Preview

"Mutability" by Percy Shelley

Satisfactory Essays
Open Document
Open Document
281 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
"Mutability" by Percy Shelley
Mary Shelley added this poem in her book to look at the human nature as a whole. “We rest – a dream has power to poison sleep.” Victor has the dream of bringing life into a creature. So he pursue on his creation by experimenting and trying to find a way to bring life into it. The thirst for power has poisoned and destroy everything he cherishes in life when he has lost his loved ones and his will to live. Victor has lost hope because of his dream which he will never find peace again. “We rise – one wandering thought pollutes the day.” This is when Victor realizes that his dream became into reality which he knew was a mistake. Victor’s creation have went to go destroy him which leads into the battle of the creator and his creation. “We feel, conceive, or reason; laugh or weep; embrace fond woe, or cast our cares away.” The higher intelligence of mankind there will be danger. Just like the creature he has such great intelligence but he is dangerous due to the people fear of him. “Nought may endure but mutability.” The only thing that stays the same is that things will change. Victor’s emotions has changed throughout the entire story. He had a happy life from the beginning till he went into a sad life. The creature emotions is anger and sadness. Angry with his master for creating him and leaving him alone in this unknown world. His sadness revolves the atmosphere around him when people would run away from him or attack him. The emotions of a human being will always be changing and that life makes its own
Continue Reading
View Writing Issues

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Satisfactory Essays

    Foil Essay: Frankenstien
    • 760 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Foil Essay: Frankenstien

    Throughout the novel, The Monster is characterized as a sensitive being; he wants to be loved and resents the fact that he was rejected by Frankenstein. As he gains knowledge and begins to grow more intelligent, The Monster comes to the realization that Victor abandoned him, that he is unwanted. This frustrates him as he continually gets rejected by society. Although Victor seems to think very highly of himself, The Monster has a very low self-esteem, “I, the miserable and the abandoned, am an abortion, to be spurned at, and kicked, and trampled on” (pg #), which stems from his rejection by both Victor and society as a whole. This character trait of The Monster makes the sort of selfishness of Victor, as it shows that, in his search for fame and glory, he was uncaring of the consequences. In creating The Monster, Victor’s intentions were not what they should have been; instead of trying to create life in order to make the world better, he was doing is for the sole purpose of becoming a God-like person. His God-complex is apparent in other parts of the novel as well, when he meets The Monster in the mountains and they have a conversation about Victor’s want to destroy The…

    • 760 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Comparing Frankenstein 'And Blade Runner: The Director's Cut'
    • 1353 Words
    • 6 Pages

    Comparing Frankenstein 'And Blade Runner: The Director's Cut'

    Shelley’s belief of the corruption inherent in science is demonstrated through the allegory of Victor’s fall from grace as he loses his morality which is highlighted by his lack of empathy. Through his destructive quest for knowledge, Victor’s own sense of humanity is destroyed, as emphasised by the hyperbole within Victor’s statement, “I seem to have lost all soul or sensation, but for this one pursuit”. In contrast, the supposed “daemon” he creates is depicted as a sentient, passionate being, evident in his opening narration with its sensory imagery “innumerable sounds rang in my ears, and on all sides various scents saluted me” where the awareness and appreciation of nature reflects Shelley’s Romantic leanings. Shelley utilises this narrative voice of the creature to draw sympathy away from Victor to highlight the lack of empathy of Victor as he spurns his grotesque creation on superficial qualities, ignoring his responsibility to the thing he has created mirroring the chaos The creature alerts Victor of his moral failings through biblical allusions “I ought to be thy Adam... whom thou drivest from joy for no misdeed”. Shelley's powerful biblical allusion to Genesis provides an immediate juxtaposition between the self-interested relationship of Victor and his monster,…

    • 1353 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Better Essays

    Comparing Orwell's Nineteen Eighty-Four And Goblin Market
    • 1285 Words
    • 6 Pages

