Impressions on Frankenstein's Pursuit of the Creature

Frankenstein is not the one who starts the vengeful battle between the two as it is the Creature who kills his wife which leaves Frankenstein to avenge the death. Although he does deny the Creature a female partner similar to him it is reasoned and thought about as he starts to make the female version but does not finish it. This is newly found moral code helps him to feel better about not finishing the deed.

Before Frankenstein even contemplates any sort of revenge or journey across the world he is extremely anxious. The words of the Creature echo in his narration “I will be with you on your wedding night” and at this point in the book he believes that he will be the victim of the Creature’s revenge. However we later find out that it is Elizabeth. This surprise will contribute to the “maddening rage” he feels after the death of Elizabeth. But right after the death of his wife he lets other people go and look for the Creature while he lies down because he “was exhausted”. In fact it is only when he sees his father back in Geneva that he declares “cursed be the fiend that brought misery on his grey hairs”.

Once the pursuit actually starts there does not seem to be much face to face interaction between the Creature and Frankenstein. A dogged determination also comes across when Frankenstein claims “I pursued him; for many months” and even when “several of my dogs died” he continues with the dogs he has left into “Tartary and Russia”. It is at this point in the book we see Frankenstein’s obsessive and focussed nature take over. The narrative is solely himself with lots of descriptive imagery used to describe the scenery. I interpret all of this as if it is really Frankenstein running away from himself because we have a complete lack of response from the Creature and all he seems to concentrate on is getting wherever he needs to get to.

Right at the end of the pursuit sequence in the book on page 178 the narrative swaps from Frankenstein to Walton again. The last words that Frankenstein says in the book is “I will hover near, and direct the steel alright.”

The Beginning of Frankenstein

The beginning to Frankenstein is a series of letters from Robert Walter to his sister Margret Saville as he commences his journey to the North Pole. However neither he nor his sister are main characters in this book yet they take arguably the most important part of the book. Once you start reading the letters it appears that Robert’s character is comparable to Frankenstein’s. Robert is obsessive about getting to the North Pole declaring his heart “glows with an enthusiasm which elevates me to heaven” and that “this expedition has been the favourite dream of my early years”. He also is arrogant about the importance of his expedition saying that “you cannot contest the inestimable benefit which I shall confer on all mankind to the last generation”. Frankenstein shows his obsessive nature and arrogance later on in the book once he starts narrating.

I believe that Mary Shelley decided that by introducing Robert Walton and all of his eccentricities right at the beginning of the book it would be easier for the reader to suspend their belief and carry on reading because they would believe the story of Frankenstein. Frankenstein could be defined as a Science Fiction book because although the story is set in the past (1700s) in comparison to when Mary Shelley was writing it (1818) no one has ever stuck parts of bodies together and galvanised it back to life. It is often stated that good Science Fiction books can be as far-fetched as possible as long as “the author can make it seem plausible[1]” and this is one of the reasons why Mary Shelley put these letters at the beginning of the book.

As we are introduced to Frankenstein in Letter 4 the reader already knows that the story will come back to the North Pole, probably near the end if his “limbs were nearly frozen” and “his body dreadfully emaciated by fatigue and suffering”. By knowing the result of the hero the reader has to find out how it has reached this point which encourages them to read on even if the surprise element is lost at the end.

Another factor to consider with these letters is the setting because they are set in the place where the book ends so it gives the book a circular narrative in terms of the location. The set in this part of the book would have been considered exotic and mysterious as very few people travelled there without being rich or well prepared. The white and isolated surroundings gives the setting an ominous feel which increases the tension especially with the “very thick fog” that came and went leaving the ship “nearly surrounded by ice”. Frankenstein later states in the book that he “traversed a vast portion of the Earth” moving through “deserts and barbarous countries”. It shows that there is nowhere Frankenstein won’t go to try and kill his monster.

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[1] http://io9.com/5879434/10-writing-rules-we-wish-more-science-fiction-and-fantasy-authors-would-break

The Story of Prometheus

The story of Prometheus originates from Greek mythology. The story starts off with Prometheus and Epimetheus being spared from imprisonment in Tartarus (A hell situated deeper than Hades and is referred to as the ultimate hell as it is full of all the worst possible things). The two were given the task of creating men so Prometheus creates the humans out of mud. Athena then breathed life into these clay figures.

Prometheus assigned a task to Epimeheus which involved him giving the creatures of the Earth various characteristics such as swiftness, cunning, strength, fur and wings. But by the time Epimetheus got to the humans all of the good qualities had been given to the other creatures. Prometheus fixed this and gave the humans the ability to stand up like the Gods and the ability to make fire. The result of this action was that Prometheus felt more of an affinity with the humans rather than the Olympians.

