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Frankenstein And Frankenstein Essay

Decent Essays

Several fields have studied the relationship between creator and creation. The most significant aspect of this research considers the difference between nature and nurture. Sociologists, psychologists, scientists, and other professionals have tried to pin down the exact distinctions between these two types of upbringings. In literature, the same questions have been asked and studied using fictional characters, most famously in John Milton’s Paradise Lost, in 1667, and Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, in 1818. The complexity of the characters in these texts creates the theme of nature versus nurture before they diverge and arrive at differing conclusions.
Many critics arose over the years to contest the main character of Milton’s epic. Shelley, …show more content…

Due to his mistakes in creating his character of God, Shelley personified Victor Frankenstein as a cold creator to provide a commentary on the harshness of Milton’s God.
Some have called Milton 's God 'evil ' and 'unloving ' such as Richard Bentley (Read). This criticism can be attributed to the fact that Milton was cautious about creating a so-called round character of God; this caution caused this flat creator that has no real stake in creation. When the first words that God speaks in Paradise Lost mock the fallen angels: " Only begotten Son, seest thou what rage/ Transports our adversary " (Milton III . 80 ) it only confirms the fate that this character cannot be the hero of the story. By doing this Milton created this malicious creator which inspired the cruelty that can clearly be seen in Victor Frankenstein in terms of both his family and his creation. The use of cruelty in creators, whether intentional or not determines the environment in which their creation lives.
Shelley draws inspiration from Milton 's Paradise Lost not only for the vicious creator in the stories but also the creations. In Milton’s epic, God creates the father of humankind and the father of all demons. The characterization of Frankenstein 's monster highlights points of both Adam and Satan; even the monster recognizes this within Shelley’s work when he encounters Milton’s

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