A Quest For Knowledge By Mary Shelley s Frankenstein Essay

A quest for knowledge is common across civilizations, being told in several different religions and cultures with the same outcome. With the fall of Lucifer to the sentence of Prometheus, the quest is regarded as unsavory with their punishments used as a cautionary tale to those who look to pursue it. In Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, the Creature’s own quest and thirst for knowledge was comparable to not only Prometheus, but Lucifer as well, with their goals to enlighten mankind punished just as the Creature’s own enlightened mind destined him to suffer in silence and enforced ignorance. While sympathetic, the Creature fell in to the same category as these two â€Å"Satanic† creatures from mythology: he hungered for knowledge and loathed the invisible barrier that human society erected to lock it away. Being coded as a villain while upon his quest for knowledge, the Creature was destined to be perceived as evil, an anomaly that no man should ever aspire to. Lucifer, Prometheus, and the Creature all carried an internal flame that was fed by knowledge, which recorded their prospects as antagonistic beings in the lives of others. Prometheus serves as influence for the novel of Frankenstein; Mary Shelley used his turmoil as inspiration for her Creature’s own suffering. Prometheus, a titan of Greek mythology, opposed many of Zeus’s views and beliefs, believing that humans deserved knowledge and wisdom. The feud between Prometheus and Zeus came to its pinnacle at a feast, whereShow MoreRelatedThe Pursuit Of Knowledge And Scientific Discovery1223 Words   |  5 PagesFrankenstein, written by Mary Shelley, explores the theme of the pursuit of knowledge and scientific discovery through the main characters; Victor Frankenstein, the Creature and Robert Walton. This pursuit of knowledge drives the plot of the novel, leading Victor to create the Creature in his attempt to break down the mortal barriers that surround him and unlock the secret of life. 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