Victor Frankenstein, from the novel Frankenstein, meets the criteria to be considered the tragic hero. To be a tragic hero the character must have caused his own downfall, recognize his own flaw and the character must suffer greatly because of this. Victor Frankenstein meets these guide lines and fits them perfectly. Using those three categories one could conclude that he is the tragic hero. The first reason that Victor Frankenstein is the tragic hero is because he caused his own downfall. He created the creature that would potentially take over his life and control him in every way.
If Victor had never created the creature in the first place then none of his hardships would have ever happened. Yet he did create the creature. His mind was so interested in science and he was so devoted and determined, that he created this creature without thinking about the effects, or what this creature would do once he came alive. Once the creature did come alive he was so ugly in appearance that even Victor his own creator could only look at him for seconds before screaming and running away from him.
Victor abandoned what was basically his child and this is what caused the creature to venture out into the real world all alone and with no knowledge. The second reason that Victor Frankenstein is the tragic hero is he recognizes his own downfall. After Victor fled from his creature, the creature basically fled from him as well. Victor had almost forgotten about the creature until one day before visiting home he gets a letter that his youngest brother William Frankenstein has been murdered.
The Term Paper on A Family Study of Victor Frankenstein and his Monster
Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein is an exploration of the relationship between parent and child. Inspired in many ways by Mary Shelley’s own experiences as a motherless child and a grieving mother, Victor’s tale follows a linear trail of decline traceable to his mother’s death. Up until that point, though fascinated with alchemy and life science, Victor’s ideas retain a manner of scientific remove. His ...
The moment that Victor realizes what he has created and what he has unleased into the world is when he sees the creature standing near him in the middle of the night at the crime scene of his brother’s murder. At that instant Victor knows that he has created a monster and a killer. Creating the creature does not only effect Victor but everyone else around him, most importantly his family and the people that he loves and cherishes the most in his life. The last reason why Victor Frankenstein is considered the tragic hero is because of his flaw he suffers greatly and probably a lot more then he should.
First his youngest brother William dies, then Justine, a close friend who took the fall for something she didn’t do, after that it was Clerval his very beloved friend, then his dear Elizabeth whom he loves with all his heart and lastly his father. All of these deaths happened because one he created the creature in the first place and two because instead of taking responsibility he runs away and tries to forget about the creature instead of caring for it like a father should. Even Victor Frankenstein himself dies in the end.
He dies because; after everyone he loves has been murdered by the creature he makes it his destiny to kill the creature. He follows the creature for a long time and dies with a friend before he could kill what he had created. As one could gather from this reading Victor Frankenstein is indeed the tragic hero. He creates something that harms and haunts him in every way and he suffers more than any man should have to suffer. He endures the death of his entire family because of something he created and he had to live with that guilt until that day he died.
