Frankenstein与Walton,Prometheus的异同点

Victor & Walton VS Prometheus李浩 张宇晴 王琳颖 谢畅

Brief introduction Victor: Victor Frankenstein Walton: Robert Walton (1)saved Victor in the North Pole (2)listener of Victor’s story Prometheus: (1)created the human-beings (2)stole the fire for human

Part Ⅰ Similarities

1.1 Great ambitions and pursuits Victor: “My dreams were therefore undisturbed by reality; and I entered with the greatest diligence into the search of the philosopher’s stone and the elixir of life. but the latter soon obtained my undivided attention. Wealth was an inferior object, but what glory would attend the discovery if I could banish disease from the human frame, and render man invulnerable to any but a violent death!”(p826 chapter 1 in volume1) Ambition: to challenge death and to be the God

Walton: “I shall satiate my ardent curiosity with the sight of a part of the world never before visited, and may tread a land never before imprinted by the foot of man. ”(p815 letter 1 in volume 1) “sailing over a calm sea, we may be wafted to a land surpassing in wonders and in beauty every region hitherto discovered on the habitable globe.”(p815 letter 1 in volume 1) “My life might have been passed in ease and luxury, but I preferred glory to every enticement that wealth placed in my path.”(p816 letter1 in volume1) Ambition: to conquer the nature

Enemy &External environment Walton Victor Prometheus

Nature GodZeus

1.2 internal spirits : Victor: tough and persistent “As I dabbled among the unhallowed damps of the grave, or tortured the living animal to animate the lifeless clay? My limbs now tremble, and my eyes swim with the remembrance; but then a resistless, and almost frantic impulse, urged me forward; I seemed to have lost all soul or sensation but for this one pursuit.” (p834 chapter3 in volume1)

Walton: Tough and brave “I commenced by inuring my body to hardship. I accompanied the whale-fishers on several expeditions to the North Sea; I voluntarily endured cold, famine, thirst, and want of sleep; I often worked harder than the common sailors during the day, and devoted my nights to the study of mathematics, the theory of medicine, and those branches of physical science from which a naval adventurer might derive the greatest practical advantage.” (p816-817 letter1 in volume1 )

Prometheus: brave, tough, and persistent After he is punished by Zeus, he is alone locked on the cliff and tortured by the extreme weather and the bald eagle for millions of years. But he never regret what he had done for human beings, with the supreme willpower to wait for his new freedom instead of being subservient to Zeus.

Part Ⅱ Differences

2.1 Victor VS. Prometheus 2.1.1 Attitudes towards their creations: Victor: frightened →abominated Prometheus: love 2.1.2 Moralizations of their creations: Victor: abandoned the monster, lack of responsibility

Prometheus: imparted knowledge and brought happiness to human beings, took the responsibility to the end

Victor: “Devil,” I exclaimed, “do you dare approach me? And do not you fear the fierce vengeance of my arm wreaked on your miserable head? Begone, vile insect! Or rather, stay, that I may trample you to dust! And, oh! That I could, with the extinction of your miserable existence, restore those victims whom you have so diabolically murdered!” (p858 volume2 chapter 2)

“I expected this reception,” said the daemon. “All men hate the wretched; how, then, must I be hated, who am miserable beyond all living things! Yet you, my creator, detest and spurn me... How dare you sport thus with life? Do your duty towards me, and I will do mine towards you and the rest of mankind.”(p858 volume2 chapter 2) You, my creator, abhor me; what hope can I gather from your fellow creatures, who owe me nothing? They spurn and hate me.(p859 volume 2 chapter 2)

Prometheus: “When first upon his high, paternal throne He took his seat, forthwith to divers Gods Divers good gifts he gave, and parcelled out His empire, but of miserable men Recked not at all; rather it was his wish To wipe out man and rear another race: And these designs none contravened but me. I risked the bord attempt, and saved mankind From stark destruction and the road to hell. Therefore with this sore penance am I bowed, Grievous to suffer, pitiful to see. But, for compassion shown to man, such fate I no wise earned; rather in wrath's despite Am I to be reformed, and made a show Of infamy to Zeus. ”(Prometheus Bound by Aeschylus )

2.2 Walton VS. Prometheus2.2.1 Different identities Walton: a human-being, a captain Prometheus: an immortal god, alone 2.2.2 Different choices and results (rational) Walton: chose to go back home for bringing his crew back home safe and sound Prometheus: tried his best to make people live a happy life, at the cost of his own freedom and happiness

Walton: “How all this will terminate, I know not, but I had rather die than return shamefully, my purpose unfulfilled. Yet I fear such will be my fate; the men, unsupported by ideas of glory and honour, can never willingly continue to endure their present hardships.” (p922 Walton, in continuation in his second diary) “Alas! Yes; I cannot withstand their demands. I cannot lead them unwillingly to danger, and I must return.”(p923 his fourth diary)

ConclusionWe have studied these three characters on both similar external environment they faced and the internal spirits they shared. From this two aspects, we have summarized two main parallel ideas and two pairs of contrust points between our two main heroes and Prometheus, supported by a large amount of examples in the book Frankenstain and Prometheus Bound.

Thank you!

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