Consider the themes of the four major pieces of literature we've studied this semester (Brave New World, The Canterbury Tales, Frankenstein, and Macbeth). In a cogently written (3E) short essay, explain how the themes of TWO of the works are similar. Do not rely on plot summary; instead, use the plot as a means for analytical exploration of your selected theme.
Remember that theme is the UNIVERSAL MORAL or LESSON about LIFE that is conveyed by a literary work.
Good luck! Due by TUESDAY at 8pm.
Two pieces of literature that we have read this semester that share a common and universal theme include the work of Mary Shelly’s Frankenstein and Shakespeare's tragedy, Macbeth. Both stories are unique in their own individual ways in which make each of them untimely tales. However, while discussing theme these two fundamentally different works of literature share a common theme; that ambition, while exceeded, can blind side one of theirs' and other’s moral values, and one can meet their own detrimental demise. Both Frankenstein and Macbeth display this theme, and although written in completely different time frames and having contrasting storylines, they roughly both end the same way and with the same tone.
ReplyDeleteFrankenstein has only one character that is able to be an example of this theme and that character is Victor Frankenstein himself. Victor, even as a child, has always been an overly ambitious and compassionate person throughout his life. This characteristic just kept growing as he entered collage and began to become obsessed with the science of the body. It is there to which his passion truly grew into an unhealthy manner and where Victor started to shut himself out from his friend, family, and the rest of the world in order to complete his inhuman work of science. He eventually was successful and, after many years of isolation, was able to his creation, his abomination, in its full stature. However, his reaction automatically pointed the theme of the book elsewhere, as while seeing his creation the only emotion that Victor was overcome with was sheer terror. From this one single act of an excess of ambition came several tragic and often despicable events that soon followed one after another (usually ending up in someone getting killed). Victor sees his faults and mistakes for what they are because he is seeing what has become of them. He recognized what he has done and owns up it it by devoted the rest of his life to catching and destroying the one thing that he thought would make his life successful when in reality it destroyed him. Victor is a perfect example of what can become of a person with too much ambition, as it will normally take one to the grave. Frankenstein easily displays this theme of what exceeded ambition can do to a character in more ways than one simply by this one man’s story.
Macbeth, by William Shakespeare, is a well-known play of his that happens to also share the theme of over ambition. There are two characters in this play that display this in different ways; Macbeth and Lady Macbeth. Macbeth is in possession of the desire for power and overall advancement. In this Shakespearean work Macbeth goes to great lengths to get these rewards however what is required of him is pushed on by his thing-of-a-wife, Lady Macbeth. Now she is something of a tale as Lady Macbeth is not like the kind of woman one would expect to see in the Elizabethan Era. She is her own person, with her own dreams and desire but is not willing to go the lengths herself to receive them and so she convinces her husband to do the deed. Her ambition is driven by sheer determination, however, as the play goes on the readers will learn that even she, this head-strong, seemingly invincible woman cannot withstand the consequences of her immoral acts to reach her goals. Both husband and wife have the similar goals but for different reasons. Each one of their goals ultimately end due to their need for a greater power, Lady Macbeth becomes afraid of the dark and everything engulfed by it where previously found comfort, ease, and power. She kills herself out of this undiagnosed illness. As for Macbeth, he meets the consequences of his climb to power as he had disrupted everything rightly standing his world. He is later killed by Macduff in the act of revenge and loyalty to the throne.
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Based on these two works of literature, an excess of ambition proves to be the beginning of the end. They both display this theme in one way or another by showing how each character, when met with this challenge of character, are led down a long and dark path of destruction and unbalance. Frankenstein and Macbeth show this well, as both stories reveal how ambition, the subject of this universal theme, should by no means be underestimated.
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ReplyDeleteFrankenstein and Macbeth both show the consequences of ambition when left unchecked.
In Frankenstein the theme of unchecked ambition is shown through Dr. Frankenstein himself. Dr. Frankenstein does not listen to anyone when they tell him to stop pursuing the sciences, even though his father called it “sad trash”. Frankenstein creates this monster due to his unchecked ambition and this monster ends up killing even one Frankenstein loves. If Frankenstein had been less ambitious than they would not have died.
In Macbeth the theme of unchecked ambition is shown through Lady Macbeth. In the play Lady Macbeth does not even attempt to stop Macbeth from killing Duncan, she encourages Macbeth to do it. If Macbeth had been smart enough to think for himself he would have been able to see what she was doing. Macbeth believes that Lady Macbeth wants him to be King, when in reality she wants to be Queen and she’s just using him as a stepping stone to do so. Her ambition gets the better of her and she lets Macbeth kill the King without realizing what it would do to Scotland. Her ambition caused people to die and while she was so happy that she was queen she had not realized what Macbeth had done. Lady Macbeth does not realize that Macbeth now has ambitions of his own and has killed Banquo.
Macbeth and Frankenstein are remarkably different with their plot, literary style, and time eras. But if one analyzed the texts deeply, one would see that both share a more universal connection with one another. The authors present an overall lesson or theme relative to the characters, specifically Macbeth and M. Frankenstein. These strong-willed men strive to be the ideal Elizabethan and Renaissance man, working diligently on their future goals and doing whatever it takes to get themselves there. Unfortunately, throughout the characters’ journey, they turn away from this ideal and prove to the audience that there is one fatal flaw. The idea that a man should be so motivative in one goal that it should consume most of their life, time, and energy. Their beliefs are that the objectives will affect the future tremendously, so their works should consume much of their life, time, and energy.
ReplyDeleteIn the tragedy of Macbeth, Shakespeare implies to his viewers that the ideal Elizabethan man is respected and well-rounded in many elements of life. Macbeth is shown in the first acts of the play as being a loyal and highly looked upon soldier with a good reputation from his superiors. After hearing his prophecy about taking over Scotland’s throne, Macbeth believes it will only come true if he spurs into action. Through a series of careless and wicked thoughts and actions, Macbeth reveals to the audience that he, himself is the devilish character because of his intense motivations. In this instance, Macbeth had so much will-power and passion to pursue his goals, his selfishness took over, resulting in the loss of his sanity, friends and family, and ultimately his true goal. Very similar to Macbeth, M. Frankenstein had a goal/dream that would have affected his future tremendously. Frankenstein dedicated all of studies to his new creation, ignoring his family for many years, in addition to disregarding his mental and physical health. When read, the audience realize the many tragic and unfortunate that follow the creation of the monster. Reflecting on this, Frankenstein’s major flaw was not only his ignorance on his daily life but mostly willingness to sacrifice many for the completion of one task. The relation of these two characters are shown to be the overall passion for their subject which consumes their daily life and sanity. Shortly before and during their goals were in progress, both men were unable to find a steady balance within their life, leading to their major downfall.
Present the idea that too much passion and motivation in one aspect of one’s life can ultimately cause the downfall that will bring them back to rock bottom. Having an excess amount of dedication can lead to the ignorance of all the other elements of life. Just like Macbeth and Frankenstein, one fatal flaw can a major effect in one’s future plans.
Both Brave New World, as well as Frankenstein, focus on individuality. Brave New World imposes the idea and value of individuality, questioning its importance in a working, industrial society. Frankenstein then questions how other people view one’s unique and special individuality, and how others perceive one’s choices and ambitions.
ReplyDeleteBrave New World has characters like Bernard, Helmholtz, and John who strive for their own special personality and value. However characters like Lenina and the Director want and hope for a lack of indiivudality in society. A constant idea seen throughout the course of Brave New World is questioning if individuality is truly necessary in society, and would the world be better off without various types of people. However, the theme derived from this is that individuality is of sole importance in society, and taking that individuality from yourself, or other people is detrimental for yourself, and society as a whole. The novel first questions the idea of individuals with the scene in the factory, where we learn is the breeding center of superficial human beings. Humans have no families in this dystopian future, no emotion, and no personality. However, society economically is thriving, and the world is peaceful with no fighting, no violence, and no disruption of peace. Huxley imposes this idea that society lacking individuality seems to be thriving in this future, but as readers who value our individuality we know that our individuality makes us who we are. Huxley’s plot involves characters such as Bernard, Helmholtz, and John are punished for attempting to attain individuality. Through these hyperbolic punishments, it is noticeable that humans take their individuality for granted, and should cherish it before it could ever possibly be taken away or devalued by another. Huxley wants readers to know that individuality is a valuable natural right, and should not be taken for granted.
Frankenstein follows this idea of individuality into a more specifc idea of individuality and the result of having individual ambitions. Both Frankenstein and the monster are seen to have various ambitions, and achieve them in various ways. However, both critique one another’s ambitions, and receive criticism from others in the story, and even the reader’s choose sides on who is justified or not. This is all a matter of perspective, and is what I feel the theme of the novel is. I believe that Shelley is implying the theme that ambition is necessary with or without moderation, however, the way one chooses to be ambitious will be seen by someone else as too uncouth, too soft, too strong, too weak, too unnecessary, and no person will see someone’s ambition as justified. I believe this intertwines with the idea of individuality, and that although we have individuality in this day and age that is not taken away from us, it is still questioned by others unnecessarily. Even as I was reading Frankenstein, I had opinions over who was justified in the entire plot, however the problem is when others act on these opinions. Frankenstein had the ambition and will to create the monster, and he knew that no one would agree with his ideas. The monster had the ambition to hunt down Frankenstein, and attempt to kill him, and obviously Frankenstein was disapproving of this. Ambitions are various and the way one goes about them varies as well, however, Frankenstein imposes the idea of perspective, which causes others to devalue other’s opinions, values, and ambitions. Overall, Brave New World and Frankenstein serve as novels that question individuality in such an absurd way that allows readers to understand the message to not question and judge others individuality.
The books Frankenstein and Macbeth share many themes. One theme seen in both works is that excessive ambition can be one’s greatest downfall. Victor Frankenstein uses his ambition to become a great scientist and create a monster unlike anything created before. Although his ambition is what motivates him to achieve his goals, his excessive amount of ambition is what leads to his downfall. He puts everything important to him on the line when he creates the monster. The monster’s existence and actions to harm others eventually drives Frankenstein mad. He is overcome with feelings of guilt and feels as if he must avenge the deaths of all his loved ones. His excessive ambition to be the best scientist and make a name of himself leads him to create a monster. His ambition for glory clouds his judgement and eventually leads to his death.
ReplyDeleteMacbeth is similar to Frankenstein in that his ambition to become king and hold power will eventually lead to his own death. Macbeth desperately wants power and the title of king. He wants power so badly that with his clouded judgement, he proceeds to kill King Duncan and any other person who could possibly get in his way. Macbeth’s actions to murder innocent people just for power leads Macduff no other option than to kill Macbeth because of his actions. Ambition gets in the way of Macbeth making any rational and reasonable decisions. His ultimate decisions to become a killer to achieve ultimate power eventually leads to his own downfall and death. Lady Macbeth is also a victim of excessive ambition. Lady Macbeth wants to have power just as desperately as Macbeth, if not more. For her to have power, her husband must have power. Because of this, Lady Macbeth is willing to tell Macbeth anything to convince Macbeth that killing the King for power is the best and most rational decision. Knowing what she did in order for power drives her mad and insane. Her madness eventually leads to suicide. Whether it be Dr. Frankenstein, Macbeth, or Lady Macbeth, excessive amounts of ambition lead to one’s own downfall due to lack of judgement and rational thought.
Though Macbeth and Frankenstein have diverse thoughts and elements woven in eloquent words they share many things in common. Both writers of these literary masterpieces display similar themes using different techniques. Shakespear wrote Macbeth in the 16th century while Frankenstein was written in the 18th century. Though these stories were written during different time periods they both share a common theme. The theme Frankenstein and Macbeth share is that ambition is harmful once love and friendship is lost.