    Comparing Orwell's Nineteen Eighty-Four And Goblin Market

    Victor knows his desire is forbidden, this is evident by the fact he hides what he has done and the existence of the creature. Victor himself is incredibly shameful of his actions, he is “unable to endure [any] aspect of the being [he] created,” and he runs away from the newly created creature (Shelley 58). In addition, Victor like Laura, is suggested to not be in control of his desire, he states that, “[he] seem[s] to have lost all soul and sensation but for [that] one pursuit” (Shelley 55). This furthermore emphasizes that social regulations are created to helps individuals to control their desires. The reader understands that Victor’s desire is against social regulations and dangerous, for several reasons. For instance, M. Kempe, a professor at Ingolstadt, dismisses alchemy, the area of Victor’s interest, saying Victor has “burdened [his] memories” with his studies of alchemy (Shelley 47). Furthermore, the creature is created from death; Victor gathers the pieces of corpses from, “charnel-houses”, “dissecting room[s] and the slaughter-houses”(Shelley 55). By working with death, Victor is pushes boundaries of the unknown; this allows the reader to perceive him as ‘playing god’, something which is socially unacceptable. Death is a realm that no mortal can truly understand because mortals are living. Therefore by creating life from death, Victor is playing god, by doing things that only God is allowed to do, thus its not a surprise when Victor’s creature creates…

    • 1285 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Better Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Frankenstein and Blade Runner Comparative Study
    • 1034 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Frankenstein and Blade Runner Comparative Study

    Shelley’s Gothic novel, Frankenstein, explores the complex nature of mankind by considering the consequences of an unrestricted pursuit of science. A rise in scientific experimentation with Galvanism during Shelley’s time is reflected through the protagonist Victor as he uses it to bestow life. Shelley portrays Victor and the Creature as complex beings, demonstrating both inhuman and human qualities. Despite this, the subsequent rejection by his creator and the De Lacy family drives the Creature to ‘eternal rejection and vengeance of mankind’. Victor’s initial response when meeting the creature, demonstrates his savage, cruel treatment and lack of responsibility towards his creation.…

    • 1034 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Better Essays

    Comparing Victor And The Monster In Mary Shelley's Frankenstein
    • 1568 Words
    • 7 Pages

    Comparing Victor And The Monster In Mary Shelley's Frankenstein

    After the monster found victor in his room he was filled with anger “You have destroyed the work which you began; what is it that you intend?” (120). In addition, the monster asked “endured incalculable fatigue, and cold, and hunger; do you dare destroy my hopes?” (120). Subsequent to the monster braking in to Victor’s room and escaping in his own boat, Victor was filled with rage. “The night passed away, and the sun rose from the ocean; my feelings became calmer, if it may be called calmness, when the violence of rage sinks into the depths of despair” (121). One main event that started the quench for the undying hatred and sorrow was the death of Victor’s son, William. The monster decided to give the humans one last chance. When he stumbled upon a child, “suddenly, as I gazed on him, an idea seized me, that this little creature was unprejudiced, and had lived too short of a time to have imbibed a horror of deformity” (100). Soon after his encounter with the child, the monster realized that the young boy was just like everyone else he has met. “Hideous monster! Let me go; my papa is a Syndic-he is M. Frankenstein-he would punish you. You dare not keep me” (100). The creature also learned that the child he gave one last chance to was the son of Victor Frankenstein. “Frankenstein! you belong then to my enemy-to him towards whom I have sworn…

    • 1568 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Better Essays
    Read More
  • Better Essays

    Comparing Frankenstein 'And The Creature'
    • 1421 Words
    • 6 Pages

    Comparing Frankenstein 'And The Creature'

    Through the juxtaposition of Victor’s initial innate goodness and his later evil attempts to gain power from science, Shelley demonstrates the Romantic notion that individuals are born naturally good and later change. As Victor embarks on his endeavor to become a successful scientist, he demonstrates unadulterated intentions void of selfish desires while studying at the university, as he states, “Wealth [is] an inferior object…I could banish disease from the human frame and render man invulnerable” (Shelley 29). Here, Shelley exemplifies Victor’s pure intentions in that he aims to “banish disease” rather than succumbing to the desires of “wealth.” However, society taints Victor’s honest intentions through exposing him to the temptations of power, causing him to defy nature in an attempt to gain recognition. For example upon meeting Victor, Professor Waldman tells Victor, “Scientists [acquire] new and almost unlimited powers; they can command the thunders of heaven, mimic the earthquake, and even mock the invisible world” (Shelley 36). Through exposing Victor to the tantalization of “unlimited powers” the professor…

