“Frankenstein: The Modern Prometheus”

               “Frankenstein: A Tale of Ambition, Science, and Responsibility”

this blog task is assigned by Prof. Megha Ma'am, Department of English, MK, Bhavnagar University. in this blog i mentioned Marry shelley's  Frankenstein as a science fiction. 

1) What are some major differences between the movie and the novel Frankenstein?

“What happens when one of the most haunting novels of the Romantic age is transformed into a modern cinematic spectacle? Watching Kenneth Branagh’s Frankenstein after reading Mary Shelley’s masterpiece, I found myself asking whether the screen can ever capture the soul of the page.”

Frankenstein  Novel  By Marry  Shelley :

Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus is not merely a Gothic horror story but a powerful critique of human ambition, responsibility, and the dangers of unchecked knowledge. Written in 1818, the novel reflects Enlightenment curiosity and Romantic imagination while warning of their excesses. Victor Frankenstein’s pursuit of science symbolizes human hubris, echoing the myth of Prometheus, and Shelley demonstrates how ambition without moral responsibility leads to destruction. Both Victor and his Creature suffer from deep isolation—Victor through his obsessive experiments and the Creature through society’s rejection—showing the destructive effects of alienation. The novel also celebrates nature in the Romantic tradition, where landscapes provide temporary solace, though they cannot cure inner torment.

 The Creature, initially innocent and compassionate, becomes vengeful only after enduring cruelty and neglect, raising the question of whether monstrosity lies in appearance or in actions. The novel also incorporates Gothic elements—dark laboratories, cemeteries, and sublime landscapes—to intensify its horror, while its layered narrative structure (Walton, Victor, the Creature) creates multiple perspectives, forcing readers to question truth. Feminist critics argue that Shelley highlights patriarchal anxieties by showing how Victor usurps the female role of creation but fails disastrously, while women like Elizabeth and Justine are silenced and victimized. Ultimately, Frankenstein remains a timeless exploration of science, ethics, and human identity, reminding us of the moral responsibilities that come with creation and the dangers of playing god.

Kenneth Branagh’s Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein (1994)

Kenneth Branagh’s Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein (1994), starring Branagh as Victor and Robert De Niro as the Creature, is one of the most well-known film adaptations of Mary Shelley’s novel. The film tries to stay closer to Shelley’s original story than earlier versions like James Whale’s 1931 Frankenstein, but it also makes important changes that add melodrama and spectacle.

The film captures the Gothic atmosphere of the novel through its use of stormy settings, grand laboratories, and dark, dramatic cinematography. It portrays Victor Frankenstein as a man consumed by passion and arrogance, whose obsession with conquering death leads him to create life unnaturally. Branagh emphasizes Victor’s emotional intensity, sometimes making him appear more reckless and theatrical than Shelley’s quieter, guilt-ridden scientist.

Robert De Niro’s Creature is depicted as both terrifying and sympathetic. Unlike the mute monster of early cinema, this version of the Creature speaks, reads, and expresses deep emotions, closer to Shelley’s original vision. His tragic loneliness and rejection by society are central to the film, though his violent acts are shown in a much more graphic and brutal way.

One of the major departures from the novel is the Elizabeth reanimation scene, where Victor, after Elizabeth is killed, attempts to bring her back to life. This does not happen in Shelley’s text and highlights the film’s tendency to dramatize and exaggerate events for emotional effect. Critics often argue that while this makes for shocking cinema, it sacrifices some of the novel’s philosophical depth.

Overall, Branagh’s film highlights the dangers of ambition, obsession, and playing god, much like Shelley’s novel, but it does so with heightened melodrama and horror. It remains one of the most faithful adaptations in terms of plot details, yet its over-the-top performances and added scenes make it more of a spectacle of Gothic tragedy than a subtle moral meditation.

Differences between Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein and Kenneth Branagh’s Film (1994)

1. The Narrative Frame

In Mary Shelley’s novel, the story is told through letters written by Captain Robert Walton to his sister, with Victor Frankenstein’s tale framed inside. This gives the novel a layered structure, showing multiple perspectives. The film, however, keeps only a simplified version of this frame, beginning and ending with Walton, but focuses mainly on Victor and the Creature’s conflict.