ReplyDeleteShakespeare displays this theme in Macbeth by having his characters go through changes that represent the damage of ambition. The first character used to display the theme of ambition is Macbeth himself. Macbeth is seen as a humble and kind character at the beginning of the plot, yet changes occur and Macbeth becomes overcome with the power of ambition. Because of this Macbeth shuts everyone out of his life and only strives for power and becomes paranoid. Shakespear uses this to emphasis how ambition can take over and completely dictate one's life. Another example Shakespeare uses in Macbeth is Lady Macbeth. Lady Macbeth is shown as a strong powerful woman but when ambition is presented, she becomes shut off from the world leading her to become insane. By using these two characters Shakespear displays the theme about how powerful ambition is and once it is present ambition becomes harmful.
Mary Shelly also shows this theme in Frankenstein by using the main character to display the outcome of ambition. The character Shelly uses is Frankenstein by showing how he lost his family and friends to the power of ambition. Frankenstein becomes engulfed with passion and ambition causing him to lose his family and friends. Shelly shows how ambition can cause one to lose all they love in life. Frankenstein is left with hate and an empty heart where only ambition could lay. Thus, Mary Shelley and Shakespeare use their works of art to represent the theme they are trying to convey. Shelly and Shakespear use their story to convey a similar theme; ambition becomes harmful when one sacrifices love and family for their ambition.
In most pieces of literature, both the author and the work itself want to convey a universal message that expresses philosophies of life. Different literary works oftentimes connect with each other thematically, where they transmit a same message through different stories. Frankenstein by Mary Shelley, and Macbeth by William Shakespeare is an apt example of such connection, where both pieces exemplify the debate of fate vs. free will.
ReplyDeleteIn Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, integrations of fate and free will are illustrated throughout the novel. Victor, who deeply believes in fate and destiny, blames all the consequences of his actions as results of the “destined” life in which is determined by God. He uses fate as a scapegoat where he himself takes no responsibility on all the choices he made. However, the destructions that led to his downfall are indeed results from his own mistakes. Victor is the one who decided to create a monster and abandon him, not fate. Thus, “destiny” is nothing but an excuse for Victor to portray himself as the victim, and run away from his responsibilities. As a result, the philosophy of one controlling his or her own life and taking responsibility of his or her actions is emphasized through the depiction of Victor’s narrative.
In relation with Frankenstein, Macbeth by Shakespeare also highlights the impact of one’s own choice on life through the story of the tragic hero. Although the witchcrafts in the play stressed the influence of fate in Macbeth’s life, what truly led to his ultimate death was his own decision of killing the king. Destiny had told him he would become king, but didn’t address him how. Hence he made his own choice of taking on the rebellious act with the manipulation of Lady Macbeth. Throughout the play, Macbeth gradually became blinded from the truth as he continued to immerse himself in his delusional beliefs of fate. It was truly his own selfish ambition, not destiny, that drove him to the downfall of his life. Like Victor, Macbeth chose to believe that the roads of their lives are destined to be ruined by the power of fate, where indeed it was themselves who led to their own destructions.
Both Frankenstein and Macbeth address and emphasize the influences of one’s decisions in life. The different directions of life are often determined by each action one takes and chooses to do. Thus, it is important to ponder thoroughly for truthful decisions that lead to success in life. With the connection between Victor and Macbeth in two literary pieces from completely different eras, such universal message is conveyed through the various aspects and interpretations of stories taking place in Frankenstein and Macbeth.
When comparing the overall themes from Frankenstein by Mary Shelley and Macbeth by William Shakespeare,they are very similar. Both of the works follow a similar story structure in which a character faces a conflict as a result of their ambition and turn to violence/killing in order to resolve their problem. Both character from the two pieces of literature are blinded by the false ambition but in the end both are ruined. Both works seem to act as a cautionary tale and warn against the following of false ambition. Macbeth seems to exhibit the following theme; false ambition leads to the destruction of oneself and others. Macbeth’s greed for power causes him to kill and backstab others in order to achieve his goal. After hearing the witches prophecy, Macbeth is galvanized to do whatever is necessary in order to fulfil it and doing so if blinded by how it affects everyone else. Similar to Macbeth, Dr Frankenstein works in attempt to create life from inanimate objects but in doing so rejects his loved ones. Frankenstein presents the following theme; blinded by one's ambition, false hope and determination leads to the ruination of one’s interpersonal relationships and life as a whole. The two themes are very similar and mainly revolve around the idea that not all ambition is good. Both characters from both stories are too caught up in the moment attempting to satisfy their ambitions and after losing their loved ones have an epiphany in which they consider what is was all worth.
ReplyDeleteOne could dissect the pieces of literature from this semester for hours on end, finding connections in themes and principles. Among the most prevalent concepts in Brave New World, The Canterbury Tales, Frankenstein, and Macbeth is class differentiation and one’s role in society. In BNW, Mustafa Mond creates a world in which everyone is essentially equal; there are no disparities in thoughts or personality. However, this becomes more apparent to the reader when John is introduced and thrown into this world and attempts to combat the uniformity. In The Canterbury Tales, each character is defined by the distinctive traits of their estate. In Frankenstein, Victor Frankenstein creates a monster who is the epitome of the unnatural, which naturally leads to his rejection from society. Finally, Macbeth tells of the dangers of disturbing the balance of a social hierarchy and pushing the limits of power. However, the most distinctly similar theme is the one between Brave New World and Frankenstein. The message conveyed between the two novels is that there is a human tendency to alienate those deemed abnormal, limiting the ability to be compassionate human beings.
ReplyDeleteIn BNW, John is introduced to a new society, and they to him. He is welcomed but displayed as if he is an exotic animal rather than a fellow human being. John is intelligent and reflective unlike the rest of the World State society. These traits of his are neglected however, and he is given a new identity of John “the savage”. Already he is classified as something that could not be further from the truth, distinguishing him as an outsider and as someone too primitive for the high-tech environment of the city. The people of BNW are so accustomed to a technologically advanced living space that they no longer have to think for themselves when all of their time is spent enjoying feelies and orgy porgies. John, on the other hand, has been raised in a simple and natural environment, and in doing so has had time to read books and introspect. This also shows that he is a lonely man, if he has had the time to memorize nearly all Shakespearean literature. His own mother neglects him and refuses to accept her fate as a “savage”. John even bonds with Bernard, one of the only World State civilians who views him as an equal, over a feeling of perpetual loneliness. Huxley’s descriptions of the dull-witted Lenina, whom is a perfect representation of the BNW society, starkly contrasts the thoughtful and melodramatic John. Citizens like Lenina view John as a spectacle, as someone otherworldly. This is not the case however, and John’s purely human instincts cause him to sequester himself from society. Although he isolates himself, it is still the World State that drove him away in the first place.
In Frankenstein, Victor creates a “superhuman” out of the flesh of rotting corpses. Victor had known from the start that he was going to birth a creature whom humanity has never before encountered. Initially, Victor never questioned his rash decision in creating the creature, yet after bringing it to life Victor is repulsed by its very existence and refers to it only as “the wretch”. The creature’s odious appearance repels any and all who come near him. He is so distraught with the hate he receives that he blames his creator, seeking vengeance by killing Victor’s family; family being the one thing he longed for but could not have. The creature was driven to do this because all of society had shunned him and accused him of being a monster, showing just how discriminating and unjust the world is. The creature only grows more bitter, keeping himself in the shadows. By the end of the novel he delivers one final message to Robert Walton and disappears without a trace, subjecting himself to eternal solitude.
ReplyDeleteJohn and the monster are both judged too quickly. They are given names that reflect the fears in which their societies hold. John’s name as the “savage” elucidates the insecurity of the World State due to their technologically advanced lifestyle. It expresses that despite his unsophisticated upbringing, he generates thoughts and ideas that had never been considered in the World State; this provokes the civilians to assume him as different from the rest of them. This does not faze John, who had never fit in the Savage reservation nor the World State. He accepts his independence from the two civilizations and strives to bring awareness to the people of the World State and wake them from their perpetual stupor. The creature from Frankenstein, on the other hand, is treated with disgust despite his wish to belong. He does not accept his alienation which leads him to have murderous intent. John and the creature both represent outcasts of society and the damage that indifference towards outsiders can cause.
Both Frankenstein and Macbeth demonstrate the desire of something greater and unfathomable to most. However desire often comes at a price and may lead to one’s downfall. If desire (especially selfish desire) is not contained, then it can result in struggle or worse. Victor Frankenstein demonstrates this in various ways through his actions in creating the monster. Frankenstein put his blood, sweat, and tears into his creation. He spent copious hours perfecting the monster so naturally he desired a fully functioning man. While working tirelessly on his creation, Victor lost touch with his family, one of the first indications that perhaps the monster wasn’t best for his health and well being. His ambition was so high and he was so determined that he lost sight of what was important; his family and both his physical and mental health. With his desire came unfathomable pain through the destruction from his creation. His desire ultimately shaped a monster that caused harm. If Victor had not let his selfish desires consume him, he might still have his family. Similar to Frankenstein, Macbeth would stop at nothing to ensure that he was king. He stepped on people and put others in peril only to achieve something he desired which ended up costing him. Both Macbeth and Frankenstein wanted something they simply couldn’t achieve without their downfall. One wanted power, the other wanted fame and recognition. Selfish desire motivated them to go further then needed which blinded them in seeing what could potentially happen if they failed. They desired something so much that they hadn’t considered the possibly that what they were doing wasn’t a smart idea. Desire blinds one from seeing what’s really going on in front of them and can lead to chaos.
ReplyDeleteAlthough written in completely different time periods, both Frankenstein and Macbeth share an extremely pertinent theme. Both pieces of literature have a unique way of letting the reader know that one having too much ambition will ultimately lead to one’s destruction.
ReplyDeleteFrankenstein had grown up viewing science as a field where anything is possible. As a result, he set his mind to doing something that had never been done before: creating life from the dead. A big reason why ambition often leads to destruction is due to a person’s reasons behind completing a task. Throughout his time of creating the monster, Frankenstein mentioned how excited he was about the recognition he would get after creating this creature. As a result, he soon became so emerged in his work, forgetting about his family, friends, and any previous plans for life. Finally, the day came where this monster was created. Instead of rejoicing, as most fathers would do once they have seen their child for the first time, Frankenstein ran. His ambition had created nothing more than an ugly monster. At least, that’s what Frankenstein thought. Once the monster started attacking Frankenstein’s family, Frankenstein soon realized the ramifications of his abandonment. In the end, Frankenstein ends up dying a sad death while on an expedition to find and destroy the monster- a thing that he once believed would lead him to glorification. Instead, it left him with nothing.
Macbeth, similarly to Frankenstein, had a goal in mind. He had a burning desire, a mission, and a thousand reasons why this goal was a very good idea. He stops at nothing to achieve it. As seen in Frankenstein, Macbeth loses sight of what once mattered to him. It isn’t until after Macbeth achieves this goal that he realizes he had all he could ever want right in front of him. Macbeth’s desire to become king is at the cost of many innocent lives, including those who Macbeth himself once considered very dear to him. After ordering the deaths of people such as his own best friend, someone retaliates. Malcom, the ex-king’s son, decides to hold an attack against Macbeth. Macduff, who too used to be friends with Macbeth, ends up killing him for the trouble he has caused. If Macbeth had never used his ambition to achieve his goals, he would have not ended up causing many people to lose their life- including himself.
Although ambition is an important trait to have, one must be careful with it. Only certain situations benefit from it. Others, as seen in Macbeth and Frankenstein lead to nothing but ultimate destruction; it ends everything worth living for.
The themes of The Canterbury Tales and Frankenstein are similar, since they criticize the morality of individuals. Both delve deeper into whether their actions are fair or unjust. These novels may even analyze the humanity of these individuals.