    • 1421 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Better Essays
    Read More
  • Better Essays

    Blade Runner And Frankenstein Comparison
    • 1568 Words
    • 7 Pages

    Blade Runner And Frankenstein Comparison

    * Throughout Frankenstein, the reader is left with the feeling that Victor's obsessive desire to defeat nature, through the creation of another life, directly led to the many tragedies that befell him, "Learn from me, if not by my precept, at least by my example, how dangerous is the acquirement of knowledge, and how much happier…

    • 1568 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Better Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Victor Frankenstein Similarities
    • 1493 Words
    • 6 Pages

    Victor Frankenstein Similarities

    The monster has some similarities to Victor’s life. Victor created the monster out of loneliness. Victor thought he could create another human to fill the need that was he was lacking. Unfortunatly Victor thought his creation was hideous and turned his back on the monster thus making the monster lonely. The monster then set forth on a mission to find a companion to end his loneliness. So Victors’ creation now feels the loneliness that Victor himself…

    • 1493 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Powerful Essays

    Sympathy In Frankenstein
    • 2094 Words
    • 9 Pages

    Sympathy In Frankenstein

    The speech, effect on others, and thoughts of Frankenstein and his creation are powerful tools in their characterisations, and allow the reader to sustain their sympathies for the two. Throughout the novel, we are introduced to the idea that there is a distinction between “Victor” and “Frankenstein,” Victor being the ‘good’ side of him. This is done through the contrast in Frankenstein at the beginning of the novel and after he has reanimated his creation. An example of this is when Victor leaves for university and Frankenstein returns home.…

    • 2094 Words
    • 9 Pages
    Powerful Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Victor Frankenstein Research Paper
    • 639 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Victor Frankenstein Research Paper

    It is proved that his mental state is unbalanced when he states, “My internal being was in a state of insurrection and turmoil” (Shelley 36). As his mental health becomes unstable, he then becomes obsessed with science, making it his highest priority, even above his own health and family. Victor then suddenly became consumed with the concept of creating life artificially, and of the elixir of life. Although Victor does succeed in his dream of creating life, he is soon horrified at the sight of what he has created. He is not proud of the Creature, but disgusted at the sight of it, stating, “the beauty of the dream had vanished, and breathless horror and disgust filled my heart” (Shelley 57) Victor abandons his creation and leaving it to fend for itself, indirectly causing the murders of loved ones on account of his own shallowness, selfishness, vanity, and disregard of moral…

    • 639 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    The Creature's Birth In Frankenstein By Mary Shelley
    • 705 Words
    • 3 Pages

    The Creature's Birth In Frankenstein By Mary Shelley

    Shelley describes the creature's birth in two different points of view, she writes about Victor`s and the Creature`s points of view. When the creature is talking about his side of the story he starts by saying “A strange multiplicity of sensations seized me, and I saw, felt, heard, and smelt at the same time; and it was, indeed, a long time before I learned to distinguish between the operations of my various senses.” (Shelley 207) The creature is talking to Victor about when he awoke he knoticed that he the same sense`s that every human has. Next the creature goes on to say that he closed his eyes after he first woke up, because the light was so I bright. After that when he opened his eyes again he knoticed that Victor was nowhere to be found. So he got up and he learned that he knew how to walk. He then went to Victor's room where again Victor ran away. After that the creature just sat down and cried. He was cold and was lonely. This reminds me of when babies are born into the world they immediately cry out. They do this because they have senses that tell them they are cold so they let out a cry, just…

    • 705 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Frankenstein: Synopsis
    • 613 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Frankenstein: Synopsis

    Despite the fact that after being treated the way he was by others, the monster seeks revenge for Victor’s abandonment and for making him an unbearable scene to be seen by mankind. Throughout the novel, the creature seeks revenge by killing Victor’s love ones one by one. In Chapter 11 when the monster is telling his tale to Victor he states, “… but I had hardly placed my foot within the door, before the children shrieked, and one of the women fainted…and fearfully took refuge in a low hovel...” Yet, after seeing the dark side of the monster Victor is still un-human for his abandonment of his creation. It’s a horrible thing to abandon one’s creation and very cruel to leave a defenseless thing roams about by itself in the world and hoping that it will die soon. Victor was wrong to abandon his creation because of its appearances; he didn’t bother to get to know the poor monster. The author did a great job making the reader feel more sorrow for the monster than for Victor. The monster has been attacked and hurt for doing either nothing at all or helping others.…