When Zeus said that Prometheus had to present a portion of each animal that they scarified to the Gods Prometheus decided to trick Zeus. He created two piles for the meat, one with bones wrapped in the fat of the animals and the other one had all of the good meat hidden in with the hide. Naturally Zeus picked the pile with the bones wrapped in fat and when Zeus found out he had been tricked he took fire away from the humans. In return Prometheus decided to give fire back to the humans. Zeus was so enraged that he had been defied that he punished Prometheus by creating a creature of stunning beauty.

This creature of stunning beauty was called Pandora and she had a box that she wasn’t allowed to open. Zeus sent Pandora down to the humans so he could stay with Epimeheus and even though Prometheus had told Epimeheus not to accept any gifts from Zeus she ended up staying. The temptation became too much for Pandora and she opened up the box which released plagues, evils, sorrows and misfortunes into the world. But at the bottom of the box was hope.

The result of all of this was that Zeus was extremely angry at Prometheus for three different things. Number 1 was that Prometheus had tricked him into taking the bones with the fat; Number 2 was that he stole fire for the humans even though Zeus had purposely taken the fire away and finally Number 3 was that Prometheus refused to tell Zeus which of Zeus’s children would dethrone him. The punishment that Prometheus received was that he was seized by Force and Violence (Zeus’s servants) and taken up Caucasus Mountain to be chained there with unbreakable chains. A giant eagle tormented Prometheus day and night by tearing at his liver. However Prometheus was released from his torture because Chiron the Centaur volunteered to die and Hercules killed the eagle for him.

Themes, Motifs and Symbols in Doctor Faustus

The themes in the play Doctor Faustus are as follows:

Sin, Redemption and Damnation

Starting off with Sin, it is clear to a Christian belief system that Doctor Faustus commits a Sin by signing a “deed” to sell his soul to the devil. Despite Doctor Faustus being the central character in the play he isn’t the only character that sins in this play. If one believes that magic is blasphemous and against the acts of God as you are manipulating God’s intended path for you then it would mean that Valdes has also sinned. In Act 1 Scene 1 Valdes offers to “instruct” Faustus “in the rudiments”, which is another way of saying magic, so that he can be “perfecter” than Valdes. All of these encouragements by Valdes and Cornelius have an effect on Faustus as he admits that their “words have won me”. The construction of Cornelius and Valdes raises the question of whether persuading someone to commit a sin is an act of sin in itself because they are the ones that create this excitement in Faustus to want to become a magician.

As for Redemption Faustus only starts to try and redeem himself in Act 2 Scene 3 when he feels he is in too deep and feels that Mephistopheles has “deprived” him “of those joys” which means he is referring to the “heavens”. Even though it was Faustus who made the decision to sell his soul to the devil he appears to be blaming Mephistopheles for his decision making. However when the Good Angel advises Faustus to “repent” because “God will pity thee” Faustus does seem momentarily interested but ultimately doesn’t repent to God. Therefore the one wonders how sincere Faustus’s wish to repent for his actions was. The overall feeling is that Faustus only wants to make his life easier and not repent because his actions were religiously abhorrent.

Finishing with Damnation, which occurs near the end of the book in Act 5 when Faustus realises that his “offence can ne’er be pardoned” and later accepts that “thou must be damned perpetually” for the acts he has done. The fact that Faustus acknowledges his damnation is the most tragic part of the play because there is nothing he can do to reverse his situation so he is stuck in limbo but with the feeling of absolute fear that he is going to hell. I think that Christopher Marlowe constructs Doctor Faustus in the way he does because it means that the audience feels no sympathy for Faustus when he is being arrogant at the beginning of the play but as the play progresses the sympathy increases. If this is the case then it creates a moral for the play in that one must really thoroughly consider the decisions that one makes otherwise you become damned and then there is no return.

The Conflict between Medieval and Renaissance Values

According to Medieval values God was the centre of existence and pushed away the idea of man as an individual and the natural world. During the Renaissance a more scientific way of looking at situations and the natural world was used as well as focussing on the individual and classical learning. These two viewpoints did clash with each other mainly through the role of Religion in someone’s life because God was the centre of life in medieval life but a more secular approach was taken during the Renaissance period.