ReplyDeleteBoth do start of in different time periods, but do relate to one another. In the Canterbury Tales, there are many characters who do things are outright unjust. For example, the Friar is a member of the Catholic Church, whom is often involved in activities that don't pertain to his faith or his job in the Church. In fact, he takes advantage of being part of the Church to hide away what he's really doing. The Friar's actual activities are different from what he actually does which is winning over the ladies and partying in the pub. These activities aren't what a Friar should be doing, which is devoting himself from society to serve God and help the disadvantaged. He does none of that, and uses the facade of a poor, devote Friar to live a comfortable existence. He takes full advantage of the fact that folks believe he's a messenger to God himself. Folks have to pay a fee for his services, which shouldn't be the case, since he should be doing it for the love of helping others. The misdeeds of the Friar don't just question his morals, but the morals of everyone in the Church. Conversely, several of the same misdeeds are commited in Frankenstein. Victor has many poor morals leading to his demise in the end of the novel. First of all, Victor blatantly ignores out his own family for the sake of his experiments leading to his family causing them to be deeply worried about him. He let his ambition go too far, to where he created an creature brought back from the dead. His experiments are inhumane, and shouldn't been stooped immediately. Next, he creates a being that when it comes to life, Victor immediately rejects due to the sheer horror of its features. This is unjust coming from Victor's side since he didn't accept his creation firsthand so it wouldn't be a monster that destroys his life. The monster he created was a child that needed to be taught the ways of man to fully fit in in the society of man. Upon its initial abandonment from its creator, it felt rejected leading to it having an intense hatred of man and its creator. The monster developed an insecurity feeling that society didn't want him to exist or a hatred of him. Finally, Victor didn't attempt to reconcile with his creature, making it blame its troubles on Victor's family. The creature wanted to have a mate just as ugly as him, put it was shred to pieces in front of him by his creator. It was his only chance of happiness, but was taken away from him in a blink of an eye. Victor was just too stubborn to create another one and put the issue to rest. So, both characters convey the theme of morality. Both have did foul actions which they should be responsible for.
In conclusion, both works are similar because of the theme of morality of individuals. It's the ultimate question whether what they're doing is right or wrong. Also even if their actions are outright inhumane.
Literature's purpose since the beginning has been to tell an overall theme and life lesson that the reader can learn from or connect to. Due to moral values across the globe being very similar, many of the same theme can be seen in various written works and are known as universal themes. One of these common universal themes is the over presence of ambition can lead to catastrophe. Some classic pieces of literature that demonstrate this same theme include Frankenstein by Mary Shelley and the Shakespearean tragedy of MacBeth.
ReplyDeleteIn Frankenstein, Victor Frankenstein’s nature leads him to create his monster who kills many of Victor’s loved ones. From the beginning of the novel, due to its frame tale fashion, Victor reflects on the mindset he entered when creating his monster. He thirst for knowledge exponentially increased and he grew overly ambitious in hopes of achieving his goal. He later continues to explain how it was this ambition that led to his downfall. His monster, feeling neglected by his creator, set out to kill everyone Victor loved so he could see his creator suffer like he did. In his final days Victor reflects on how blindsighted he was by his ambition and how ultimately he was unable to prevent the destruction he had created.
MacBeth, a Scottish noble with the desire to become king commits regicide and disrupts the greater chain of being but is killed in the end. During the time, regicide was the worst possible crime a human could commit. But with a growing ambition to have power he validates himself to kill the king. The death of the king is followed by many other gruesome deaths before he is able to realize his actions have gotten out of hand and are unforgivable. Finally, MacBeth’s karma has caught up to him and he is slayed by MacDuff.
In both of these character’s instances they are consumed by their ambition and passion for achieving their monstrous goal and by the time they achieve their goal they realize the destruccion they have caused. This repeating plot throughout literature teaches readers that excess ambition can drive someone to commit unspeakable acts and cause mass amounts destruction. Writers include these universal themes because everyone can relate or experience them and therefore carry them as life lessons.
-Ananya
Many of the books we have read this year share themes or general points the author is trying to make. The author does this through making characters express values that either go against the authors point or with the authors point. The success of these key characters determines the theme of the book.
ReplyDeleteOne theme idea that many of the books share are themes expressing the dangers of living a life with unmoderated passion or ambition. Two novels in particular express these themes very well. In Frankenstein by Mary Shelley the abission of Victor to create life leads him into birthing a monster into the world, a monster he is unable to control. Shelly uses the failure of Victor to convey how unmoderated passion lead to the utter collapse of his life and the people around him. It also eventually leads to his demise. Similarly in the play Macbeth by William Shakespeare the goals of Macbeth which are lead by passion for his wife and his ambition to become king lead him to commit regicide which turns out to affect the whole world around him. His lack of moderation leads to many deaths and failure to achieve his goals.
Another theme expressed in both examples of literature is whether it is fate and destiny or choice that decides your future. Shelley shows this by provoking the question if Victor was destin to create the monster and there was no way he could change that or if he made that decision on his own. Macbeths is very similar. Does he choose to kill king Duncan? Or is the prophecies set by the three witches coming true that causes him to what he does and the events that followed.
Many of the connection I have made this year are that many of the books we have read fall into the category of “cautionary tales”. During the discussion of “Shadow of the wind” many great points about how this a sub-theme if you will connects many of the books we read.
Throughout the semester, we read many core novels, each teaching the reader a certain lesson about life. For example, two books that we read this year were Brave New World and Frankenstein. Both stories gave a cautionary warning that one should be aware of. That there is a difference between god and man. Within each story, we see characters who believe that they have the power to control the world.
ReplyDeleteIn Frankenstein, Dr. Frankenstein steps out of line and attempts to do something unheard of. He tried to create life and immortality. By attempting to do so, he creates this monster that he rejects automatically. By adding this creature into the world, he effects the balance of life. He disrupted mother nature and naturally, everything back fires and his whole life was turned upside down because he was playing with power that was out of his grasp. Him trying to play god and trying to control fate is what lead to his downfall.
In Brave New World, the controllers use a different method to show their dominance. Within this dystopian society, everyone is brainwashed and have been controlled since they were born. There main method of controlling the society is by using a drug called Soma. By controlling everyone's emotions and free-thinking, they take on a god-like role. They started this harmful process from a young age when they manufactured the babies and thought them the taboos of their society. However, there are a few characters such as Bernard that don't flow with society and those few holes in their method is what is going to be their downfall. Them trying to suppress human emotion is going against the chain of being and one can predict that it will ultimately lead to their demise.
Within these pieces of literature, these authors are giving future societies and people a warning to be aware of how one spends their power. Yes, it's good to take initiative and be passionate but there's a line and one should be aware of when you've crossed that line and started abusing that power. God has a role in society and life and one would do best to be aware of that.
Ema Straser
After reading Brave New World, Macbeth, Frankenstein, and The Canterbury Tales, a main underlying trait that is shared between the main characters of these stories is the excess of ambition of lack thereof.
ReplyDeleteIn Macbeth, written by William Shakespeare in the 17th century, the main character seems to be overcome with the ambition and wanting to take the throne. Likewise, in The Canterbury Tales, many of the characters appear to have an excess in greed and of other sins. One of the biggest themes displayed in Macbeth is: if one has an excess of ambition, then this imbalance will lead to the demise of the person in excess. Similarly, a major theme that Geoffrey Chaucer conveys in The Canterbury Tales is that if individuals cannot exhibit sins and virtues in moderation, then their internal and external balance will be affected.
When introduced to each other, the two themes of Macbeth and The Canterbury Tales convey a very similar message, this being that if one has an excess of anything, then they will not be able to function properly. In the Shakespearean play, for example, Macbeth is determined to control Scotland that he starts to hallucinate and become delusional to the things that are happening to him and around him until it is too late. He then realizes that everything that he has done out of ambition has come crashing down on him and this leads to his end. The same thing happens to Lady Macbeth, who, after directing Macbeth in the killing of King Duncan, begins to slowly go crazy and then kills herself. Her death was again caused by her need to constantly have more and more power. In The Canterbury Tales, one of the many characters in excess is the franklin. This man could have been described as sanguine, in fact, Shakespeare directly points out that he is on line 333 saying, “Of sanguine temperament by every sign,”. In the time that The Canterbury Tales was written (1392), sanguine people were thought to be in excess of blood. However, the franklin was also excessively ambitious, as he liked to be in control of everyone’s finances. “He had been sheriff and been auditor; And nowhere was a worthier vavasor.” (359-360).
Lady Macbeth, Macbeth, and the franklin all desired for the power that they would either have for a limited amount of time or that would be the end of them. The franklin would go to hell because he was sinful and Lady Macbeth and Macbeth both died tragic deaths. All of these acts represent the idea that over ambition is the thing that will eventually lead to the destruction of someone or something.
Through the handful of literary pieces we have read and learned about throughout the year, many themes have sprouted and allowed discussion for each one. By focusing our interest onto the themes of each literary piece, we as readers can get a better idea on the big idea the authors are trying to portray into their writing. Sometimes the author, like Chaucer in Canterbury Tales, is trying to criticize a topic that does not sit well and is writing in order to address these issues. Other times, the author wants to highlight a character’s flaws to show readers the consequences of having these undesirable weaknesses like Victor Frankenstein being over ambitious and Macbeth’s desire for being king. Yet, through the pieces in which we have discussed and looked at analytically, there is one glaring connection between pieces which I feel is necessary to outline. In the novels Brave New World and Frankenstein, both contain characters that are shamed by their respective societies due to their differences. The theme that directly links the novels is that if a person’s characteristics are so disparate to those of a society, then the isolation in which that person faces will have negative effects.
ReplyDeleteLooking into Brave New World to start, John the Savage, although of blood to two people of the civilized society, is completely different in terms of beliefs and morals then the citizens of his parent’s birthplace. Due to not growing up in the civilized society, the beliefs between each of these worlds are literally polar opposites. Therefore, instead of trying to conform to a world that makes zero sense in his eyes, he decided to live isolated from society, however, this eventually proved fatal. For the novel Frankenstein, the scientist Victor Frankenstein creates a creature with very abnormal features like yellow skin and its height of eight feet. After Victor completed the monster, years worth of arduous work, he panicked and fled his laboratory leaving the monster all alone in a world completely new to him. In return for the isolation and rejection the monster faced due to society rejecting him, he decided to take out his anger onto his creator, Victor, for creating him. This led to the murders of Henry Clerval, Victor’s best friend, Justine, after the monster framed her, and worst of all, Victor’s newlywed wife Elizabeth. Both of these characters from their novels are vividly seen being the victim of a type of isolation they never asked for. In John’s case, he grew up in the Savage Reservation where he learned certain morals that were then not evident in the society of the civilized. Although John was not isolated in the sense of having any companionship, he was isolated from people that shared the same set of beliefs that he also had. For the monster, his problems were flipped in regards to what actually isolated him, yet the big idea is still present in both cases. In order for a person or any creature to be situated in any society, they need to have at least one person they know that really understands their situation in order to adapt. If John found or brought a person that had the same morals and beliefs that he did, his fate would be completely altered. The monster is in the same position. If Victor did not abandon him and leave a “newborn” out by its self to face all of the problems this cruel world contains, then there is no doubt that such a scintillating creature like this monster can have a better turnout then the final one.
Power and ambition have been around as long as man and are often present in literature. The theme in both Macbeth and Frankenstein is extreme ambition leads to unethical and corrupt behavior. Ambition in Macbeth and Frankenstein is key to understanding the characters in the novels. Both Macbeth and Frankenstein allow ambition to get the best of them and it becomes their downfall.