    • 613 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Powerful Essays

    Romanticism In Mary Shelley's Frankenstein
    • 1511 Words
    • 7 Pages

    Romanticism In Mary Shelley's Frankenstein

    Throughout the novel, emotion of all kinds of heights and depths are explored. Shelley writes “This discovery was so great and overwhelming” (Shelley, 52), to exemplify the exhilaration Frankenstein feels exploring his interests. Frankenstein claims that he “fell senseless on the ground” (Shelley, 212) to encapsulate what he felt when Elizabeth was taken from him and the monster says “To him towards whom I have sworn eternal revenge” (Shelley, 153) to show the extent of his hate for his creator. Frankenstein in its entirety shows the whole spectrum of human emotions. From Victor Frankenstein’s perspective, the childhood and even collegiate years have have no major trauma aside from his mother’s death. Frankenstein’s childhood depicts a very elated and passionate state as he mentions “I read and studied the fancies of these writers with delight” (Shelley, 38). At this point he’s very jovial and all those he holds dear including his mother, father, Elizabeth, and Henry Clerval are all close by. Before he enters Ingolstadt, there is a marked change in his life as his mother passes away. He narrates, “It is so long before the mind can persuade itself that she whom we saw everyday and whose very existence appeared a part of her own can have departed forever” (Shelley, 43). His mother’s death causes an emotional toll on Victor and even delays his journey to Ingolstadt. Although this stage of his narration is not as jolly as his childhood, it is less terrifying than the later portion of his story. Despite the tragedy of his mother’s death, Victor is still immersed in the studies that he is passionate about while at Ingolstadt. However, he still isolates himself and his health deteriorates, as his friend Henry Clerval notes that Frankenstein looks “so thin and pale” (Shelley, 62). Frankenstein’s life makes a turn for the worse once he reaches fruition of his…

    • 1511 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Powerful Essays
    Read More
  • Powerful Essays

    The Monster In Mary Shelley's Frankenstein
    • 1580 Words
    • 7 Pages

    The Monster In Mary Shelley's Frankenstein

    In the novel, Victor’s youngest brother is named William which is also the name of Mary’s newborn son at the time. (Telgen) William is portrayed as an innocent child who is defenseless against the monster. The differences in age and maturity allow the reader to see Willam as a son to Victor just like he is to Mary. Unfortunately, when Victor’s monster kills William, Victor feels responsible for the death of his baby brother. The tragic ending to this little boy reveals Mary’s anxiety about becoming a mother and raising a son. These same worries of motherhood can be seen in Victor’s thoughts as he decides to deconstruct the female monster. While Victor is alone on the island, he allows his thoughts to take over his mind and destroy the only thing his creation relied on for happiness. He wonders, “...she might become ten thousand times more malignant than her mate, and delight, for its own sake, in murder and wretchedness… They might even hate each other… She also might turn with disgust from him to the superior beauty of man; she might quit him, and he be again alone, exasperated by the fresh provocation of being deserted by one of his own species.” (Shelley 155) Victor worries about every scenario that might go wrong instead of thinking about the positive outcomes. The reader can see Mary Shelley thinking these same thoughts as she tries to have kids. Questioning herself about her fertility and whether she would be a decent…

    • 1580 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Powerful Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Victor Frankenstein Too Far With Science Quotes
    • 961 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Victor Frankenstein Too Far With Science Quotes

    The creature begins to explain how he was affected by isolation and having to fend for himself. He studied a family in hopes of being accepted but, only in return having to deal with rejection multiple times. Then, he proceeds to inform Victor that he has become evil through his experiences, even though he was born benevolent. Accepting the fact that the creature himself will be alone, he demands that Victor make a female creature so he does not have to live alone, and Victor accepts, but only resulting in isolating himself and getting to work in creating another life. Victor exposed, “...with obscure forebodings of evil that made my heart sicken in my bosom” (Shelley 178). Again Victor is suffering from his decision of going against God and playing with science and most of all going too…

    • 961 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More

Related Topics