Frankenstein; or, the modern prometheus cover
Dangerous Knowledge

Frankenstein; or, the modern prometheus

A young scientist’s ambition to animate life creates a sentient creature, whose rejection by humanity spirals into a cycle of vengeance that destroys the creator and everyone he loves.

Shelley, Mary Wollstonecraft 1993 74 min

Victor Frankenstein, driven by a desire to transcend natural limits, assembles a humanoid creature from dead matter. Horrified by his creation, he abandons it, prompting the being to seek revenge for its isolation. The narrative follows the catastrophic fallout of this broken bond, moving from the icy Arctic to the serene Swiss Alps, as creator and creation are locked in a mutual pursuit of ruin.

Gazing at his victim, the creature felt a hellish triumph, knowing this death would carry despair to Victor. Searching the body, he found a portrait of a lovely woman. While her beauty momentarily softened him, the thought that he was forever deprived of such delights soon restored his rage. Leaving the murder scene, he entered a barn and found a young woman sleeping. Determined that she should atone for the misery of his existence, he placed the portrait in her dress to frame her for the crime, then fled. Haunting the area for days, he eventually retreated to the mountains to await his creator, declaring that since man would not associate with him, Victor must create a female companion as deformed and horrible as himself to end his misery.

Having framed an innocent woman for William’s murder and retreated to the mountains, the creature waited to confront the man responsible for his wretched existence. His demand would force Victor to face the consequences of his creation and weigh the cost of refusing it.

Concluding his narrative, the Creature fixed a heavy gaze on Victor and demanded the creation of a female companion to share his existence. Victor, recoiling at the thought of multiplying wickedness, flatly refused. He argued that bringing another monster into the world would only spread desolation and swore that no torture would force him to consent. The Creature countered that his malice was solely the product of his misery. Rejected by humanity, he vowed that if he could not inspire love, he would dedicate himself to fear, directing his inextinguishable hatred specifically toward his creator.

Calming his passion, the Creature attempted to reason with Victor. He insisted his request was modest and just, proposing that a mate as hideous as himself would allow them to live harmlessly in the wilds of South America. He promised to avoid human society entirely, subsisting on wild food, and argued that companionship would naturally foster virtue by curing the solitude that drove him to crime. Victor remained skeptical, fearing that the Creature’s longing for connection would eventually draw him back to civilization with a partner to aid in destruction. However, the logic of the plea and the terrifying power of the being before him began to weigh on Victor’s mind. He realized that refusing might provoke the destruction of his family, while compliance might rid the world of the Creature forever.

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