Doctor Faustus can definitely be described as a Renaissance man because his thirst for knowledge knows no bounds which is particularly noticeable in Act 1 Scene 1 because Faustus spends most of his time disregarding many fields of scholarship particularly theology when he laughs a “Ha!” at the idea that “The reward of sin is death”. This definitely goes against medieval and highly religious beliefs that much of the Elizabethan audience would have been aware of. They would have known that Marlowe was voicing a modern way of looking at the world which could have been considered controversial.

Power as a Corrupting Power

Power is definitely a corrupting force over Faustus and it leads him into making the decision to sell his soul. Faustus declares that he “most desires…omnipotence”. There isn’t a creature in the world that is more powerful than a God and if Faustus wants to equal that then it shows how power hungry he is.

Power also manipulates itself into the relationship of Mephistopheles and Faustus because it is never really clear whether Mephistopheles is serving Faustus or whether Mephistopheles is advising Faustus on the decisions he should make. It first appears that Faustus summoned Mephistopheles but Mephistopheles disagrees and says that he came “of mine own accord”. Mephistopheles has more knowledge of the decision that Faustus wants to make and the type of contract that Faustus will sign. Normally knowledge is power however Faustus seems to take the dominating role at the beginning of the relationship when he is surprised at “how pliant” Mephistopheles is and that he is full of “obedience and humility” which doesn’t suggest that Mephistopheles holds the power in that relationship.

The Divided Nature of Man

Faustus definitely is unsure on his decision to sell his soul however it isn’t helped by the constant advice given by all of the characters as to what he should do. The two angels show the two opposite viewpoints that Faustus is debating over. The Good Angel maintains that Faustus need only “repent” and “God will pity thee” whereas the Bad Angel says that “God cannot pity thee” and predicts that Faustus “never shall repent”. The conflict that Faustus goes through is a recognisable human process because many people know what the morally right thing to do, whether they do that or not is another thing. The temptation to do something morally bad or wrong is something that people battle with every day in varying degrees of severity. Christopher Marlowe decided to make the conflict over the decision of whether Faustus should sell his soul a large part of the play because it makes an otherwise unlikeable character someone who people can relate to because Faustus has doubts and emotions.

The Motifs in the play Doctor Faustus are as follows:

Magic and the Supernatural

Magic and the Supernatural are supposed to be these extraordinary powers that only special people can master and use however many people, no matter the class, use magic in Doctor Faustus. Rafe and Robin are lowly characters but use magic to summon Mephistopheles in Act 3 Scene 2 by simply reading from a “conjuring book”. This takes away the mystery from magic. What this play actually does is take away the glamour and excitement from magic because all of the people that use it suffer for it. Mephistopheles declares that the state he is living in “is hell”, Doctor Faustus gets sent to “ugly hell” and Rafe and Robin get turned into a “dog” and an “ape” respectively.

Practical Jokes

When Doctor Faustus finally gets his magical powers all that he uses it for is as a way to pull practical jokes on other people. He sells a horse for forty dollars to the Horse-Courser which turns into a bale of hay when he rides it into the water and Faustus also magically makes “horns” grow on the Knights head. His jokes all seem to be at the expense of someone else. Some critics suggest that Christopher Marlowe writes Faustus to do these practical jokes because it shows how far he has fallen, from the supposedly knowledgeable scholar at the beginning of the play to a silly mediocre magician. It also highlights how much Faustus gave up for what turned out to be the ability to pull some fairly cruel practical jokes.

The Symbols in the play Doctor Faustus are as follows:

Blood

Blood is mentioned fairly regularly in Doctor Faustus, it seems to bookend the contract that Faustus makes as Faustus actually signs the deed in his own blood even though it “congeals” and tries to stop him from signing away his soul. Then at the end of the play before he gets sent to hell “Christ’s blood” is mentioned because Faustus feels he can see it in the sky. He then declares that “one drop” of Christ’s blood “would save my soul”. The reason that Christopher Marlowe has decided to include this symbol in the play is because sometime one thing can either save someone, as with Jesus’s blood, or condemn someone to hell, as when Faustus signs his soul away.

Faustus’s Rejection of the Ancient Authorities

In Act 1 Scene 1 Faustus spends a long time talking through his decision to choose magic as his pathway in life however by doing this he disregards many of the greatest academics the world has ever witnessed. He declares twice after reading one line from Aristotle’s and Galen’s greatest works that “thou hast attained the end” because he feels that he understands both Philosophy and Medicine. By the time he gets to speculating about Physics he simply says “Physic, farewell” because it bores him so much. Then when he is talking about Law he decides that it is “too servile and illiberal” for him to consider studying it. Theology is the last subject to be objected to Faustus’s scrutiny, first he says that “Divinity is best” but then laughs and makes a judgement on the Bible’s words that “The reward of sin is death” by saying “That’s hard”. The fact that Faustus is rejecting these subjects shows that he is shunning the medieval way of life and viewpoint.

