Frankenstein: The Importance and Relevance of Paradise Lost, The Sorrows of Young Werther and Plutarch's Lives

Paradise Lost

There are many parallels between the characters of Paradise Lost and Frankenstein, as well as some contrasts.

Firstly, there are strong parallels between Adam and the creature. When first introduced in Paradise Lost, Adam has a limited knowledge of the world and thus is characterised as innocent, naive and not born into evil, which directly echoes the creature's characterisation as he is first introduced in Frankenstein. Milton writes in Paradise Lost that Adam had 'come forth from the hands of God a perfect creature'. This perfectness contrasts the creatures hideous appearance, and shows that, although the creature and Adam shared the same characteristics, the creature was immediately shunned because of his appearance. When the creature and Victor meet on the mountain, the creatures says to Victor 'I ought to be Adam', an explicit reference to Paradise Lost that demonstrates the creatures understanding of his ugliness. Shelley perhaps gave the creature similar traits to Adam and contrasting looks to illustrate the importance of aesthetics and the shallow nature of humans. Adam and the creature both want companionship, but this comes with a differing outcome. Shelley may have done this to show the different outcomes of companionship. Although born innocent, Adam and the creature both become self-aware and corrupted but their environments: Adam when he eats the forbidden fruit and the creatures when he reads the books, depicting the devastatingly evil affects of society and mankind and as a result, both have to wander Earth alone as outcasts.

Secondly, there are parallels between Adam and Victor. When visited by Raphael, Adam has many questions and even when these questions are answered by Raphael, he is unsatisfied and still wants to know more. This curiosity thirst for knowledge is similar to Victors, and ultimately leads to their loss of innocence. Through this curiosity, both characters defy God and this has unforgettable consequences that affects, and arguably destroys, the rest of their lives. Shelley is perhaps trying to warn of how the rapid scientific advancements of the time could potentially have catastrophic consequences.

Also, there are similarities between God and Victor. The most obvious of these is that Milton often refers to God as 'the victor', suggesting that Shelley may have given Victor his name to illustrate that he is playing God. Although God and Victor both banish their creations, they do it for different reasons and so it is obvious that they have different mindsets. God banishes Adam after he commits a distrustful act, whilst Victor banishes the creature after first sight, showing the shallow nature of human beings.

Finally, there are parallels between Satan and the creature. The creature and Satan are both rejected by their creators. Whilst the creature is shunned for being ugly, Satan is shunned for being devious and rebellious. Perhaps Shelley is trying to portray the message that, in society, being unattractive is seen as a bad a trait as being evil.

Sorrows of Young Werther

The Sorrows of Young Werther makes the creature understand 'despondency and gloom' and also makes him question his place in society. The creature learns about suicide and, although he did consider it, he resists in order to avenge Victor. Shelley may have used this to show the amount of vengeance the creature must hold against Victor, to continue living an isolated and depressive life just to "get his own back" on his creator. The creature also becomes more typically "human" from the knowledge of emotions and being able to relate to others which he gains from the novel. Shelley uses the strong emotional themes in the story in order to advance the creatures ability to emote. All of the deaths in the Sorrows of Young Werther occur due to loss of companionship, which contributes to the theme of nurture in Frankenstein and echoes the importance of relationships that is evident throughout the story.

 Plutarch's Lives

From reading Plutarch's Lives, the creature gains 'high thoughts' and learns about society, in particular about towns and cities where men and women live together. He learns about the vicious behaviour of men in public and admires virtuous men and peaceful lawmakers. This illustrates the creature's pure heart and that he is not inherently evil.