ReplyDeleteIn Shakespeare's Macbeth, Macbeth and his wife's ambitious desires start with wanting Macbeth to be king. Initially Macbeth was a good leader and a war hero. Three mysterious witches told him that one day he would become King of Scotland. This caused Lady Macbeth and Macbeth to obsess over his path to become king. "I have no spur to prick the sides of my intent but only vaulting ambition." (Act 1 Scene 7). This demonstrates how Macbeth's only real reason to kill King Duncan is so he can take the crown for himself.
Frankenstein is intelligent and dedicated to science. He creates a life that is superior to any human's physical capability. However, once the Monster is alive, Frankenstein didn't know how to handle or take care of him and he abandoned the Monster. Frankenstein's ambition went against nature and the ethics of science. Victor's passion and ambition resulted in harm to others and ultimately himself.
Macbeth and Frankenstein were both extremely ambitious and desired power. Macbeth wanted to be king and Frankenstein wanted to create life. Both men's ambitious desires and selfishness caused them to do unethical things. Unfortunately, innocent people were killed. Macbeth and Frankenstein's unchecked ambition was their tragic flaw.
Most of us have goals and ambitious desires, but it is important to know what the limits and boundaries are. As humans we need to stay ethical and we cannot let our ambition blind us. We must always be mindful of our actions and their potential consequences. Moderate ambition is a balanced approach, which allows you to positively achieve your goals.
While Brave New World and Macbeth are set centuries apart, both of the novels still possess similar themes. When reading Brave New World, it is clear that knowledge is power. Throughout the novel Huxley makes it clear that the World State is rooted in the possession of nearly all forms of knowledge. The dystopian society has vanquished disease, wars and anything that brought sorrow to humanity. All these feats were primarily accomplished through knowledge. From soma to the hatcheries, it is clear that knowledge is the foundation for this “perfect” society. However, just like power, knowledge can be abused. The leaders of this society possess more knowledge than any other individual and this is further elucidated through the fact that Mustapha Mond has books, a source of knowledge, in his safe. This is a important symbol that explains how sources of knowledge must be consolidated and kept away from the general populace. Since most of the population has no idea of the inner workings in the populace, one can see that the possession of knowledge can also be dangerous. When citizens of the World State realize the flawed workings, it spells the end of the characters. This can be seen when characters like Bernard and Helmholtz are shipped off after they have a better understanding of the World State than any other citizen. Thus, the reader can see the common theme that knowledge is power throughout the Brave New World. However, the idea of power can contrast when power is harmful to someone and this seen in Brave New World.
ReplyDeleteMoreover, the notion that knowledge is power is a key theme throughout Macbeth. From the very beginning of the play when the witches provide Macbeth with a prohphecy. This prophecy dictates the rest of the plot for the play. The knowledge that Macbeth derives from the witches’ prophecy is what makes kill King Duncan and is eventually what makes leads to Macbeth’s downfall. The possibility of him being king drives him to commit the actions that eventually set the stage for Macduff slaying Macbeth. Similar to Brave New World, the theme that knowledge can bring one’s downfall is seen throughout Macbeth.
Overall, it is quite clear that a similar theme between Macbeth and Brave New World exists. While the theme in Macbeth places a bigger emphasis on how knowledge can bring one’s downfall, both pieces of literature still possess numerous similarities. For example, just as Helmholtz and Bernard faced their downfall when they gained knowledge of the World State’s inner workings, Macbeth’s knowledge of the future drove him to his eventual demise. While one can point to the witches’ prophecy rooted in fate, a more reasonable conclusion exists when believing that Macbeth was driven by this prophecy, not fate, to commit his actions in the play. Finally, like Mond’s ability to use knowledge to control society, Malcolm also uses his new developed intelligence to execute the camouflage plan. Again, we see how one’s possession knowledge puts them in a place of power.
In the tales of Frankenstein and Macbeth the main characters of both stories, Victor Frankenstein and Macbeth, suffer from a lack of moderation and an excess of ambition, making them two rather similar characters. In both works of literature, the main character ultimately creates his own downfall after being too passionate about his goal in life. Frankenstein works to create life but ends up creating a monster that ruins his life after he does not realize the dangers of his work. Macbeth wants to be the king, but his impatience and excessive desires create chaos in his life and the entire world. In life, one must not cause failure by being blinded by one’s own ambition. Both Frankenstein and Macbeth fail in achieving true success as they are overly enthusiastic to the point where it is devastating for them.
ReplyDeleteBy the end of both works, it is made apparent that a lack of moderation causes the demise of the main characters. This exemplifies the common theme found in both works. Both works express to the reader that one must not be too ambitious or else one will fail in the end. In Frankenstein’s case, he dedicates his whole life to creating the creature which first ruins his life by putting him into isolation. Furthermore, he creates a malicious being without realizing because he was blinded by his ambition as he made it. In Macbeth, Macbeth hears that he is destined to be king, but he decides to take matters into his own hands. His impatience and blind ambition cause his devastation in the end as he does not realize his actions are wrong and harmful to the natural order. Macbeth’s actions ruin his own life and the lives of others in the world as well. Frankenstein and Macbeth show through their stories that they are too passionate about achieving success that they do not see that what they do will not work in the end. Both characters are excessively ambitious which cause them to destroy their lives. On their journeys to satisfy their desires, they do not realize that their actions are harmful to their success. These two literary works both show that one’s impulsive actions and unrestrained passion will cause one’s downfall.
Although The Scottish Play was first performed in a completely different time period compared to when Mary Shelley’s novel, Frankenstein, was published, these two stories present many themes. The various themes revealed in these stories show how universal life lessons transcend time and are able to prove their relevance decades after the stories are first presented. Both Macbeth and Frankenstein’s plot revolves around a protagonist whose lives were originally rather ordinary, but also comfortable and enjoyable. As rising action leads up to a climax, the main character becomes discontent with his current state of being and is determined to improve upon his status in society. Eventually, the overwhelming ambition of these two main characters, Macbeth in The Scottish Play and Dr. Victor Frankenstein in Frankenstein, leads to their downfall.
ReplyDeleteThe story of Frankenstein begins by explaining how Frankenstein could not have lived a happier childhood. He had two loving parents who supported him as he cultivated his interest in science and a wonderful cousin who became the love of his life. In this same way, Macbeth’s story begins by presenting Macbeth as this ordinary commoner. Although he is not a great public figure, Macbeth too seems to live a happy life as he has his best friend, Banquo, to confide in. These two stories’ extremely similar beginnings both provide a strong foundation to discuss the effects of ambition in people’s lives. Although Macbeth and Frankenstein both experience happy lives at the beginnings of their stories, ambition still ends up ruining the later parts of their lives illuminating that it is not solely people’s upbringing that affects how their lives turns out, but also the decisions that they make in their life as well. As the stories progress, both Frankenstein and Macbeth come to desire glory. Frankenstein wishes to be credited with making a huge scientific breakthrough by creating artificial life while Macbeth yearns to be a king. In the process of pursuing these formidable goals, Macbeth and Frankenstein both lose sight of their morals. Instead of focusing on what is important in life such as their family and friendships, these character’s ambition takes over their whole life as they do whatever it takes, no matter the consequences, to make their wishes a reality. In order to satisfy his ambitions, Frankenstein works tirelessly, disregarding his physical well-being, family, and friendships. Frankenstein’s lack of self-awareness as he pursues his goals highlights the theme that while ambition can lead to progress in our lives, if not closely monitored, ambition can become suffocating and lead to destruction. This same theme is illuminated in Macbeth when Macbeth resorts to murder of the king and eventually his best friend, Banquo, in order to gain and attempt to remain in control of royal power.
Frankenstein possessed a great mind possible of unlocking many mysteries in life, but since he was not able to control his desire and ambitions, the advantages of his intelligence backfired on him. In Macbeth, the witches had already assured Macbeth that he would reign as King of Scotland, so if he had not allowed his suffocating ambition to overwhelm him, then perhaps he could have been crowned King by more honorable means. Since both Macbeth and Frankenstein allowed their ambition to become the driving force of their actions and did not take into account their values and morals, the pursuit of their enormous goals lead to their downfall. Through the fall of the main characters due to their over ambitious ways, Shakespeare and Shelley perfectly illustrate the importance of always making sure that people’s values are always reflected in their actions, even as they proceed to achieve great things in life.
The themes of ambition are connected between Frankenstein and Brave New World. Both novels portray ambition as a negative idea since it causes the person to lose their original, human features for their goals. From Frankenstein and Brave New World, it can be interpreted that ambition can lead to the sacrifice of human characteristics. In Frankenstein, Victor Frankenstein had a lifelong objective, which was to successfully create life. However as time went by, he became more concentrated on recreating life, ignoring anything else. Doing so causes him to cut ties with his family and lose sleep just so he could continue working on his creation. His ambition for the recreation of life ended up ironically destroying Frankenstein’s own life. Science caused him to have a set mind on creating life, resulting to the loss of his ability to restrain himself from pursuing his goals. In Brave New World, the world has already achieved its ambition by creating a uniformed society where everyone has a single role. But to reach those results, they sacrificed the individuality and rational thoughts of people, which defines them as humans. The ambition has been fulfilled, but everyone has lost their ability to create rational thoughts in order to have a perfect society. Even though the world has created a society that is more organized, people have lost their own individuality for a new world. Without controlling one’s ambition, it can lead to the destruction of one’s own sanity, causing one to lose human defining characteristics.
ReplyDeleteNanako Tanisaka
Fate vs. Free Will in Frankenstein:
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In semester one of English, one theme that has reoccurred in literature we have read has been the struggle between fate and free will. The novel Frankenstein by Mary Shelly and the play Macbeth by Shakespeare have both been examples of how fate and free will can affect people’s lives in different ways. The character Frankenstein shows this through his novel by using fate as a scapegoat for his faults and mistakes, while Macbeth attempts to fight against fate to achieve his goals of becoming king and fathering a successful line of rulers.
When retelling his story to Robert Walton, Frankenstein blames fate for his creation from day one. When he first discovers his fascination of science and electricity, he describes it as “a day memorable to me; it decided my future destiny” (59). He uses phrases similar to these throughout the novel, especially leading up to the creation of the monster. After the monster is brought to life, he laments on how tragic it was that he was unable to prevent the death and destruction the monster left in its wake, when in reality it could have been prevented had Frankenstein warned people of his creation (or just not have made him in the first place). Frankenstein is guilty and ashamed of what he has done, and rather than accept the blame he chooses to find fault in everything else but himself, and then proceeds to use irrational decision making to make everything worse. Frankenstein's story warns others of the dangers of not owning up to your mistakes. Humans throughout history have laid blame on the unknown for things they could not explain or were embarrassed to admit. Whether it was accusing the Jews of causing the Bubonic plague to blaming the devil for their wicked deeds, humanity has always had a tough time of admitting to their mistakes. This can be dangerous, since people can only learn from their mistakes if they first admit to them. After creating the monster, Victor first tries to deal with the problem by ignoring it. Maybe his thoughts were that by pretending it didn’t happen, it would go away. Instead, the matter only festered. The monster was forced to live alone in the wilderness, feared and hated by the villagers nearby. Once a benevolent creature, the monster's experiences of abandonment and hate turned him into a malevolent being, one who would kill if that’s what it takes to find vengeance. The novel Frankenstein shows the dangers of leaving everything to fate through Victor’s rash and irresponsible choices, and theme of humanities struggle between fate and free will is strongly shown throughout it.
