The Modern Prometheus Novel

The paper entails a dialogue of the contrast and comparison between four characters in the books Prometheus bound, an historical Greek tragedy attributed to Aeschylus, and Frankenstein, also known as The Modern Prometheus, a novel written by Mary Shelley. Notably, the paper illustrates how the books are special in the way they explain evil in the chief protagonists such as Zeus and Victor Frankenstein. Also, Prometheus and Frankenstein creature, are compared and contrasted. The four characters are nicely examined so as to help to understand what makes or does not make a man or woman evil. Finally, the paper takes into account the implication of the argument in writing on how we see and understand our world today. The two books depict characters who propagate evil that is clearly motivated by two different agendas. In the book, Prometheus Bound, Zeus, and Prometheus are in conflict with each other and Zeus decides to take his vengeance on his fellow god. Consequently, he orders Kratos, Bia, and Hephaestus, the smith god to chain their friend Prometheus to rock. However, the only friend who shows compassion towards Prometheus is Hephaestus, but due to his commitment and obedience to the ruling tyrant Zeus, he and his friends had no options other than to follow the commands of the ruling god. Notably, the only crime the victim-god has done was to steal the gift of fire from Zeus and granting it to the human race and also interfering with Zeus’s plan to eliminate the human race. The punishment was unjust bearing in mind the fact; it was Prometheus who assisted Zeus to concur the incumbent regime and consequently assume to power. Zeus is motivated to rule forever, and he ends up striking Prometheus with a thunderbolt.

On the other hand, Frankenstein, through his curiosity to know the secret of life, he engages in a dangerous scientific adventure of attempting to give life to a creature he created. At last, Frankenstein succeeds and is scared by what he created. He abandoned the animal and consequently, it rumored around the world causing fear, havoc, and killings. Remarkably, is the first person to be affected by the actions of the creature after it killed his brother and framed an innocent girl who ended up convicted and executed (Grant, John, and Barry Jones 20). The creature vowed to haunt its creator, and on his wedding day, it killed his new bride. The evil that Frankenstein created haunts him leading to his ultimate death. Zeus propagates evil with the aim of remaining in power and control. The hunger for power prompts him to betray his friend and causing misery in his entire life. He was willing to execute anyone who threatens to end his reign. Contrary, the evil that was propagated by the creature was created by Frankenstein and was motivated towards getting love, cognition, and friendship. It was out of immense suffering, solitude, and hatred that it faced from humans, that it decided to seek revenge. However, the creature shows a sense of remorse after it creator, Frankenstein died.

Zeus was a god leader who assumed power after help from his fellow god, Prometheus. Initially, his intentions were pure and were the resin as to why Prometheus offered to help to fight Titians. However, immediately after taking over the leadership, he changed and became a tyrant who turned against his friend Prometheus by tying him to a rock in a remote corner of the earth (Aeschylus, and Percy Bysshe Shelley 20). Poor governance and tyranny are some of the traits that are attributed to Zeus. He is motivated by creating the world where no one but him is free and due to his lack of sympathy and pity to both his friends and his enemies, makes them vulnerable under his leadership. Zeus is a powerful tyrant but is stupid especially due to his disregard of the affairs of other people contributed by his ignorance. He conditioned his subjects to love him and oppose any force against his love. On the other hand, Frankenstein is motivated to find the secret of human life and ends up creating a dangerous creature. His motivation was to use science and technology to overcome forces of nature such as death and life. He wanted to become free of the two phenomena of life, but in the end, he created a creature that he abandoned. Just like Zeus who did not care about his people who he was supposed to love and protect, Frankenstein abandoned his creation and denied it the most fundamental aspects of human life such as love, shelter, and companion (Grant, John, and Barry Jones 35). The two characters were motivated to create the world that they are in control of as depicted by Frankenstein by working on his project in solitude and without consultation. However, the two individuals are different in the way they propagate evil. Frankenstein contributed to crime by creating a creature that he left under the mercies of people who did not understand its functionalities and demands. Thereby, the creature committed several killings, and its creator was to blame since he hid its contribution to the murders and in the end died leaving the monster alone, tormented, in solitude, and potentially dangerous to humans. Zeus contributes to the suffering of his subjects directly by giving out orders to eliminate them.

Prometheus and Frankenstein’s creature compare in the sense that both are victims of nature. Prometheus offers to help and befriend humans, and he dearly suffered for it. He valued the spirit of friendship in leadership, and he stands for what is right. He is depicted as a leader who was willing to oppose poor governance and perpetration of evil (Aeschylus, and Percy Bysshe Shelley 28). As a result, he was a constant conflict with Zeus, and he was tortured forever. Also, Frankenstein’s creature is a victim of neglect of its creator. Out of solitude and the need of company, the creature wonders in different parts of the nation, and whenever it faced rejection, it ended up killing the victim. The creature is in the mission of revenge against its creator for abandoning it. Therefore, the evils that are conducted by the creature arise from its journey of self-discovery. However, the two character contrast in the way they react to their circumstances. Prometheus decides to seek from his friends, Io, and Oceanids in vain. He tries to convince Zeus to release him, and in the end, he is struck by a thunderstorm which increased his suffering. Frankenstein’s creature reacts to its predicament by taking on a revenge mission to its creator. It succeeds in ruining the life of Frankenstein since he was unable to pay attention to its demands (Grant, John, and Barry Jones 40). Notably, the creature showed compassion and its friendly nature when it met people who were friendly in return. The creature only wanted to feel loved and appreciated despite its weird looks and origin.

In conclusion, the chief protagonist in the two books illustrate the root causes of evil in the world and the motivation behind evil doings. Greed for power and control, are the leading elements that contribute to the crimes that are being experienced in the world today. Just like Zeus, many leaders in the world are willing to anything within their power to remain in leadership and eliminate any threat that challenges their power. As a result, many people end up falling in the hands of such tyrants. Remarkably, through advancement in science and technology, many innovations have been created, and some of them are harmful to human health and peace. Deadly viruses without anecdotes have been discovered, and nuclear weapons are continuously being developed. High levels of irresponsibility are witnessed among professionals who are unable to tame the creations of their discovery. Consequently, evil is propagated all over the world. Therefore, the main arguments of evil in the books have enables us to understand the concept of causes and consequences of evil in our world today.   

Work Cited

Aeschylus, and Percy Bysshe Shelley. Prometheus Bound. 1st ed., New York, Heritage Press, 2012.

Grant, John, and Barry Jones. Frankenstein. 1st ed., London, Usborne Publishing Ltd, 2013.