The thought in tragedy is referring to ideas that are presented through out.An impact the

Melody and spectacle are the sounds and visual effects of the play.

How does Shakespeare us melody and spectacle in King Lear

• The fools songs
• Clothes – Lear stripping all his clothes off
• The storm – nature, gods will, mental state of lear, chaos of the country

The Fools songs

The fool is the voice of reason through the play, he is the only person that Lear allows to criticise him and call him out for his actions.A fool is usually a stupid person or someone saying dumb stuff so it shows the state of the world the fact that the fool is the voice of reason “Mum, mum; He that keeps nor crust nor crumb Wary of all , shall want some” In this quote the fool is explaining that Lear has given away all his power, he has none left comparing it to”nor crust nor crumb”.The quote also says he is wary of all saying the fool knows the daughters were just saying how much they loved him and that it was ingenuine “shall want some” refers to the fact the fool knows lear will want some of his power back

The storm

The storm is a symbol used in King Lear.The storm and bad weather are usually a negative symbol for society.The storm is the start of his pirapetia, it is intended to show how Lear, a frail old man, has been rendered homeless by his two daughters. Second, the storm is intended to represent visually and dramatically the turbulent emotions that Lear is experiencing. He is not the least bit afraid of the storm or troubled by the cold and wet. His inner feelings are so powerful that he is indifferent to any physical discomfort.The Storm can represent how Lear is feeling at this time .the chaotic state of the world in the play England is in chaos because of the turmoil going on in the kingdom.The storm represents Lear’s madness as well as the chaos that is happening in England right now“Rumble thy bellyful! Spit, fire! Spout, rain!” a quote that Lear says during the storm showing that he isn’t afraid of the storm at all.

Clothing

Clothing is another symbol used in King Lear.Clothing in the play represents a persons mental state and their power.At the start of the play the King and all the characters who are higher class for example Lear who starts the play as king before he gives away his kingdom to his daughters is dressed as. king would be , later in the play he strips down to nothing representing that he has lost all his power and he has gone mad.Edgar who starts off as glousters legitimate son to inherit all his land and title begins in the upper class but he ends as “poor tom” wearing nothing but a piece of fabric.“Through tatter’d clothes small vices do appear;
Robes and furr’d gowns hide all. Plate sin with gold,
And the strong lance of justice hurtless breaks:
Arm it in rags, a pigmy’s straw does pierce it.” – Lear This quote shows that we hid our weaknesses and faults and cover them up with materialistic items. Lear taking all his clothes off and stripping down to nothing represents that he has been stripped of all his power. “Poor, bare,forked animal” “is man no more than this ?consider him well.Thou owest the worm no silk,the beast no hide,the sheep no wool,the cat no perfume”Lear is using these because without these the animals would be naked like he is at this point in the story , In the great chain of being animals are below humans and almost at the bottom of the chain now that lear has lost all of his power he or feels worthless

The diction of a play is talking about the language used within the play.

Verse and Prose , Prose could be called “normal language” – it is what we use in everyday  speech. … Verse can also be called poetry – it tends to have a regular rhythm, and is divided into “stanzas” rather than paragraphs. ‘Low’ or comic characters generally speak in prose in Elizabethan and Jacobean drama. Traditionally, scenes of madness were also written in prose. Shakespeare obeys these conventions in King Lear, but you will notice that prose is used on other occasions too. Sometimes scenes contain both verse and prose. Verse can sometimes rhyme.

Lear is the king in this novel therefore he is of the highest power and we would expect him to speak in Verse.Lear uses the language device of switching between verse and pros to show his madness affecting him and signifies the disruption in his mind as the play carries on.In the storm scene we see Lear switch between verse and pros quiet frequently this shows the chaos around him and madness affecting him. QUOTES …

Edgar is Gloucesters legitimate son born into upper class and proper , he begins the novel speaking in verse because he is living his normal upper class life but as the novel continues and events occur that affect him and he turns into poor tom his speech changes to Prose

” Who gives any thing to poor Tom? whom the foul
fiend hath led through fire and through flame, and
through ford and whirlipool e’er bog and quagmire;
that hath laid knives under his pillow, and halters
in his pew; set ratsbane by his porridge; made film
proud of heart, to ride on a bay trotting-horse over
four-inched bridges, to course his own shadow for a
traitor. Bless thy five wits! Tom’s a-cold,–O, do
de, do de, do de. Bless thee from whirlwinds,
star-blasting, and taking! Do poor Tom some
charity, whom the foul fiend vexes: there could I
have him now,–and there,–and there again, and there. ” – Edgar. This quote Edgar is speaking in prose , this is because he is disguised as poor tom and acting poor and crazy to conceal his real identity.When Edgar reemerges as himself he goes back to speaking in verse

Gloucester is another character who switches between verse and prose through out the play.Gloucester is of higher class but in act 1 he switches between verse and prose regularly

Extract one

1. Imitation of action is acting or performance
2. Plot,character,diction,thought,spectacle and song
3. –

Extract 2

1. Plot , he says “The plot,then,is the first principle,and,as it were,the soul of a tragedy”
2. Our life is made up of incidents and events
3. Yes i agree because the plot is the reason the character takes the actions it does

Extract 3

Extract 4

1. Aristotle defines peripeteia as a change from ignorance to knowledge,and anagnorisis as a change by which the action veers round to its opposite,realising the fatal flaw  
2. They all have to happen in a sequence and then they go through the scene of suffering and hopefully the audience feels a catharsis
3. The best kind is when the character starts off as a normal person that we can relate to ,a place prosperity to adversity

Extract 5

1. Explain the key types of anagnorisis that aristotle discusses in this extract

signs , through symbols and the story

Interpersonal recognition, Another character saying something to someone

Present at birth present after birth, something you have had since birth

The sequence of events all add up  

Incidental, naturally occurs, event that occurs incident

2.Which type of anagnorisis does aristotle believe is the most important and why

Incidental ,it doesn’t require the artificial aid and occurs naturally

Extract 6

“I busied myself to think of a story … One which would speak to the mysterious fears of our nature and awaken thrilling horror”-Mary Shelley.   To what extent do you believe that Mary Shelley achieved this original goal?