The lack of moderation can cause destruction. This is illustrated within the books, Brave New World, by Aldous Huxley, and Frankenstein, by Mary Shelley. Soma is a very popular drug used in Brave New World. Unfortunately soma is not used moderately and is abused. This causes for people’s actions to be swayed creating conflict leading to destruction. In Frankenstein Victor Frankenstein’s passion is so overwhelming it leaves him no room to take things slowly and to think about his situation. Frankenstein creates a human out of other dead people which brings destruction. If Frankenstein had worked moderately he would have had the time to think and realize that this was an awful idea. Neither soma addicts nor Victor Frankenstein ever achieved moderation. Their ambition was too overpowering and this lead to conflict. Moderation should not be taken lightly. It is very important to remember to use things in moderation and to act in moderation. The overuse of anything is not healthy, it does not make you better than anyone else. Going above and beyond is ok but there is a line. Crossing thins line will bring destruction. Acting in moderation is just as important as using things in moderation. Having passion to complete tasks will always help you succeed but not as much as working moderately. Having the self restraint to work slowly and process everything is just as important. This will allow for great success. These two books clearly show that being without moderation can cause terrible effects. The lack of self restraint to use soma moderately is noticed. The addiction everyone has, causes destruction within the World State. Frankenstein’s ambition in completing his creation becomes reality. The monster goes out into the real world only to cause destruction by killing civilians. Remembering to use things in moderation and to act in moderation is key.
ReplyDeleteLiterature is the one subject with infinite options. You can make your own world using literature. Each novel or work has a purpose instilled in the pages by the author. Novels send a message to the reader. However, each author has a unique way of getting their message across.
ReplyDeleteThe Canterbury Tales is a satirical frame tale that pointed out the faults of the Catholic Church and the society in Medieval Times. It poked fun at these issues, but it also made the reader think hey should I really be laughing about this. At the time, there was hypocrisy and vice that played in the background of the Catholic Church. These sinful ways permeated all the way up to the highest of orders. Geoffrey Chaucer used the descriptions of the pilgrims’ characters as the bars of his writing. He purposely creates certain characters who display the virtues; while others display the seven deadly sins. If gold rusts then, what should iron do?
Macbeth is a novel that entails the ramifications of blind ambitions that turn into obsession. Macbeth begins as a loyal thane under King Duncan who turns for the worst. Macbeth defeats the disloyal former Thane of Cawdor thus proving his loyalty to his majesty. He also rescues Malcom from imprisonment. Yet, Malcom becomes the incompetent son earns the title prince of Cumberland? This event angers Macbeth. Treasonous thoughts come to mind, but he brushes them off. The witches have declared he would be king, and then maybe he does not have to take any action for himself. Lady Macbeth turns into the voice of temptation. Lady Macbeth urges her husband to act on his treason, and so he does. As the book progresses Macbeth starts to develop as the villain he was all along. The chameleon had shown his colors. He kills for power that will be forever out of his grasp. If an individual let’s ambition turn to obsession; then they lose themselves.
The uniting thread between both of these stories shows the effect of ambition when left unchecked. The Canterbury Tales shows characters that are zealous for all the wrong reasons. Yes, free will is a beautiful thing but in both works the characters need God.
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ReplyDeleteWhereas Frankenstein shows humanity’s struggle between fate and free will by blaming his decisions on destiny, Macbeth shows this through his constant battle against fate. From the day the witches tell him the prophecy that he will become king but Banquo will father royalty, Macbeth attempts to force fate to do his bidding. Rather than let destiny run its course, Macbeth takes matters into his own hands by killing King Duncan, achieving his future of kingship. However, Macbeth then attempts to overcome fate by killing his friend Banquo so that his blood may continue to be royal. His attempts of mastering destiny fall to ruin when Banquo’s son lives on. Fate then continues its path of destruction, following through every warning that the witches passed on. Macbeth was killed in the end, sealing the prophecy that "none of woman born/shall harm Macbeth" when he is killed by Macduff, whose mother had a C section. Macbeth’s obsession with overcoming fate causes him to become paranoid and deranged, and ultimately leads to his ruin. Macbeth only accepts his fate when it tells him good things, while turning against it once it becomes unfavorable. Humanity in general only appreciate things if it’s to their favor, and once it becomes something they dislike they completely turn against it no matter how powerful it may be. Becoming too obsessed with your own future can eventually lead to nothing but disappointment. Students who spend their entire lives focusing on one college or one career become far more disappointed than others when they fall prey to the statistic of changing their majors three times on average. Over planning and overpreparing your life means that you will be less flexible and unable to adapt as easy as others. In attempting to have complete control over his life, Macbeth walked right into fate’s plan. Every decision he made throughout the script brought him one step closer to the predicted outcome, and eventually led to his ruin.
Both Frankenstein and Macbeth show humanities struggle between fate and destiny. The former shows how some abuse fate by blaming all their troubles and wrong doings on it, while the latter attempted to master it by striving for complete control of his future. Both Novels display people's tendency to take power over whatever they can and then fall back and cry innocent when it doesn’t go the way they planned. Humanity constantly struggles between controlling their own destiny and letting fate run its course, and taking either way to an extreme is dangerous. In this way two very different stories, Frankenstein and Macbeth, both teach us the same overal theme.
In the novel “Frankenstein”’ and the play “Macbeth”, both Shelley and Shakespeare convey a similar message that a moderation of ambition is pertinent in the success of any person’s life. IN “Frankenstein”, Victor Frankenstein is most lucid example of the ramification due to falling prey to hubris. Similarly to Victor, Macbeth’s ambitious personality results in him becoming blind to the occurrences around him.Through the main characters, the plot of each stories, and the hidden messages of each piece of literature, an excess of ambition is proven to lead to egregious effects including death.
ReplyDeleteIn the story of Frankenstein, Victor has always been inspired by science and biology, leading to his later obsession with dead bodies. As he ages, his inspiration transforms into an obsession, driven by his fatal character trait of ambition. In fact, Frankenstein isolates himself from his entire family to work on creating an alive human being, which ultimately succeeds, but not in his eyes. Due to his excessive ambition, Frankenstein is blinded to the fact that he has created an ugly monster, and he regrets ever attempting to make it. This shows that ambition can distract a person from seeing what he or she is truly capable of doing. On the other hand, Macbeth was a loyal subject to his King Duncan, but when the Weird Sisters inform him that he will one day be king, ambition overpowers all other consciousness that Macbeth obtains. This drives him to murder the king out of pure impatience. Since the witches previously informed Macbeth that he will one day be king, all he really had to do was wait or that day to arrive, but instead, he takes matters into his own hands. His ambition drives him to commit unspeakable crimes against the king and God, which later leads to deleterious consequences--his death. Both Frankenstein and Macbeth were inspired by an outside force, which reassures them into becoming more ambitious and aggressive to reach their perception of success (Frankenstein’s is to create an alive creature, Macbeth’s is to become king).
One may perceive ambition as determination which is required in order to achieve any goals set in mind. However, the moderation of ambition is of equal importance to having the quality because overambitious causes careless mistakes when one’s mind is purely driven on one thing. When one is intensely focused on achieving one goal, one misses out on the events that occur in his or her surroundings. I fact, both Frankenstein and Macbeth have a great moment of realization towards the time they die that they have done wrong in their lives, but it is too late to fix those mistakes. Frankenstein’s moment of realization occurs right when he selfishly thinks the monster would kill him instead of Elizabeth. All of his overthinking flooded his proper consciousness, thus resulting in all of his loved ones to be killed by his very own creation that he neglected. Similar to the scene in which Frankenstein’s fiancee is killed, Macbeth realizes that his ambition in becoming king and protecting his own life at all costs resulted in neglecting his own wife’s life. When she commits suicide, Macbeth realizes how there is no meaning in his life anymore all because he was blinded by his driving ambition. Through the flaws of Macbeth and Frankenstein, all readers can understand the insidious nature of ambition and that a moderation of determination and aggressiveness is essential in maintaining a true successful life.
Each piece of literature that has been read this year has a similar and underlying theme regarding life or humanity. The fact that two completely works of literature can thematically connect demonstrate how meaningful and timeless these works are. Frankenstein by Mary Shelley and Macbeth by William Shakespeare both contain thematic concepts that have a similar underlying parallel.
ReplyDeleteIn the novel Frankenstein written by Mary Shelley, the audience follows the tumultuous and intriguing life of a wealthy born scientist called Victor Frankenstein. As Frankenstein grows older, he begins dedicating his life to the science of creating life. Through this, he sacrifices everything, including family, friends, and a normal life. It does not take long for the reader to realize Victor Frankenstein’s deadly mistake of ambition. As the audience continues to follow the trials and tribulations of Frankenstein, the common theme of ambition begins to come into question. Although Frankenstein attributes his bad luck to fate, the audience members can also view it as a personal fatal flaw. Being overly ambitious in the pursuit of a worldly object can be detrimental to one’s life. Not only is this demonstrated through the life of Frankenstein, but also in the life of Macbeth.
Macbeth written by William Shakespeare also demonstrates a theme closely related to that of Frankenstein. Macbeth, the main character of Shakespeare’s novel, decides to commit a murder of the current King of Scotland, King Duncan. His overly ambitious plot began when one of the three witches expressed that he would be the King of Scotland one day. With that in mind (and with the pressure of his controlling wife), Macbeth puts his thoughts into action. Like Frankenstein, this is a fatal mistake that eventually leads to his downfall. Shakespeare is almost warning the audience of what being overly ambitious can turn into. Macbeth morally knows that this is not the right thing to do, but proceeds in doing so to steal a highly coveted and respected position. Not only is this a lapse of judgement, but also a treacherous act that Macbeth will pay for in the end.
Although the two pieces of literature are drastically different, they both have a similar and common underlying theme present. Both demonstrate the fact that ambition can be a deadly sin when misused or overused. This is clearly shown in Frankenstein, when Victor overuses his ambition to create a monster, and in Macbeth, where Macbeth murders the King in order to take his spot. Both characters end up dead because of their malicious actions. These two works of literature almost wish to caution the reader about the downfalls of too much ambition.
In the works of literature, Frankenstein and Macbeth, ambition plays a key role in both of the main character’s desire to achieve greatness. This ambition consumes the main characters to the point where metaphorical blindness distorts the character’s mind and choices to the point of insanity. It begs the question, when is ambition a desirable asset and when does it go too far? In both novels Shakespeare and Shelly are both attempting to show that unmitigated ambition leads to temporary happiness but left to fester causes an egregious effect striking down relationships and killing success. Both Frankenstein and Macbeth temporarily achieve their hoped for dreams of “power” being literal power for Macbeth and power over nature for Frankenstein but Ultimately they both lose their life along with all their loved ones who they held dear.
ReplyDeleteFrankenstein is a work of literature where we see the main character Frankenstein driven to create a namesake for himself and to do something great. Frankenstein’s hunger and ambition in creating a monster whom he saw as perfect by taking bodies and sewing them together consumed his mind and blinded him with an idea that was not reality. This creation that he built up in his head ultimately destroyed him and took away everything he held dear. Before this, Frankenstein would have a perfect childhood and would come form a very happy childhood where no bad thing would haunt him and life was set up to be enjoyed. Because Frankenstein actually left his ambitious project to “grow” and learn evil, his monster killed his brother and friends. Frankenstein felt he had a duty to crate a monster that defies nature like Macbeth defies The Great Chain Of being and kills king Duncan which sets off a chain reaction turning tables around him. Frankenstein because he defied nature and mess with things best left untouched set up a fate where nature would come back to harm him. Frankenstein gives up on the needs of his body sleep, food and warmth to track down the monster who possess super natural abilities and could survive under extreme conditions.
Macbeth by the end of the novel feels defeated in all aspects of life and pleads to Macduff for surrendering, of course Macduff Denys him this viewing him as crazy and slays Macbeth. Frankenstein at the end of the novel is also driven to insanity by his monster and gives up on an iceberg where he later is rescued by a ship. Though Frankenstein does not die right away he surrenders all hope of destroying the monster to his friend Walton who does not act upon Frankenstein’s request but rather views him with fascination and craze as Macduff did. Macbeth and Frankenstein were both so blinded by their ambition that turned into insanity they didn’t realize what they lost before it was too late. Reckless ambition leads to the destruction of everything good and just killing what was seemed to accomplish in the first place. Frankenstein lost his Elizabeth and didn’t make a namesake for himself as a scientist but rather as crazy fool, Macbeth lost his kingdom and his honor and in the end it didn’t matter to what they had accomplished but the mess and insanity that Frankenstein and Macbeth had both surrendered there life to.