2. The Creation Scene

Shelley’s original description of the Creature’s birth is vague and restrained. She avoids technical details, creating horror through suggestion and Victor’s shocked reaction. In contrast, Branagh’s movie turns this into a dramatic spectacle, with elaborate machinery, electrical sparks, and violent movements. This makes the scene visually striking but less subtle than Shelley’s approach.

3. Victor’s Motivation

In the novel, Victor’s ambition is largely philosophical and scientific. His desire to “play God” grows out of curiosity and obsession with knowledge. In the movie, his motivation is also shaped by personal trauma, especially the graphic death of his mother during childbirth. This change makes his obsession with defeating death more emotional and personal.

4. The Trial of Justine

 Shelley devotes space to Justine Moritz’s trial, showing the injustice of her wrongful conviction for William’s murder. The trial highlights social hypocrisy and moral corruption. The film, however, shortens this subplot by showing Justine quickly condemned by a mob without a proper trial, reducing the focus on systemic injustice and shifting to sheer emotional tragedy.

5. The Creature’s Learning

 In the novel, the Creature educates himself by secretly observing the De Lacey family and learning language through Safie. This section develops his humanity and intelligence. The film simplifies this part, showing his learning process but cutting down characters and details to fit the pacing of cinema.

6. The Bride of the Creature

 One of the most significant changes is the handling of the female companion. In the novel, Victor begins to create a female monster but destroys her before completion. The Creature later murders Elizabeth on Victor’s wedding night. The film invents a dramatic twist: Victor actually reanimates Elizabeth after her death, leading to a grotesque confrontation. Elizabeth, horrified by her new state, kills herself, making this a very different ending.

7. Tone and Pacing

 Mary Shelley’s text builds horror slowly through reflection, philosophy, and psychological depth. Branagh’s film emphasizes visual horror, emotional drama, and action sequences. Where the novel encourages readers to reflect on questions of responsibility, science, and morality, the movie often favors spectacle and tragic melodrama. 

2) Who do you think is a real monster?

Who is the Real Monster in Frankenstein?

 At first glance, the Creature seems to be the monster. He is gigantic, frightening, stitched together from dead bodies, and capable of brutal violence. He murders William, frames Justine, kills Clerval, and finally strangles Elizabeth. His acts are undeniably monstrous. But Shelley’s novel asks us to look deeper—beyond appearances—to question what truly makes someone a monster: their looks, or their actions and moral choices?

Victor Frankenstein as the Real Monster

Victor may appear as the brilliant scientist and tragic hero, but his actions reveal selfishness and irresponsibility. He creates life recklessly, then abandons the Creature in horror the moment it breathes. He fails to take responsibility for his creation, leaving it lonely, unloved, and rejected. When the Creature pleads for companionship, Victor refuses, showing little empathy. In his obsession with ambition and personal pride, he allows innocent people like Justine, Clerval, and Elizabeth to die. His neglect, arrogance, and cowardice make him morally monstrous, even more than the Creature’s physical violence.

The Creature’s Tragedy

Shelley portrays the Creature as intelligent, sensitive, and capable of love. He learns language, appreciates nature, and desires companionship. His first impulse is not to harm but to seek kindness from humans. Yet, every time he approaches, he is rejected, feared, or attacked. Society sees him only as a monster because of his appearance. It is this rejection and Victor’s abandonment that drive him to anger and revenge. His monstrous deeds are, in a sense, a reflection of Victor’s monstrous neglect.

Shelley’s Message

The real monstrosity lies not in physical deformity but in moral failure. Victor, in his hubris and lack of responsibility, embodies the dangers of unchecked ambition. The Creature, though outwardly hideous, is a mirror of human cruelty, shaped by the rejection he endures. Shelley deliberately blurs the line so that readers are forced to ask: who created the monster, and who behaved monstrously?

