Mary Shelleys Frankenstein and Christopher Marlowes Dr....

Superman, Spiderman, Iron Man, Batman; these are some examples of the modern day hero. Most call this form of a hero a Super Hero. In the early nineteenth century, the popular hero of the day was the romantic hero. Mary Shelly gives a great picture of this hero in her novel Frankenstein. She uses Victor Frankenstein, the creator of the famous â€Å"Frankenstein’s Monster† as her character which embodies the traits of a romantic hero. The model was relatively new; however, Christopher Marlowe had written a character in the early fifteenth century which embodied the same characteristics. These attributes of romanticism in the form of a hero are seen in both Mary Shelly’s Frankenstein and Christopher Marlowe’s Dr. Faustus in very much the same†¦show more content†¦During this chase, he says that he has â€Å"been possessed by a frenzy† and that he â€Å"was reserved for vengeance†(Shelly 150). Clearly Victor is obsessed with locating an d executing his creation. This particular obsession leads to further mental madness on his part and also to his death even after he is rescued by Robert Walton in the Arctic Sea. In Marlowe’s masterpiece, Faustus is obsessed with learning. In and of itself, that is not a bad thing; however, this obsession with learning soon turns to obsession with the dark arts, magic, and the devil. He exclaims that he â€Å"will live in speculation of this dark art† as long as he can or â€Å"till Mephistopheles return†(Marlowe 14). He exclaims his obsession in his lair after he learns that he can use the dark arts to summon spirits. Later in the book, the Good Angel implores Faustus to â€Å"lay that damned book aside† and to â€Å"gaze not upon it†(Marlowe 55). The Good Angel is trying to cure Faustus of his obsession but ultimately he does not succeed. Faustus’s obsession eventually leads to his famed deal with the devil in which he sells his soul to Lucifer for 24 years of Mephistopheles’s power. This deal is clearly detrimental to his relationship with Christ and its roots trace back to his obsession with learning. When Frankenstein and Faustus experience the Internal battles that all romantic heroes face, Shelly and Marlowe are trying to show that there is a fine line between flawed and completely evil and that