Through the comparison of Brave New World and Frankenstein, multiple common themes on moderation, ambition, and science can be derived. Most prominent however, are the themes pertaining to the power of knowledge and how that effects human impulse and society. Both Brave New World and Frankenstein thematically support the idea that the pursuit of knowledge or the power granted with knowledge, drives humans to great lengths in order to obtain or utilize this knowledge.
ReplyDeleteIn Brave New World, the New World State has immeasurable power over its people, and with this power comes a great deal of knowledge backing up many of the ideas on how to rule and govern. With the knowledge the leaders have, they decided to “improve” society by their definition. By doing this, the rulers completely dehumanized the entire human race and stripped them down to being animalistic. Because these rulers were striving for stability and perfection in society, they abused their knowledge and their efforts did in fact create stability and a strong society in their eyes. But in the readers eyes, the leaders took away the individuality and personal expression today’s society so deeply values.
In Frankenstein, similar events reflect this theme as well. Frankenstein’s on going strive for knowledge ultimately caused him to enclose himself indoors and become sick and isolated for months. Aside from the determents for a pursuit for knowledge, Frankenstein’s use of the knowledge he obtained resulted in an equally detrimental way. He was so passionate about using the knowledge he had obtained, Victor Frankenstein not only isolated himself for so long, but he also strived to take a sacred role as God on Earth. He had seen himself as so knowledgeable and creating the impossible was his way of proving all he had worked towards was worth it.
In both Brave New World and Frankenstein, the underlying theme that connects to both novels are that humans naturally pursuit knowledge and its power and this drives humans to great lengths to use or obtain this knowledge. Both Victor Frankenstein and the overall new world state exhibit the strive for knowledge and/or desire to put the knowledge to use. In both scenarios, the use of this knowledge backfired primarily because of the magnitude to which both novels hoped to use this knowledge. In real life as well, humans often overestimate or underestimate the power of knowledge and ultimately backfires due to a lack of thought or good intent.
After reading the literary works McBeth and Frankenstein, it become abundantly clear that these two stories are connected in many different ways. Although their plots couldn’t seem more different, after careful study the ideas and themes tell the same cautionary tale. If one gives into the natural human hubris’ of pride and ambition, the consequences reaped are irreversible. The novel Frankenstein starts off after the debacle of his life is ending, as he reflects back to his past. He describes to the reader his perfect childhood and it could not shield him from his growing ambition to become a great scientist and discover the impossible. McBeth in contrast, becomes the Thane of Cawdor and is told that he one day might be king. His power-hungry wife, Lady Mcbeth convinces McBeth that he deserves to be king and guilds McBeth into his consumption for power. These characters both perfectly display the natural human tendency to want to rise above and obtain more. Frankenstein discovers how to create life and in doing so turns his ambition into a living breathing monster that destroys everything he loves. Frankenstein realizes the extent of his wrong-doings as soon as the monster comes to life. He seems to understand that within that instant that he had messed with something that no human should ever mess with: the ability to dictate life. While McBeth kills king Duncan and in doing so assumes the wrong position in the Great Chain of Being and in responses nature is upended. Just like how the monster in Frankenstein is punishment for Frankenstein wrongly gaining the power to life and abusing it. In response to the Great Chain of Being evil manifests itself as a lowly mousing owl eating a falcon, and horses turning to cannibalism, all due to McBeth’s move to power. Loved ones in Frankenstein and McBeth are slain as result of their actions. In Frankenstein it is a slow deterioration of everything he loves. Starting with the execution of innocent Justine and ending with the death of his wife and best friend. The carpet of Frankenstein's life had been fully wrested from under him. In contrast the reader is unsure about McBeth’s depth of love for Lady McBeth, but the reader can infer that there must have been at least some mutual friendship. Even so, Lady McBeth is driven mad and kills herself and McBeth is only king for a short while as most lords are killed or abandon him for the other side of the war. All that McBeth and Frankenstein have worked to satisfy their ambition is gone. Frankenstein withers away to almost nothing, having no one and being forced to forever chase the monster. McBeth is quickly slain after the abandonment of his troops. Both reach an epiphany at the end of the story McBeth states “what is life, but a lie told by a fool” as he questions his life and his actions before his death. Frankenstein reaches his epiphany as is on his death bed stating that it was his wrongdoing to create such a monster, but his allegiance to humanity comes before that to the monster. Through this the reader is taught by these woeful character’s mischances the utter ruin that becomes of one through giving into human hubris. As both authors demonstrate the that the sacrifices and consequences outweigh what ambition attains.
ReplyDeleteMany of the literary works read this year deal with the theme of ambition and the problems caused by its excess. Macbeth and Frankenstein deal very much with this theme through the analysis of characters and why their ambition was ultimately their downfall. The books raise many questions, regarding why Frankenstein and Macbeth fell to such ambition as well as what the characters did wrongly.
ReplyDeleteThe births of Macbeth's and Frankentein's ambitions were very similarly rooted: they both wanted to have a lasting legacy. Macbeth wanted to not only be known for his bravery on the battlefield, but also as one of Scotland's greatest kings. Frankenstein wanted to be remembered for his first creation of life. This raises the question of whether the ambitions of these characters were intended toward their legacy or their acts themselves. It implies that Frankenstein and Macbeth were not passionate about the actions themselves that they were doing but for the added benefits and the legacy that would accompany them. The ambition itself was unethical because the characters truly were not fascinated with what they were doing, but the aforementioned aftereffect.
Because Macbeth and Frankenstein did not possess genuine ambition, it was much easier for them to lose their tracks. Macbeth could have been benevolent about becoming king and put the time and care into progressing ethically through the ranks, but his incredible haste for success caused him to act irrationally and make wrong and evil steps. Frankenstein, if he had the care to treat the monster, his creation, well, could have avoided the deaths of all his those close to him. Instead, he was so focused on the recognition from the world that he would receive for reanimating a dead body, causing him to not once stop to ponder possible consequences for his behavior.
In all, ambition in literature is usually used to tell cautionary stories in which the character's ambition exceeds normalcy and leads to failure. However, Macbeth and Frankenstein's stories show that not only does excessive ambition lead to failure, but that ambition founded on the principles has just as much of a hand in a person's downfall.
Thematic Parallels: Frankenstein and Macbeth
ReplyDeleteOf all the literature perused this semester, Frankenstein by Mary Shelley and Macbeth by Shakespeare have the most thematic parallels. Frankenstein tells the tragic story of a young, ambitious scientist who succeeds in making artificial life, and lives through the consequences of his creation. On the other hand, Macbeth tells the story of how a war hero uses murder to seize the throne of Scotland, and later loses the throne due to royal blood acquiring it’s “divine right”. Although these plots are extremely different from one another, there are numerous themes that they share. A couple of the prominent themes that are prevalent in both these storylines are the theme of excess ambition obliviating one’s life and the theme of one’s fate being immutable and being determined prominently by destiny.
The theme of excess ambition destroying a benevolent character’s life is omnipresent in both Frankenstein and Macbeth. Throughout Frankenstein, Victor is so intent on making an artificial life form and being recognized by acclaimed scientists, that he is not cognizant of the effects of his project. Thus, only when it is too late does Victor realize the ramifications of the monster he created. If Victor, had focused less on wanting to make a name for himself by doing something previously unfathomed, Victor would have presumably made numerous noteworthy scientific inquiries. However, his ambition took over his life and prevented his success and happiness. Similarly, Macbeth, being an ambitious war hero, yearns to become King. However, his ambition is so consuming, that Macbeth resorts to regicide. Consequently, many believe that the deceased King’s son, Malcolm, has the divine right to the throne. Thus, due to his excessive ambition to have the utmost power, Macbeth is overthrown. While consumed by ambition, Macbeth did not stop to think about the ramifications of disturbing the “great chain of being”, which was the common belief of the Elizabethan Era that there is a proper order for everything. Thus, the thematic parallel is evident between Frankenstein and Macbeth since both would have been better off if they had not been overly ambitious and stuck to their passions.
Additionally, the theme of one’s fate being immutable and being determined prominently by destiny is abundant throughout Frankenstein and Macbeth. In Frankenstein, major plot points such as the monster harming Victor’s family members and Victor becoming sick are inevitable. As much as Victor tries to persuade the monster from harming his family, the only mercy the monster offers Victor is for Victor to make a female version of the monster. However, Victor cannot do this, as it is extremely unethical. Furthermore, Victor had no control on himself becoming sick. Therefore, it is evident that it is Victor’s destiny to live through the tragedies that the monster inflicts upon his own family. Similarly, shortly after Macbeth seizes the throne, many aspects in life in Scotland change for the worse, and the “great chain of being” has been disrupted. Thus, even nature knows Macbeth’s fate. In addition, it is evident that Malcolm is destined to become King because the “divine rights of the king” were established by the higher power, God. Hence, there is an obvious connection between Frankenstein and Macbeth, due to the main character of both books falling victim to their own fate and the destiny of others, thereby proving the correlation between the prominent themes of both pieces of literature.
One theme that shows up in multiple books is if ambition is left unchecked, then it will lead to chaos. This is a recurring theme in Frankenstein and Macbeth. In both of these stories, the main character displays an enormous amount of ambition, but they both let it get the better of them in the end. However, in both stories, if the ambition was displayed in moderation, then perhaps the story would have turned out differently. In Frankenstein, Victor is overcome by his ambition to create a living being out of something that was once dead. At first, his passion for science was a good thing, and he loved to learn new things and conduct many experiments. Once he found out that he had the ability to reanimate a dead object, he became obsessed with the idea of making a living creature. Before he knew what was happening, Victor dug himself into a hole he could not climb out of. He never once stopped to consider whether or not his experiment was going to be logical or not. In the same way, in Macbeth, as soon as Macbeth hears the prophesy from the Weird Sisters, an idea starts forming in his mind that he needs to take it upon himself to fulfill the prophesy. Now at first, Macbeth was just going to trust the process and wait for his turn to be king, but his wife had other plans. Forced into complying with his wife's nefarious intentions, Macbeth could not help but to fall headfirst into his own downfall. This unchecked ambition almost seemed like it tired Macbeth and Victor out, because as soon as they had finished the task that they so deeply desired, the ambition to continue on left them. This example of two different people's story about ambition goes to show just how bad ambition can be. It won't always be a bad thing, and a little ambition in moderation is probably a good thing, but once someone lets it consume them, then their whole world will quite possibly get ruined because of it.
ReplyDeleteIn an attempt to make one’s life easier or more enjoyable, humans often unwittingly fashion their own worst enemies. This message, present in both Brave New World and in Frankenstein, reigns true even throughout our generation, a group of young people growing up on Netflix and Snapchat; both are very entertaining, yet both often deter us from beginning homework, going to sleep, or engaging in a more scintillating activity. In this way, the human advancement of technology has both improved and tainted our lifestyles, proving the importance of such a motif in the following literary pieces.
