Close Reading Example

Frankenstein VS Prometheus

Laura Pinckney

ENG303

Prof. Templanza

Close Reading assignment 2

Frankenstein VS Prometheus

When Frankenstein was first published the title page had an alternate name for the book printed on it, which was The New Prometheus. This was an allusion to the Greek myth of Prometheus, presumably meant to compare Dr. Frankenstein to the character of Prometheus, however this is a terrible comparison. I will use evidence from the 1818 edition of Frankenstein along with the myth of Prometheus to show why these two stories don't work together.

On first glance the comparison doesn't seem too out of left field as the two stories do have some surface similarities. According to Hesiod's Theogony Prometheus' son and daughter-in-law created the human race after a worldwide flood and some other Greek creation myths state that Prometheus created mankind out of clay. Both of these versions have Prometheus more or less directly involved in mankind's creation, which is undoubtedly where the comparison to Dr. Frankenstein comes in. Looking just at this similarity one might think that the comparison is apt but it's in the details that everything falls apart. Prometheus is never punished for creating humans in any of the versions where he did so, he was not being punished for "playing god" and creating life but for tricking Zeus and going against his wishes to gift humans with fire. This is completely different from Dr. Frankenstein's situation, where all of the terrible things that happen to him are a direct result of trying to "play god" and create life on his own. This difference changes the meanings meant to be taken from each story, with Dr. Frankenstein's story being a cautionary tale about the consequences of arrogance and Prometheus' being about how being kind can often lead to punishment.

Another profound difference between Frankenstein and all common versions of the Prometheus myth is how the title characters treat their creations. Dr. Frankenstein treats The Creature terribly; running out as soon it wakes up, treating it like a monster multiple times, actually calling it a monster, and ultimately vowing to kill it. Compare that to Prometheus, who is fond of humans in every common version of the myth even when he was not the one that created them. Prometheus risks the wrath of the gods to bring mankind fire in most versions despite knowing he will likely be punished for it. He steals from Hephaestus, disobeys Zeus and tricks Athena to make sure that humans receive a tool that is necessary for their advancement. Prometheus shows nothing but love for mankind, his sometimes creation, while Dr. Frankenstein holds nothing but fear and contempt for his creation, The Creature. This is another reason why the stories of Frankenstein and Prometheus should not be compared to each other, since the title characters react to their creations in such profoundly different ways.

How Dr. Frankenstein and Prometheus treat their creations feeds into how and why they are punished for their actions. Prometheus is punished by Zeus in all versions of the myth with the same punishment, but why this happens changes from version to version. The two most common reasons are that Zeus didn't want humans to have fire and had forbid anyone from giving it to them, or that Prometheus tricked Zeus into letting humans keep the fire that had been given to them instead of just taking it away like he had planned to. In both of these versions Prometheus is punished because Zeus doesn't like humans and is afraid of what they will do now that they have access to fire, not because his actions were necessarily deserving of punishment. Conversely, every bad thing that happens to Dr. Frankenstein is entirely a result of his treatment and handling of The Creature. The Creature grows violent and kills Dr. Frankenstein's friends and family because Frankenstein treats it like a monster that needs to be destroyed and continually tells it that it's existence is unnatural and wrong. Dr. Frankenstein ruins his own life by being an arrogant jerk who never thinks about the consequences of his actions, both in the initial creation of The Creature and of his treatment of The Creature afterwards. Basically, Prometheus is being punished for disobeying and/or angering Zeus, who decides to throw a temper tantrum, while Dr. Frankenstein is being punished for his own arrogance and poor decisions.

Finally, let's look at what these characters represent. Prometheus is seen as a giver of knowledge in Greek mythology and was worshiped heavily in Athens, the intellectual capital of Ancient Greece. In the myth fire is an analogy for knowledge, lighting up the world for humans as it had for the gods before them. In Frankenstein, Dr. Frankenstein is not a giver of knowledge. The fire in this case would be an analogy for life, which is given to The Creature, but unlike with the humans from Prometheus this gift does not make The Creature's life better. Becoming a living thing does nothing but cause The Creature greif, and it expresses that it wished Dr, Frankenstein had never bothered to do so. Dr. Frankenstein's fire is not a gift, it causes pain and suffering for a being that was content to stay dead, unlike the knowledge that is given by Prometheus. Prometheus' fire is a gift, while Dr. Frankenstein's is a curse.

In conclusion, the myth of Prometheus is a terrible analogue for Frankenstein because of the differences in the title character's actions, motivations, intentions, and punishments. Prometheus wanted to make humankind better and was willing to suffer Zeus' wrath to do so, while Dr. Frankenstein wanted to prove that he could create life on his own and was completely unprepared for the consequences of doing so.