Gillian Hevey
2/23/2010
English 101
Frankenstein and The Rime of the Ancient Mariner
Like one who, on a lonely road,
Doth walk in fear and dread,
And, having once turn’d round, walks on,
And turns no more his head;
Because he knows a frightful fiend
Doth close behind him tread.
- Samuel Coleridge
Throughout the novel Mary Shelley effectively uses works from other authors to emphasize and enhance the story of Frankenstein. For example, Shelley uses Samuel Coleridge’s Rime of the Ancient Mariner to augment Victors fear after finally creating the monster. The passage Shelley picks so accurately depicts Victor’s terror and dread of the monster’s appearance that it could have practically been part of the original text. While this passage comes from a story of destruction rather than creation, it seems that both protagonists are facing the same tribulations, making this passage an interesting and effective addition to the story.
The story of The Rime of the Ancient Mariner deals with a crew out at sea who find themselves lost in the arctic. An albatross eventually appears and leads the ship back to safe waters where the Mariner shoots and kills the bird. After this murder the crew begins to experience trouble, with eventually the Mariner being the only person left alive, forced to wander the earth telling his story to all who will listen. The passage taken from this poem is utilized right after the creation of the monster when Victor is wandering the streets trying to escape his horrific conception.
After the creation of his monster, Victor wanders the streets with “irregular steps, not daring to look about [him]”(pg. 44) in fear that the monster might soon appear. The passage from The Rime of the Ancient Mariner directly follows, stating, “Because he knows a frightful fiend doth close behind him tread.”(Pg. 44) These two quotes are almost identical in meaning, expressing the extreme fear of what the subject might find were he to look around. The use of the word “fiend” accurately depicts how Victor and the rest of human kind view the monster, and its usage through a passage separate from the original text of the novel reinforces that idea.
The creation of a living monster is an abnormality in the normal rotation of the earth; God is, by definition, the sole creator, and living creatures are His design. Shelley emphasizes the idea of irregularity in the sentences leading up to Coleridge’s passage. Shelley describes Victor’s heart as ‘palpitating’ and his steps as ‘irregular,’ stressing the deviant pattern of life that has arisen from Victor’s creation.
The relationship between The Rime of the Ancient Mariner and Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein is one that, at first glance, seems to be unrelated, however, upon further inspection are both stories of men who have muddled with the balance of the universe and are, consequently, paying the price. The passage from The Rime of the Ancient Mariner accurately depicts Victor’s emotions at the time and serves to emphasize this fear and apprehension.
Frankenstein and The Rime of the Ancient Mariner
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