ReplyDeleteThe goal of the Brave New World utopia is to reach a perfectly moderate society, including the lack of true emotion, pain, or decision-making. In this process, scientists have made huge advancements, learning to subdue the human experience with soma, feelies, and the scent organ. However, during the lessening of emotion, the people sometimes “relapse” into humanity, and feel true pain or love, and experience immense agony based on these emotions. This lapse of moderation puts into question if this ambition is worth the pain that comes along the way, and shows that in the attempt to better the people’s lives, pain of losing one’s humanity is introduced. Some take this as their own personal enemy, and eventually see it as their downfall. In Frankenstein, Victor believes that creating human life will better his life, as he may gain insight into his mother’s sickness and death. In order to bring about life, Victor forces himself through several grueling years of research, experimentation, and torture, withering himself to the bone. Both physically and mentally, this treatment destroyed Victor. Without contact to his friends and family, nor the proper care of his body, he became his own worst enemy even before he created life. His mind, less than sane, tortured him within his own thoughts and decreased his quality of life by an enormous amount. In Victor’s efforts to better his and his families’ lives, he rather destroyed both in the journey towards new life, out of nothing.
The creation of an enemy where improvement was intended is further solidified by the outcomes of both of these novels. Brave New World ends with the innocent dead or secluded, the brainwashed still blind, and the leaders only strengthened in their beliefs. The society ends in total inhumanity, aside from a select few, who see the misfortune of their world state. While the leaders may see this as a success, the society has fashioned its own worst enemy by destroying its humanity, love, passion, and respect for all. No longer can these people truly call themselves alive, when they live only to demolish all aspects of being a human. They are left animalistic and simple-minded, without possibility of a truly fulfilling life. The goal to make a perfect society actually created an ugly shell of humanity. Likewise, the goals of Victor Frankenstein obviously backfired to destroy all he loved – his family, his friends, his wife, and eventually himself. While Victor tried to create a creature for the betterment of all those people, he unknowingly fashioned the downfall of much of his society. These two novels serve as cautionary tales to use discretion in the attempt to simply or better our lives or the lives of those around us.
The thematic issues pertaining to Brave New World and Frankenstein parallel one another. Brave New World’s theme, “If freedom is revoked, then the oppressed will become restless”, almost overlaps with that of Frankenstein’s “If accidents become mistakes, then the one who erred will shoulder greater burdens.”
ReplyDeleteFirst, Brave New World supplies many examples that support the aforementioned theme. Specifically, Bernard exemplifies the traits of one who has a restless mind. Nearing the start of the novel, Bernard takes Lenina to a savage reserve as a date. This action resulted directly from the unnerving atmosphere at his workplace. The rules of oppression caused Bernard to behave in an unnatural manner such as going on a date or visiting a new environment. In addition to Bernard, Helmholtz gets treated with strict guidelines therefore unsettling him. The destructive force of oppression can be seen when Helmholtz starts to contemplate his own ideas. By wanting to restrict him even more, the government induces a cycle in which freedom and control feed off each other. This repetition signifies the restlessness stated in the theme.
Moreover, Frankenstein also provides myriad examples of the detrimental “snowball effect”. Because Frankenstein did not feed the monster with love but rather neglect, the “accident” evolved into an even greater problem. The mismanagement of the monster when it first came to life steadily spiraled Frankenstein’s life down an abyss. Examples of worsened problems include the death of numerous friends and family, newfound isolation, and mental instability. However, the most soul-crushing effect is the ever-persisting set of eyes glooming over Frankenstein. The monster continued to haunt Frankenstein until his death, demonstrating the magnified burden placed upon his back.
Although these two themes seem completely uncorrelated, they do in fact relate to one another. Both of these thematic statements describe an ordeal given to the ones who are on the losing end. An example of this hardship would be chaos. Anarchy completely envelops the society in Brave New World after Helmholtz and Bernard start thinking for themselves. Likewise, Frankenstein faces a hectic aftermath once he abandons the monster. Similarly, the monster’s scenario applies to the theme of Brave New World. Once the “fiend” realizes that society shuns him, it becomes restless and finds Frankenstein. ON the other hand, the government in Brave New World made mistakes when deciding on the future. However, instead of correcting themselves, they continued to walk down the path of failure, similar to Frankenstein’s actions.
The first piece of literature that this essay will focus on is The Canterbury Tales. The theme of The Canterbury Tales is being a good, virtues person is more important than being rich, lusty, or gluttonous. This theme is supported by the many sinful characters and the few angelic characters. The characters that are angelic are praised by the author, but on the contrary the sinful characters are criticized by the author. For example, the knight is one of the good, virtues characters. He has all the seven virtues of the medieval ages and is a perfect example of how a member of his estate should act. The Summoner and Pardoner, on the other hand show all the seven sins if the middle ages and are an example of how a human should not act.
ReplyDeleteThe other piece of literate in this essay is Shakespear’s tragedy, Macbeth. Its theme is a thirst for power can lead to destruction and tragedy. Macbeth, after finding out that he will become king, became power-hungry and a murderer. To keep his title as King, he kills King Duncan, Banquo, and Macduff’s family. His thirst for power also affected all Scotland. This was known when the old man mention how nature was out of order. At the end Macbeth’s power-hungry self got killed by Macduff.
Both pieces of literature have themes that tell people to be less sinful. The Canterbury Tales focuses on all the seven deathly sins while Macbeth mostly focuses on greed and the need of power. Even though the themes of these stories are not identical, both warn the reader of the consequences of sinful actions. The books that were written in the XIII to XVI century the themes still affect and can educate the modern society.
Victoria Oginski
The Canterbury Tales and BNW (Brave New World) are both expository literary works that show dystopian societies as a cautionary tale of the wrong doings of man. Although they lie on either end of the manipulation spectrum, they present a corrupt society and serve it like one of Aesop’s morals; one is a tale of over indulgence, and one is a tale of severe restriction in everything (including original thought). Though the use of exposition, both BNW and The Canterbury Tales expose the manipulation or avarice to the gain of a single party, and more importantly, the consequences of these morally decrepit actions.
ReplyDeleteIn The Canterbury Tales, the society is presented as sinful whole, and the corrupt individuals are painstakingly pointed out, such as the religious figures who are greedy, or figures who are lustful and those who work for their own needs. The exposition of the characters (who are supposed to be righteous) weigh heavy on the reader because the stereotypes are so prevalent even today. A Nun who displayed vanity, a Friar who was lusty, a Monk who indulged in self-pleasure, played a part in blatantly showing the wrongdoing. Overall, it painted a picture of what a society should not be. It was a warning that if we were to overlook these sins (or even partake in them ourselves), society would crumble.
In the same manner, Brave New World also painted a very scary and cautionary tale. Although highly different in deliverance, BNW is presented a society so manipulated to be perfect in every way possible, by eliminating the impurities in their society, the people of that society become less human and more like machines. It’s a warning. For example, in BNW, taboos in the current are society socially expectable in their society and are highly encouraged. But as a result of one person trying to manipulate society to benefit all, the people who aren’t in line with their society are shunned and deported. They are taken out of society and the people who are left in that society are more machinelike. The tone is different in BNW. The metaphors are stark and lean, like the legs of the hanging man compared to those of compass needles. In contrast, the people in The Canterbury Tales are caricatures swathed in allegory and delivered like a perversion of an Aesop tale, too selfish for their own good. The religious figures who should lead others and teach others how to better themselves are almost always taking advantage of their power but it is told in prose. An example of this was the nun who used this privilege to act like a noble and eat good food.
Tiffany Cha
In both Frankenstein by Mary Shelley and Macbeth by Shakespeare, a common theme come to fruition: blind ambition can erode one’s moral integrity and may have deleterious ramifications in the end. In Frankenstein, Victor is consumed by his overwhelming desire to create the “perfect being.” When his plans do not ultimately proceed as planned and the Monster is created, he not only creates a malicious being, but he destroys himself in the process. Similarly, in Macbeth, keeping the Weird Sisters’ prophecy in mind, Macbeth became obsessed with doing whatever it took to fulfill it, driving him and those in his life to the brink of insanity. With each story, the plot and main ideas of both pieces of literature are in some sense, a cautionary tale that warn of the consequences of making decisions to fuel a possibly unhealthy desire.
ReplyDeleteWith the tale of Frankenstein, there is a somewhat underlying message that Victor let his ambition get out of control. While he did succeed in creating life, in the process of doing so, he also socially isolated himself for months and became unhealthy obsessed with his imaginative and inhuman goals. Not only did he suffer as a result of his ambition in the process, but once his unrealistic expectations did not come to, he was driven to despondency and sickened with himself. The Monster was became a living reminder of his failure to create a “perfect” being, as it was “deformed” and “frightening.” This led to Victor’s neglect of the Monster, which caused it to lash out in response by killing his family. With the violence displayed by the Monster, Victor yet again drowns in his passionate hatred of it and of himself. Eventually, he becomes stricken with guilt and revenge, which eventually ends his life as he feverishly chases the Monster all the way to the Arctic.
Likewise, in Macbeth, a similar struggle with blind ambition can be seen. The prophecy of the witches that Macbeth would become king dominates his thoughts and the actions that he takes throughout the play. His obsession becomes his ambition and passion, going to extreme measures and even killing King Duncan in order to fulfill what he believes to be his destiny. Despite obvious factors such as the loss of morality with the murder of King Duncan and disturbance of The Great Chain of Being, he loses sight of right and wrong entirely. He forgets what is truly important, justifiable, and ethically correct-- believing that his skills in battle give him a further right to the throne. However, no amount of war or leadership skills outweigh the sinfulness of taking the life of another man, let alone committing regicide. In the end, the vile and corrupt actions that Macbeth took as a result of his loss in ability to see morality lead to his ultimate destruction. In that sense, Macbeth’s passion to succeed his fate is yet another sign of the consequences that can come with a loss of moderation.
Hence, both the stories of Frankenstein and Macbeth contend that following a blind and rabid ambition can have more negative effects than positive, and can ultimately lead to one’s demise. In each piece of literature, the main character grapples with their decisions and eventually realizes that their obsessive tendencies were their ultimate downfall. Stories like these illuminate the importance of an equal balance in self control and drive to succeed--there is not one without the other. These literary pieces both are warnings of what can happen to someone when their passions start to consume and become them--insanity and immorality can replace rational thought and can lead to an egregious debacle.
-Fiona Andersons
Although written at different time periods and by two very different people the two books, Frankenstein and Macbeth, both teach valuable lessons. Both follow a character who is driven by their own passion and blinded by this ambition to doing things most others would never. This overall theme of ambition driving the two character to commit crazy actions proves in two works of literature the danger of letting ambition guide you. Watch yourself and make sure the decisions you make will not come back to haunt you in your future.
ReplyDeleteThe two characters drive for their own goals so much, they do not look at the world around them and see the consequences of their actions. Victor Frankenstein does not realize what he has created and instead of accepting this, he instead tries to ignore his problem. His problem only gets worse and this leads to the Monster killing the people he loves and ultimately ruining his own life and the lives of others. Similar to Victor, Macbeth hears his future from three witches and does whatever it takes to get what he believes is rightfully his. This ambition of wanting to be king blinds him so badly that he is unable to see truly how horrible his actions are. This theme of ambition being dangerous is commonly shown throughout both of the books. Rather than thinking of their actions and what problems it may cause, they instead let their ambition blind them and this affects their future.
This connection between two works of literature from two totally different time eras proves that even throughout time literature can continue to teach lessons to its readers. Both books have a theme that relates to each other with two completely different stories but still teach the same thing. While ambition can be useful and give ideas and help discover unknown things, going too far can create a danger to others and yourself.
-Holden Sanderson
In both Shakespeare's Macbeth and Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, the concept of moderation is brought up as both a fault and a strength. Macbeth’s tragedy mainly focuses on very ardent nobles trying their bests to rule their country to the best of their abilities. Lady Macbeth provides extremities to further satisfy her and Macbeth’s hunger for power. She offered an ultimatum to Macbeth; either kill and assert dominance or stay second best for life. These extremities later caused both Lady Macbeth and Macbeth their doom. This shows how moderation is not only needed but almost required in the sense of success in life. Although taking extreme risks can get one where one wants to be, it's immensely a game of high-risk low reward. As with Macbeth plays out, they both receive what they want, but temporarily and at a high cost.
