“The rarer action is in virtue than in vengeance.” (V, i, 27-28)This quote is very significant, because it indicates a major shift in the plot of the novel. Prospero changes his vengeful mindset into sympathy for the suffering people, and decides to pay them mercy by ending his torture. He decides to end his tyrannical use of magic, and become the true human version of himself, where he doesn’t play puppeteer, and is equal in humility and ability as the rest of the people on the island. By overcoming his thirst for revenge, all of the characters can get on with their lives, and work towards being better versions of themselves. Where he addresses them face to face, concerning their issues individually, it seems to work more effectively, showing how rage and revenge doesn’t solve problems in the way that just talking and resolving them does. In the quote, he says that virtue is rare, because, the overlooming topic of human nature throughout the novel had indicated that everyone is selfish, worried about getting revenge for an old grudge, rather than trying to make issues better morally, by forgiving and getting over the past.
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“We are such stuff as dreams are made on, and our little life is rounded with a sleep.” (IV, i, 156-158)Basically, Prospero is saying that we all have dreams, and they are what characterizes who we are. By also saying "life is rounded with a sleep", he points out that when we all die we are in an infinite state of sleeping. His argument is that human life is based on the repetitive motif of dreaming and sleeping. Everyone has a goal they want to achieve, which contributes to their own personality and credo. Prospero wanted a good life for her daughter, since he loved her so much, which led him to make Miranda and Ferdinand fall in love, marry them, and ultimately convince the royal crew to take them back to Milan where she will get married and live happily. Also, this can be seen as a nod to this being Shakespeare's last play. The characters are dreamt up by William Shakespeare and manipulated to his whim. Since it is his last play, his series of plays is “rounded is by sleep” by this one, and the character’s full lives aren’t depicted and they only exist on the stage for a little while, their “little life”, or play, which is coming to an end.
“Travelers ne’er did lie, though fools at home condemn ‘em.” (III, iii, 27-28)This quote from the Tempest shows that the shipwrecked people have expanded their imaginations, which allows them to see things clearer. They will believe in anything because of the crazy things they have experienced on the island, that they never would have thought possible if they had stayed as “fools at home”. This also connects to the historical aspects of the text. This connects to the voyages of Marco Polo, Ibn Battuta, and Christopher Columbus, who all traveled to foreign lands and documented their unusual experiences and findings. If they had stayed home, they would've remained "foolishly" oblivious to the magical wonders of the island. Their beliefs were altered by this interaction which expands their willingness to believe other myths they have heard and earlier dismissed. I think that this is a positive experience for the people, because they are no longer stuck in the motions of life, but can embrace more ideas and it ultimately decreased their cynicism.
I’ th’ commonwealth I would by contraries Execute all things. For no kind of traffic Would I admit; no name of magistrate; Letters should not be known; riches, poverty, And use of service, none; contract, succession, Bourn, bound of land, tilth, vineyard, none; No use of metal, corn, or wine, or oil; No occupation; all men idle, all; And women too, but innocent and pure; No sovereignty. (II, i, 140-49)Within the short span of time that the fleet had arrived on the island, they have already disrespected their king’s authority and power. Gonzalo ponders the idea of being King, which would get him arrested for treason, had they not been stranded on the island. This is similar to how Sebastian and Antonio plan to murder Alonso. Being on the island has already divided them and pitted them against each other, even without magical assistance. I think that Alonso, the King, lost a lot of authority over his subjects once they got shipwrecked, because they realize that he is just like another one of them, lost, confused, and probable stranded forever. His peers also have fostered some resentment towards Alonso, because it is his fault that they are stranded there, because he selfishly married his daughter off to African royalty, contested by many people, and they got stranded on their way home. This quote emphasizes them turning against their leader, and coming up with their own fantasies and utopias. Gonzalo describes his theoretical rule as getting rid of class distinctions, agriculture, jobs, gender inequalities, and democracy. He seems to be describing a communist country, which relates to how communist regimes arose in the 18th century as a result of social exploitation of harsh, capitalist oppression.
