Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus

In Frankenstein, though knowledge is beneficial to humankind, there are limits to the kinds of knowledge humans should attempt to acquire. Frankenstein’s warnings against acquiring this dangerous knowledge are woven into the novel from the beginning. The very reason he tells his story is to keep Walton from following in his footsteps.

Growing up, Frankenstein is drawn to the promise of alchemy and has a “thirst for knowledge” (25). Once he arrives at university, he gravitates to the practicality of natural sciences. However, it is not mere knowledge he desires as an adult; he craves “the secrets of heaven and earth” (23). Furthermore, he seeks this knowledge not solely for the benefit of mankind but also for the personal glory it will bring. He is attracted to natural scientists’ “almost unlimited powers” (33). When he discovers the secret of creating life, he revels in the fact that “[w]hat had been the study and desire of the wisest men since the creation of the world [is] now within [his] grasp” (37). He imagines that “[a] new species [will] bless [him] as its creator and source” and that “many happy and excellent natures [will] owe their being” to him (39). Ultimately, the knowledge Frankenstein seeks is implied to belong to God alone, which is why his quest ends so disastrously.