ReplyDeleteFurthermore, In Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein Victor has set goals and aspirations he wants to fill. Victor’s extreme ambition and stubbornness inevitably caused his ruination. Victor, as well, went to the extremities of life instead of trying to find a balance. He blocked everything out to focus on his project which caused him and the people around him to suffer more than they had to. If moderation was included here, Victor would’ve saved himself a tremendous amount of emotional turmoil on not only him, but the people around him.
Hence, moderation and excessivity are two critical concepts to grasp. Rather than implying that the actions and motives of these characters signify that the writers were trying to convey a message of restriction, the authors imply something else. Not completely are they suggesting moderation is the only way, as seen when Macbeth got temporary power from possessiveness. Nor are they implying that excessiveness is the only way to success either. Both of these novels can serve as cautionary tales against the harm of both moderation and excessiveness. Risk and challenge are both tools in life that are key to success, but moderation is a necessity. Nothing in this world has to be completely black and white, both moderation and excessiveness should be used according to the situation and the person. Darkness without light is an abyss, light without darkness is blinding to one's eye, you cannot have a coin with one side.
While comparing the works Frankenstein by Mary Shelley and Macbeth by Shakespeare, one might discover similarities. Both core novels serve as cautionary tales, warning the readers about the dangers of excessive ambition. In Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, Frankenstein’s egregious ambition ultimately results in his demise. Obsessed with his craft and driven by his ambition, Frankenstein works day and night until he achieves, what seems to be, the key to immortality. Readers of Frankenstein know that the monster, Frankenstein’s creation, killed his newly-wed wife, brother, and best friend. While this is true, Frankenstein’s insatiable hunger for innovation is what truly led to his downfall. During construction of the monster, Frankenstein becomes obsessed and tremendously zealous. He even goes to great lengths to isolate himself from the rest of the world for a little peace and quiet. For months of arduous work and labor, Frankenstein locked himself in a room and neglected everything else, including family, friends, social life, and school. Frankenstein’s situation closely resembles solitary confinement because of the lack of connection to humanity. Solitary confinement is a form of punishment in which a subject is locked inside of an isolated room for a given amount of time. Looking at this from a psychological standpoint, isolation to Frankenstein’s degree can and would have a copious amount of detrimental effects to his brain. In one notorious real-life example, a sixteen-year-old with no mental illness spent two years in solitary confinement. During his incarceration, he had 4 attempted suicides and suffered from paranoia. He was eventually released but his mental state was not near what it was before the incarceration. In 2015, he died from suicide. This one example is merely a microcosm of the effects of isolation. Readers can assume that isolation would do the same to Frankenstein. Frankenstein’s overreaching zeal and excessive ambition inevitably led to his downfall. Another character who possessed similar traits to Frankenstein is Macbeth. Also driven by his overreaching ambition to rise to power is Macbeth. After hearing the witch’s prophecy, Macbeth does what he deems necessary to ensure it is fulfilled. This regicide signifies the beginning of the end for Macbeth. Ultimately, Macbeth’s thirst for power leads to his demise. These two novels warn the reader about the dangers of excessive ambition through examples with the main characters.
ReplyDeleteFrankenstein and Macbeth both explore the themes of fate vs. choice allowing the reader to determine whether it was the character’s choice or fate that ultimately determined their actions. Macbeth’s actions are dictated from his encounter with the witches or fates which tell him about his future. At first this comes off as his calling or fate but later acts reveal that Macbeth didn’t have to go through with what the witches foretold to him. At first Macbeth doesn’t want to go forth with what he is supposed to do to be king but Lady Macbeth pressures him too. This means that Macbeth chose his actions even though he didn’t have to continue what the witches told him. Macbeth chose to go ahead and kill King Duncan to gain power and become king along with murdering Banquo and forcing Malcolm and Donalbain to flee to England and Ireland. Victor Frankenstein also chose his actions instead thinking it was his fate. He created the monster from his own ambition and desire to gain fame and glory. Once he created the monster Victor chose alienate the monster which didn’t allow him to experience regular human events and be able to feel emotions ultimately leading to the monster becoming a cold killer with no soul. As in both cases the two characters had choices of their actions but determined what the did through what they thought was their calling or their “fate”, Macbeth trying to get the throne and Frankenstein creating the monster to try and get glory and fame. Overall Macbeth and Frankenstein are connected through their themes of fate vs. choice in that both characters chose their actions thinking it was their fate and putting fault on that fate when their lives spiraled out of control.
ReplyDelete
ReplyDeleteRegarding all the literature we’ve read this year, I think Frankenstein and Macbeth have the themes that are the most similar. Both main characters are trying to achieve their goal by any means possible. In both works, ambition, when left unchecked caused chaos. Victor and Macbeth both made in order to obtain success. Victor was driven by his ambitions which were not moderated thus causing him misery. He isolated himself from family and friends, risking his own health to create a creature out of corpses who would eventually take the lives of his family members and cause Victor to die of deterioration of his health from what was probably extreme anxiety. The desire to become a royal provoked Lady Macbeth to influence Macbeth into killing King Duncan. This offset the Great Chain of Being, and at this point Macbeth had already commited a murder and had become more determined to become king. He hired assassins to murder people in his way such as Banquo whose descendants were predicted to inherit the throne and by doing so Macbeth sacrificed his status and wife’s health. The ambition of both Victor and Macbeth resulted in their agony and sorrow.
Over-ambition and obsession can ultimately lead to the collapse of an individual’s conscience and overall well-being. This theme seems to be evident to some extent in all of the novels observed this semester, however, it is reflected heavily in both Brave New World and Frankenstein.
ReplyDeleteThroughout the first novel, readers observe an advanced society that has eviscerated true human emotion by the consumption of a drug. The individuals within this “brave new world” only feel happiness, and are unable to encounter- let alone cope with an emotionally charged situation. Once John, “the Savage,” is placed into the actually savage conditions of this society, the gradual lack of morality and ethics around him, and the sheer isolation he feels, is entirely overwhelming. The Rulers’ intentions are to bring a harmonious feeling and a sense of unity to the society, but at the expense of one’s genuine definition of emotion. Humanity has dissociated true happiness from universal happiness in this novel, and has chosen to live a life with no conflict, over a life with so much more. In their rise to this ambitious and perceivably more advanced existence, their moral compass was destroyed along the way. These two factors are correlated, for as these humans became emotionless, and emotional attachment became nonexistent, they began to stray from the idealistic ways in which a life should be fulfilled; there being no family, real children, and etcetera. These people are not aware of the extent to which they are damaged and missing out, which is what Huxley wants attention to be drawn to.
In Frankenstein, there is a similar idea supported. Dr. Frankenstein is so consumed with making and hating this monster, that he inevitably becomes a monster himself. This novel is a testament to fault and how it can often be impossible to place. Therefore, with that battle, Dr. Frankenstein chooses to blame the monster for all of the problems at hand. He spends this entire novel insisting that something is to blame, or something is wrong. His consistent obsessions and fears consume him almost, his constant need to improve the monster being only matched by his later urge to destroy it. The ambitious idea to create and destroy this revolutionary creature is something that emotionally tears Frankenstein. His perception of what is right and wrong is clouded by his own selfish desire to wish the monster out of existence. Frankenstein watches an innocent girl take blame for a murder that he knows his monster committed, all because he wishes to not look insane. The entire novel is a document of Frankenstein’s dilemma, and the emotional toll that comes with it.
The themes from Frankenstein and Macbeth are very similar. In both books, a character is being driven by ambition which could cause chaos if not moderated. In Frankenstein, Victor is being driven to create the monster by his passion for science. He overlooks the consequences of creating a supernatural creature because of his ambitions. He creates the monster and abandons it immediately because he began to realize what he had done. Victor did not exercise moderation which caused chaos and eventually led to the deaths of multiple people in his family. This theme is also apparent in Macbeth since Macbeth is driven by ambition which leads to the deaths of King Duncan and Banquo. Macbeth wants to become king, but the witches told Banquo that his descendants would soon become king. Since Banquo is a threat to Macbeth becoming king, he hires murderers to kill Banquo, so that his descendants would not become king. Macbeth did not display moderation since he kills King Duncan in order to be the heir to the throne. This ruins the Great Chain of Being and causes several strange events to occur.
ReplyDeleteAmbition has the potential of great achievement or disastrous failure. But how does one decide whether a discovery is an accomplishment or a grave miscreation that may unleash terror upon the world? For example, one may describe the production of the atom bomb as one of biggest failures of humankind, however, in the dire circumstances that surrounded the conflicting countries, it turned out be a successful, although casualty accompanied, means to end their conflict. In reality, therefore, success is defined by perspective, and the environment that surrounds a person. For instance, a person living under harsh and hostile conditions in North Korea, does not realize the suffering that he or she endures as it is all that they had been exposed to. These inquisitions about the fruitfulness of ambition and how perspective defines one’s thoughts are answered in Brave New World and Frankenstein.
ReplyDeleteFrankenstein and Brave New World both offer contrasting opinions on ambition. Deciding which approach is more successful is extremely challenging issue, being debated upon constantly. Nonetheless, a common conclusion may be made from each side of the debate: Unchecked ambition can lead to dire consequences. This topic is frequently presented in Frankenstein, wherein Victor’s excessive involvement with his creation leads to the unleashing of a monstrous being which threatened the survival of humanity. Similarly, Mustapha Mond’s superfluous interest in keeping the world estate stable denies the people living in it of basic humanitarian abilities such as free will and creativity. This idea extends onto the modern world. Commonly, people are so excessively involved in a particular task that they often lose sight of the things that they lose due to such actions. For a relatable example, one may consider Donald Trump whose purpose of making America’s economy stronger, leads to him making decisions that arouse negative emotions from the citizens of the country. Therefore, it is extremely important to maintain a steady balance of ambition in one’s life, as it an extremely important yet disastrous potent aspect of human nature.
The second idea that both Frankenstein and Brave New World demonstrate is how different perspective affect human’s thoughts and actions. Firstly, In Frankenstein we witness a frame tale, and the perspective commonly shifts depending on the current narrator. For example, Victor’s description of the monster causes it to appear as a monstrous wretch whereas the monster’s own narration causes him to appear as kind and gentle being who was turned malicious due to societie’s injustice. In Brave New World this idea is represented by Mustapha Mond and the world State considering their present situation as comfortable although they miss out on important aspects of life such as free will and creativity. Thus they both establish the theme that depending on a person’s point of view, a situation can appear as ideal or extremely despondent.
Evident in many pieces of literature and in many real life examples, excessive passion can often blind an individual from the ramifications of their actions. In Frankenstein by Mary Shelley, the protagonist, Victor Frankenstein, has an ardent love for his crazy idea of creating life from scratch. He spends years in isolation, so wrapped up in his own little world that he loses his ability to create rational thought. He let his passion blind him, any sane person would never consider the idea of creating life from rotten corpses. A normal person usually thinks about the consequences of their actions, obviously Victor did not. He never considered the possibility of bringing a fully grown malevolent lifeform into the world. The work Victor was so passionate about ends up taking everything good in his life; his wife, his family, and even ends up killing itself.
ReplyDeleteIn Shakespeare’s play the main character Macbeth has an insatiable thirst for power. Macbeth preoccupies himself with becoming the King of Scotland after three witches reveal the future in a rather strange prophecy. He goes to lengths beyond what any normal human being would go to to achieve their goals; regicide and homicide. Later after his death, Macbeth is beheaded. His head, likely paraded around on a stick, serves a warning of what not to do for those observing. This unsaid warning can be interpreted in many ways, one being the theme found in Macbeth and Frankenstein. Macbeth’s desire blinded him (like Victor) of the consequences of his actions. In other words, excessive passion can often blind an individual from the consequences of their actions.