“There’s nothing ill can dwell in such a temple. If the ill spirit have so fair a house, good things will strive to dwell with’t” (I, ii, 462-64) Miranda is the polar opposite of her father. She is infatuated with the idea of other humans. Where Prospero conjures up a storm to shipwreck the people, Miranda says she would have drained the ocean so that the tragedy never happened to them. She is very selfless and kind of naive. I believe this is because she has been so sheltered all of her life, by only seeing her father and Caliban. Her limited social interaction increases her curiosity especially when these foreign people reach the island and are so much like her, but also vastly different and proper. This contributes to how she falls in love with Ferdinand, because he is the first new person she has met, and she is in love with the idea of something or somewhere new. She also believes him to be beautiful because she only has Caliban, an ugly tortured slave, to compare him to. She is very naive to think that just because he looks nice, that means his character is nice. This is because she hasn’t been exposed to the “real world” per say, and doesn’t know the terrible things people can do. She also may make this connection, because Caliban is ugly, and tried to do an awful thing to her, by attempting to rape her. Miranda takes this stranger’s side against her own father that she has known her entire life, which attests to her naiveness since she is only 15.
How are Walton and Frankenstein similar? What purpose does Walton serve in the novel? Why does the creature choose to die at the end of the novel? What does his choice suggest about his connection to Frankenstein? Robert Walton and Victor Frankenstein are both extremely similar characters in this novel. Both have an intense love for their sisters. For example, The first four chapters of the book are letters from Walton to his beloved sister, where he talks about how she lights up his life and he misses her while he’s away. Equally, Victor loves Elizabeth so much and even marries her. She is one thing that he loves almost as much as himself and science. Also, both of them are very isolated individuals. All Walton wants is a friend, and when Frankenstein was a child, he only focused on family, and never really grew to obtain many companions. Additionally, they both have very high ambitions. Walton wants to explore the arctic, and Victor wants to disrupt the laws of nature, by creating artificial life. They do differ in this, because Walton knows his limits and how far he is willing to go for science, and Victor knows no boundaries, and is obsessed with his goals. I think the purpose of Walton is to emphasize the extremities of Victor Frankenstein’s ambitions, obsessiveness, and selfishness. Walton is willing to turn around and go back, not take what he has for granted just so that a few people might call him a hero. Victor discourages this because he pursues glory and the satisfaction of being “the best”. Yet their differences lead to their different endings where Walton and his crew return home alive to their families, and Victor dies alone.
What evidence suggests Victor feels responsibility for the murders? What evidence illustrates that he still blames the creature?In Chapter Eight, Justine is tried and found guilty of the murder of William and is therefore sentenced to death. “Fangs of remorse” tear Victor Frankenstein apart, internally, because he is the one who created the monster and left him on his own for two years, not caring what happened to him. This led to the creature strangling his brother William, and framing Justine who is being executed because Frankenstein is not willing to stand up for the truth, because he is scared of being labeled insane. His inability to tell anyone of this secret isolates him, and leaves him with overwhelming guilt and melancholy. The fact that he initially agrees to making another creature in Chapter Seventeen shows that he recognizes that he was in the wrong, and owed it to the creature to make up for his misfortune. However, Frankenstein is very selfish, and places the blame of the many deaths on the creature to make himself feel better. He destroys the female creature because he does not want another creature that is so evil. He disregards the fact that it was his fault in the first place for letting the creature roam free with no guidance whatsoever. He does not want to accept his role, because that would make him out to be a murderer.
