"Frankenstein" by Mary Shelley To illustrate the main theme of her novel “Frankenstein”, Mary Shelly draws heavily on the myth of Prometheus, as indicated by the subtitle The Modern Prometheus. Maurice Hindle, in his critical study of the novel, suggests, "the major theme of Frankenstein is what happens to human sympathies and relationships when men obsessively seek to satisfy their Promethean desires to 'conquer the unknown' - presumably in service of their fellow human beings.” This statement is discussed by first describing the Promethean connection. Next, the two forms of the myth, Prometheus the Fire Thief and Prometheus the Life-Giver, are reviewed in the context of the myth's use. Shelly in his novel and their relationship to the main theme. Finally, the character of Frankenstein as a modern Prometheus of the scientific age is discussed in the context of English romantic literature mentioned by Hundle, is the connection between Victor Frankenstein and Robert Walton. Both seek to gain knowledge of the unknown. Victor Frankenstein's obsession with occult scientific knowledge results in the destruction of his family and friends, while Walton, the narrator of the story, causes many deaths as a result. of his obsessive journey to the North Pole. Shelly's use of the Prometheus myth combines the two versions of the Prometheus myth. legend, Prometheus the “thief of fire” and Prometheus the “giver of life”. According to the ancient Greeks, in the first version of the myth, the Titan Prometheus, rebelling against Zeus, took fire from the sun and gave it to men to heat them and allow them to make tools and weapons, thus allowing them to rise above the other animals . Zeus was enraged by Prometheus' disobedience and, as punishment, ordered Prometheus to be chained to a rock, where his liver was eaten by eagles every day and refreshed every night so that his torment could be prolonged for eternity. The second Roman version of the myth, derives from Ovid's Metamorphoses, which, according to Newey (1993), Mary Shelly read in 1815. In this version Prometheus was the Creator who created man from clay and breathed life into him. This ties directly to the quote on the title page of Shelly's book: “I asked you, Creator, to mold me, man, out of my clay. Did I urge you from the darkness to promote me? Although it's a quote from Milton... half the paper... fe donor. However, it could be argued that Frankenstein is better related to Prometheus the Fire Thief. Frankenstein's experiments with the double-edged sword of forbidden knowledge had the possibility of bestowing great good on humanity or perhaps the destruction of mankind. Shelley used both versions of the myth to great effect in developing the main theme. His character, Frankenstein, has effectively destroyed everything he held dear due to his obsession with seeking forbidden knowledge. Works Cited: Griffith, GV 1997 Frankenstein in the Context of the Romantic Era. Retrieved April 2004 from http://www.enotes.comHindle, M. 1994, Mary Shelley Frankenstein Penguin Books, LondonHunter, JP (ed.), 1996, Mary Shelley Frankenstein. The 1818 Text, Contexts, Nineteenth-Century Responses, Modern Criticism, W. W. Norton & Company, New York Newey, K. 1993, Mary Shelley's Frankenstein Sydney University Press, Sydney Schmidt, A. 1999, The Myth of Prometheus, Retrieved April 2004 from http://www.enotes.comOates, JC 1984 Frankenstein's Fallen Angel, in Critical Inquiry, Vol 10 No.3. Retrieved April 2004 from http://www.enotes.com