Therefore, the “real monster” in Frankenstein is not simply the Creature but Victor Frankenstein himself—and, by extension, the society that judges by appearances and denies compassion. The novel teaches us that monsters are made not by looks, but by choices, actions, and failures of responsibility.

3) Do you think the search for knowledge is dangerous and destructive?

My Point of View: Is the Search for Knowledge Dangerous in Frankenstein?

In my opinion, Frankenstein clearly shows that the search for knowledge can become dangerous when it is uncontrolled and selfish. Victor Frankenstein is not wrong for wanting to learn—curiosity is natural and even necessary for progress. But what makes him truly destructive is that he crosses moral limits. He creates life without thinking of the consequences, and the moment he succeeds, he abandons his creation. This shows me that knowledge without responsibility can turn into a curse.

I also feel that Shelley is not saying knowledge itself is evil. The problem is human ambition. Victor wants glory and power, not just understanding. Because of this pride, he causes the deaths of William, Justine, Henry, and Elizabeth. When I read the novel, I realized that the real danger lies not in knowledge, but in how humans use it.

I also agree with Shelley’s warning through Walton’s character. Walton learns from Victor’s tragic story and turns back from his dangerous Arctic mission. For me, this was a very powerful message: ambition must have limits, and wisdom should guide curiosity.

So, from my point of view, the novel teaches that knowledge is double-edged. It can improve human life, but if it is pursued without morality and responsibility, it becomes destructive—not only for the seeker but also for society.

4) Do you think Victor Frankenstein's creature was inherently evil, or did society's rejection and mistreatment turn him into a monster?

Was the Creature Inherently Evil, or Made a Monster by Society?

From my point of view, Victor Frankenstein’s creature was not inherently evil. When he first comes to life, he is like a newborn child—innocent, curious, and eager to experience the world. Shelley shows us that the Creature admires nature, learns language, and even secretly helps the De Lacey family by collecting firewood. His first impulses are kindness and love, not violence.

However, the Creature is rejected at every step—first by Victor, who abandons him in horror, and later by society, which fears and attacks him because of his appearance. Even when he approaches the blind De Lacey with hope for friendship, he is beaten and driven away. These repeated rejections fill him with anger and despair. His crimes, like killing William and framing Justine, are acts of revenge born from loneliness and suffering.

I believe Shelley is showing us that monsters are not born, but made. The Creature only becomes violent after being denied compassion, love, and belonging. In a way, he reflects the cruelty of society and the irresponsibility of Victor. If Victor had cared for him, or if even one human being had accepted him, the Creature might have lived peacefully.

So, in my opinion, the Creature was not evil by nature—he was turned into a monster by rejection, mistreatment, and neglect. Shelley uses him as a symbol of how society creates the very monsters it fears, simply by refusing empathy.

In Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, the Creature is not born evil but begins his life with innocence and natural goodness. When he first comes into the world, his mind is like that of a child—blank, curious, and eager to learn. He admires the beauty of nature, enjoys the warmth of the sun, and feels emotions of wonder. His first acts are not destructive; instead, he tries to connect with others and even performs small deeds of kindness, such as gathering firewood for the De Lacey family without them knowing. These early actions clearly show that the Creature’s nature is not wicked but gentle and sympathetic.

The turning point comes when society and, most importantly, Victor himself reject the Creature. From the very beginning, Victor abandons him in horror, calling him a “miserable wretch” and leaving him without guidance or care. This act of neglect plants the seeds of bitterness. Later, when the Creature tries to reach out to humans, he is met only with fear and violence. Even when he approaches the blind De Lacey with hope for kindness, he is beaten and driven away by the family. These repeated rejections convince him that he will never find acceptance or love. His words reflect this despair: “I am malicious because I am miserable. Am I not shunned and hated by all mankind?”

Reference 

https://astraea-journal.org/index.php/journal/article/view/127?utm_source=chatgpt.com

https://study.com/academy/lesson/frankenstein-quotes-about-knowledge-analysis.html?utm_source=chatgpt.com

https://www.economist.com/books-and-arts/2018/02/17/frankenstein-the-monster-that-never-dies