The Good Angel and the Bad Angel

The two angels appear at the beginning of the play to try and help Doctor Faustus make his decision. As the names suggest the Good Angel tries to persuade Faustus to “repent” or turn to God instead of the devil whereas the Bad Angel encourages Faustus to ignore the Good Angel and allow himself to be tempted into selling his soul. The role of the Angels can be viewed as Christopher Marlowe giving Faustus’s conscience a voice so the audience can understand where Faustus is coming from. They are vital in the play because they voice the concerns and positives of both sides of the argument.

The Staging of Doctor Faustus

I will be discussing how, if I were director of Doctor Faustus, I would stage the first part of the play. During the time that Christopher Marlowe was writing the stage wouldn’t have been as elaborate as the ones around nowadays. Theatre stages were only just starting to be built in the late 16^th century, 1576 to be exact. The stage was based on the design of an inn yard so normally took the form of a square or rectangle as well as this the stage was often exposed to the temperamental English weather. However this normally only affected the poorer customers at the ground level and not the richer clientele who sat above in the raised seating.

As for the scenery and the props, the comparison between the 16^th century theatre and modern theatre is vast. If the play dictated a certain setting or country then it was written down on a card and shown to the audience beforehand to make sure that the scene was set. Many of the props were brought onto the stage but they weren’t elaborate so simple pieces of decoration such as daggers or skulls were used (as in Hamlet). When Marlowe wrote Doctor Faustus these were the limitations that he would have known about so there aren’t many stage directions given unlike modern writers such as Tennessee Williams who relied on stage directions to dictate how they wanted the actors to play the characters. The only stage direction that could be given was “Above” or “Enter *Certain Character*”. The only detailing on the stage was a balcony which allowed there to be a difference in height.

In terms of the scenery I would keep it uncomplicated as the story is what captivates the audience and not the setting. The setting is important, just as it is in any literature, but because it is only mentioned in brief by the author I wouldn’t put too much detailing into it. On the subject of props I wouldn’t give Faustus any props when he is conjuring the devil as I feel that it would add to the accidental feel of the scene and also give the idea that the devil is anywhere and can be conjured at any time.

As well as Doctor Faustus and Mephistopheles there are two angels a “Good Angel” and an “Evil Angel”. Christopher Marlowe does not mention how he would like the two angels to be placed on stage. Some people interpret the angels as being Faustus’ conscience so they would place the angels off stage. The audience would only be able to hear their voices and not see them in human form. However when Faustus accepts the Angels advice it would make him appear more mentally unstable. In Faustus’s opening speech he does talk to himself and refer to himself in the third person “Settle thy studies, Faustus, and begin”. Another interpretation is that Faustus is tempted by the devil so they would only place the Evil Angel on stage. This would give the effect of Evilness tempting Faustus because Faustus’ decision seems to be much more influenced by the Evil Angel. Neither of these are interpretations I agree with because if you make Faustus seem mentally unstable or tempted it takes away his autonomy to make his own decisions therefore implies that he doesn’t deserve the consequences of his actions. I interpret Faustus as a clever yet arrogant man when he discards Philosophy as “odious and obscure” with both Law and Physics being for “petty wits”. To show this to the audience I would have him on stage with both of the angels and he would acknowledge both of them. This way he seems to make more of an informed decision. By giving the angels a human form it shows that these spirits exist and can help or hinder you in your life.

Despite Doctor Faustus conjuring up Mephistopheles by reciting Latin incorrectly Marlowe only dictates that “Enter a Devil”. There is no special magic or jumping out from around corners. The only clue the audience gets that the Devil is scary is that Faustus demands that Mephistopheles

“to return and change thy shape.

Thou art too ugly”.

Ugly can take many different shapes depending on interpretations and a modern spectator would expect the writer to dictate exactly what his vision is. I would interpret Marlowe’s words as a purely physical imperfection instead of anything else. Also if he had superficial imperfections then when Mephistopheles goes and changes to a “holy shape” which “becomes a devil best” I would have him change into a normal human form because it makes the devil seem more universal and hidden. By having the devil being represented in human form not only would it add a sense of fear that the devil can reside in everyone but it also shows  that everyone has a devilish streak in them. It is the choices that you make which dictate the path you take.