What is the name of the main character in Mary Shelley’s novel, Frankenstein or the Modern Prometheus?

The main character in Mary Shelley’s novel Frankenstein or the Modern Prometheus is Victor Frankenstein. Published in 1818, this Gothic novel tells the story of Victor, a young Swiss scientist obsessed with the quest for knowledge and the discovery of the secrets of life.

Victor Frankenstein, inspired by the work of the alchemists and scientists of his time, succeeds in animating a creature he has assembled from cadaver parts. However, horrified by the hideous appearance of his work, Victor abandoned the monster, which is often mistakenly referred to as Frankenstein. In fact, the name Frankenstein refers to the creator, not the creature itself.

The creature, left to its own devices and rejected by society because of its appearance, develops a deep-seated bitterness and desire for revenge against its creator. It asks Victor to make it a mate, but after starting, Victor destroys the new creature for fear of the consequences. In response, the monster kills Victor’s loved ones, leading to a desperate hunt across Europe.

The novel explores profound themes such as scientific responsibility, the dangers of unbridled ambition, loneliness and rejection. Mary Shelley has subtly incorporated elements of Greek mythology, in particular the myth of Prometheus, to emphasize the parallels between Victor’s act of creation and that of Prometheus, who defied the gods by bringing fire to mankind.

The main character in Mary Shelley’s novel Frankenstein or the Modern Prometheus is Victor Frankenstein, the scientist who creates a creature in his quest to understand and master the secrets of life, with tragic consequences.