstein acts as “God” in the story. He becomes the creator of life. At one point in the novel, Victor feels like Satan. He says, “I trod heaven in …show more content…
Direct evidence of Mary Shelley’s reading of Paradise Lost is all through her novel including the Monster’s last speech where he states, “I shall ascend my funeral pile triumphantly and exult in the agony of the torturing flames” (Shelley 161). Her references to the poem may be contradictory in a few places, but she found a pattern in the poem which could give form to her fears and her understanding of what technology threatened for the