The Tempest and Frankenstein both have a common theme, and they exhibit an extreme misuse as well as a violation of nature with the formation and use of authority outside the natural world that result in an inappropriate deformation and despair. The term nature in this essay is used to refer to any possible thing that is in the cycle of life without the human intervention. Due to man-made authority, the two novels illustrate an entire demise of human beings, in both unique but differing ways. In Frankenstein, Shelley brings the concept of zero in making nothing to something; with an aim of building a life that is from a person's knowledge and not hands. Similar, The Tempest by Shakespeare emphasizes on a magic sense of distrusting as well as transforming what is already present. Both the two novels undoubtedly exhibit the idea, which through challenging reality, nature and the norms that accompany, misfortune, as well as disaster, is the final, and the only consequences and results.
Victor Frankenstein in Shelley’s novel isolates himself entirely from the outside world with an aim of playing God and geometrical engineer, with the knowledge and science, a miserable monster to whom, when given life, becomes total disaster accompanied with fear and sorrow to him (Fehr 756). Undoubtedly, Victor caught up himself in the strength of bringing to life a creature relying entirely on science and knowledge, instead of love that exists between a man and a woman. He was lost in the natural formation as well the supremacy of life; he took almost two years making perfect the art that he came up with of “giving life to an intimate being”(Frankenstein 15) and in the end created what would turn against him.
After a long duration of attempting to create the being, Victor shows his revulsion by shouting "Wrenched devil! You reprimand me with the formation of you; come on, then, to enable me to extinguish the spark that is so neglectfully bestowed (Frankenstein 19). This quote in a clear manner depicts the feeling that Victor has over the "devil" he carelessly formed. The mere existence of the monster bestows upon Victor a lot of same and he wishes nothing other than to destroy the wretch, the same piece of art that he so diligently created. It is of interest to see Victor using the word “negligent” in describing the manner in which he created the monster since the word indicates a sense of complete carelessness, or informality, which was not the initial intention of his project.
He chooses to separate himself from both the family and friends as well for two years off his life in a study to learn every possible thing that lies behind anatomy and that which life is made of. However, Victor did not need this monster anymore or nothing to do with it and deemed his decisions like that which accompanied recklessness and ended up killing a young kid. This clearly correlates to the violation of nature guidelines and Victors’ downfall of his physical as well as emotional stability within the normal societal realm. Due to this exploitation, Victor undergoes the unfolding experience of detrimental occurrences that leads eventually, to his death as well as the death of what he made. In the same experience, nature is seen to have a strong power of authority that cannot be compared to human creation without irresistible reputations.
Shakespeare in The Tempest illuminates the detriments of deforming reality with the help of magic spell by the wizard-shaped, and power hungry character Prospero, as he intends to demolish the lives of many people and eventually destroy himself. Forming an ideal environment to shift magical the regular path of life for a few individuals, Prospero collects a group of men in I island with the intentions of destroying their lives. “The high charms that I have work and my enemies are all tied up in that which will destroy them; they are now in my possession and authority and in these fits, I leave them"(The Tempest 19). Prospero, in this case, shows the audiences an abnormal spell and tactic that he employs In changing the natural flow of the lives of human beings. He obtains his excitement from seeing these people in his "fits" and suffering. The malicious intentions that he has have dramatically transformed the original path for that which these people belong, leaving them with a terror that forever stays with them.
Prospero considers his magic concerning the powers that he posse when the epilog begins. Speaking to the audience in a direct manner, Prospero admits that "Now my strengths and charms all belong to me, which is most faint" He considers the decisions he makes to be disarming his charms without the presence of strength, a power synonym. Now that he no longer has magic, so does the power. He, therefore, depends on himself instead of the magic he has often relied on for a long time. It is, however, important to point out that just as early as Prospero realizes his power and strength due to his charms, he realizes on the contrary that the limited, deficiency of power and strength that he posses does, in fact, exist without the charms.
His powers, by himself, is faint, and he would not be in a position to finish he tasks of destroying as well as controlling the lives of other people as he did when he had his charms. In these case, the charms that Prospero has does not only destroy and affect other people’s lives but also destroys the quality of his life, abandoning him in an entire solitude manner after the position he has diminished. Since he introduced sorrow as well as confusion to other people, he receives the same punishment. Defining his “ending [as] misery” (The Tempest 10), it is definite that he is not attached to the world emotionally, and the actions that he has shown have driven away any chances of healthy relations with anyone on the island and under his spell. Due to the decisions he made, he will undergo suffering and emotional frustration and live with sadness and seclusion as well.
Even though these two novels are written with journeys, they all end up in a similar context. Both men did not end up with the satisfaction of that which life has to offer since they have looked into the future to their face off with Mother Nature (Nisbet and Sleep 201). The main intentions of the two exhortations of nature were purposely to take control of power. In one way or the other, they both control a life two which was not intended for them. Victor had the intentions of controlling breathing life to a man who was dead while Prospero has the intentions of taking control of the people who surrounded him and tweaked the thoughts they had as well as their action for his benefit and their harms as well.
Each one of the entirely motivated the violations and controlled by the research they did over power and authority that exists beyond human knowledge (Karin 221). This is literally and most obviously identified when The Tempest begins and when Prospero inquiries from his servant Aerial in case he "perform'd to point the tempest that I bade thee?"(The Tempest 17) Prospero formed a storm, the tempest, ensuring a transformation in nature for the purpose of steering the victims on his possession off course and to his devious possession. It is obvious that he not only is in control of over nature at this point but also over people since his word choice in this quote indicates an authority over Aires. He does not only authorize but also receives evils that will assist him against his enemies. The same illustration is seen with Victor in Frankenstein as he notices with the help of his studies that "life and death revealed themselves to me in bounds, which I can break through first, and provide light into the dark world that we exist.” Through this quotation, it is relevant that Frankenstein was in a position to see nature challenge, that, that which is behind life and death were hurdles he could not unfold. The delights he showed in the perception of his ability to be another sole create and that human body would be forced to provide credit to him as an offering, training him to a superior being did not bear any fruits.
The two Novels, therefore, shows that humans, skew nature and what is regarded to as being the normal real behind natural world, penalties exist that do not lead anywhere apart from a dead end, emotional and physical frustrations. Victor received severer suffering from the isolation which created strife in his mind and eventually leads to his physical end while Prospero perceived emotional pain since he experienced loneliness sting in his life after depletion of his charms. Notably, nature offers the strongest power not worth destroying.
Works Cited
Shakespeare, William. The Tempest.First Folio, 1623. Online: http://www.william-shakespeare.info/shakespeare-play-the-tempest.htm
Shelley, Mary. Frankenstein, Or the Modern Prometheus.London: Oxford University Press, 1818. Online: http://www.brian-t-murphy.com/FrankensteinV1.htm#VolIChapter4
Fehr, Ernst, and Urs Fischbacher. "The nature of human altruism." Nature425.6960 (2003): 785-791.
Nisbet, E. G., and N. H. Sleep. "The habitat and nature of early life." Nature409.6823 (2001): 1083-1091.
Karin, Michael, and Anning Lin. "NF-κB at the crossroads of life and death."Nature immunology 3.3 (2002): 221-227.