Is Victor’s fascination with the Philosopher’s Stone an admirable one?Victor Frankenstein is obsessed with the magic associated with the philosopher’s stone because it defies what is commonly known. In a way, it is kind of like magic that goes against natural science, which is what he wants to be able to do. The philosopher’s stone symbolizes the scientific secrets and laws of life, which Victor wants to unlock and manipulate. I think it is admirable that he doesn’t care as much about money, than actually achieving his goal. He specifically says, “Wealth was an inferior object; but what glory would attend the discovery, if I could banish disease from the human frame, and render man invulnerable to any but a violent death!" However, this quote also clearly shows that he doesn’t know the limits of scientific discovery, and is willing to risk common morals and ethics. It conveys how he is a very selfish character, because he only focuses on how this stone can be used to benefit him and his glory. He does not even consider that he is disrespecting the feelings and rights of other people. He is blinded by his curiosity, and will sacrifice others, which is not a very admirable trait, in my opinion. This may also be a way for Victor to cope with his mother’s death, thinking of how he can protect the people he loves, and is possessive over, from the inevitability of death. This may be a redeeming quality for Frankenstein, because even though he is possessive and obsessive, he does love his family. To conclude, I believe that Victor Frankenstein’s passion, determination, and family love are all admirable traits, but the reasoning behind his obsession with the philosopher’s stone and how he wants to use that power is exceedingly greedy and builds him up to have a poor character from early on in the novel.
How does Robert’s desire for a friend affect his relationship with Dr. Frankenstein? How might this relationship affect the reader’s trust in Walton as a reliable narrator? In my opinion, Walton seems like a very biased narrator. The diction he uses in the first four letters to his sister is very eloquent and romantic, like he is illustrating a story or a fairy tale rather than a non-fiction event of just straight-up facts. He also evidently loves his sister very much, saying she lights up his life. This intense love may be a factor which may instigate his desire to be portrayed in a more idealized way through her eyes, which can cause him to fluff up his stories. Additionally, this could be very blinding, and his health may be a disability as well concerning his reliability, because he is in a very distant and irregular place that he is not used to, which could cause some health deficiencies to cloud his judgement. Additionally, Walton is very set on the idea of glory and success, which could cause him to disregard anything that would negatively affect his reputation or hurt his ego. For anyone, especially when you are talking about yourself, you want to seem interesting or exceptional, which will cause you to exaggerate, which Walton probably did with his tellings of his journey and observations as if it were a tale or legend. I do think that Walton is overly ambitious and is being blinded by a desire for other people to glorify him, and Walton's loneliness can cause him to have a bias towards liking Victor, since he doesn’t truly understand how selfish he is, and accepts him because he simply wants companionship. The loneliness, longing, and love of Walton determine throughout the beginning of the novel that he may not be the most reliable or truthful narrator. This shows that Walton craves the affection of others, and wants to establish good relationships with other people because of his loneliness.
How does the change in narration to the creature’s point of view affect the reading of the novel? Do you feel sympathy for the creature when he is rejected by humanity?The shift in narration to the perspective of the creature deepens the reader's understanding to not only include the bias of both Walton and Frankenstein, but to truly see the creature for the metaphorical lost, abandoned child he is, since you can now put yourself in his shoes and see the events through his eyes. Frankenstein is so blinded by superficiality that he only saw his creature as a disgusting and terrifying monster, which is what the audience is led to believe, until he is actually introduced and is very eloquent and civil. I feel sympathy for him, because he was all alone for the beginning of his life and had no-one to guide him or teach him how to be a good person. His first interaction with a human, Frankenstein, was scaring him off with his abnormal features. This could foster much anger and resentment towards humanity, where he continued to care for the family in the cottage and develop human emotions, intelligence, and a personality. He only wants to be accepted and feel love, but everyone is too scared by his physical appearance to actually get to know him and understand him for who he truly is. If he wasn't as "ugly" he would have more friends and live better as seen through his interaction with the blind old man, who couldn't see his appearance and was able to relate to and understand the genuine nature of the creature. He is an outsider, and there is nothing he can do to be "normal" and gain the acceptance, attention, and affection that he craves from other people. He is not initially the monster everyone makes him out to be, he just looks like one. However, with his lack of guidance, companionship, and positive social interaction, he becomes very depressed and angry, which is actually what turns him into the monster everyone thought he was.
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