I think that Mary Shelley achieved this original goal but not in the way she intended.I think she did speak to a mysterious fears of us because she made us feel uncomfortable with an idea that is brought up a lot in tv and movies these days, the Idea of immortality.She showed us the side that we will end up regretting maybe gave a glimpse into the reprocutions of messing with the balance of nature through science maybe installing some fear.Our nature is the idea of something being bigger than us and then there is human nature which is everything like morals, beliefs and stuff that makes us up, we have this belief as humans that we are superior to everything.The creature in frankenstien is a superior human channeling into our fears as a human of the supernatural and death.

The power of knowledge

Ideas in the text

The power of knowledge – relates to real world through gene alteration , cloning , growing people 

• Knowledge can be addictive 
• Those who are seen to be educated often hold positions of power 
• creation of the creature
• creature learn bout the world -realises his place in it – uses his power
• Weltons desire to discover the un discovered 

The danger of prejudice -relates to real world through any social descrimination

• judgement before knowing someone or something 
• eventually people believe/ live up to what people think of them 
• creature – more and more people react negatively to him he begins to act how they see him
• comes back to the saying don’t judge a book by its cover

I doubt these quotes will be useful. But I need something to start with.

Allusion: “Remember that I am thy creature; I ought to be thy Adam, but I am rather the fallen angel.” 

Allusion: “But it was all a dream; no Evesoothed my sorrows nor shared my thoughts; I was alone. I remembered Adam‘s supplication to his creator. But where was mine?”

Foreshadowing – general: “You may conceive my astonishment on hearing such a question addressed to me from a man on the brink of destruction.”

Foreshadowing – general: “Thus ended a day memorable to me; it decided my future destiny.“

Foreshadowing – dreams: “I slept, indeed but I was disturbed by the wildest dreams. I thought I saw Elizabeth, in the bloom of health,walking in the streets of Ingolstadt. Delighted and surprised, I embraced her, but as I imprinted the first kiss on her lips, they became livid with the hue of death... and I thought that I held the corpse of my dead mother.”

Foreshadowing – dreams: “But sleep did not afford me of respite from thought and misery… I felt the fiend’s grasp in my neck and could not free myself from it.”

Foreshadowing – storms: “we witnessed a most violent and terrible thunderstorm. It advanced from behind the mountains of Jura, and the thunder burst at once with frightful loudness from various quarters of the heavens. I remained, while the storm lasted, watching its progress with curiosity and delight. As I stood at the door, on a sudden I beheld a stream of fire issue from an old and beautiful oak which stood about twenty yards from our house; and so soon as the dazzling light vanished, the oak had disappeared, and nothing remained but a blasted stump.”

Foreshadowing – storms: “The storm appeared to approach rapidly, and, on landing, I ascended a low hill, that I might observe its progress. It advanced; the heavens were clouded, and I soon felt the rain coming slowly in large drops, but its violence quickly increased. “

Foreshadowing – storms: “…the lake reflected the scene of the busy heavens, rendered still busier by the restless waves that were beginning to rise. Suddenly a heavy storm of rain descended.”

Simile: “I wandered like an evil spirit, for I had committed deeds of mischief  beyond description horrible, and more and more (I persuaded myself) was yet behind.”

Simile: “Yet the idea that the field should live and triumphant my rage and vengeance returned, and like a mighty tide, overwhelmed every other feeling.”

Simile: “he will be like a celestial spirit that has a halo around him, within whose circle no grief or folly ventures.”

Smilie: “The saintly soul of Elizabeth shone like a shrine-dedicated lamp in our peaceful home.”

Simile: “I walked about the isle like a reckless spectre, separated from all it loved and miserable in the separation.”

Simile: “I was seated in a chair, my eyes half open and my cheeks livid like those in death.I was overcome by gloom and misery and often reflected I had better seek death than desire to remain in a world which to me is replete with wretchedness.”

Simile: “I do not doubt that he hovers near the spot in which I inhibit, and if he has indeed taken refuge in the Alps, he may be hunted like the chamois and destroyed like a beast of prey.”

Setting – Alps: “the majestic and wondrous scenes which surrounded our Swiss home—the sublime shapes of the mountains, the changes of the seasons, tempest and calm, the silence of winter, and the life and turbulence of our Alpine summers.“

Setting – Alps: “The road ran by the side of the lake, which became narrower as I approached my native town. I discovered more distinctly the black sides of Jura, and the bright summit of Mont Blanc. I wept like a child. “Dear mountains! my own beautiful lake! how do you welcome your wanderer? Your summits are clear; the sky and lake are blue and placid. Is this to prognosticate peace, or to mock at my unhappiness?”

Setting – Alps: “The weight upon my spirit was sens- ibly lightened as I plunged yet deeper in the ravine of Arve. The immense mountainsand precipices that overhung me on every side, the sound of the river raging among the rocks, and the dashing of the waterfalls around spoke of a power mighty as Omnipotence”

Setting – Alps: “The Alps here come closer to the lake, and we approached the amphitheatre of mountains which forms its eastern boundary. The spire of Evian shone un- der the woods that surrounded it and the range of mountain above mountain by which it was overhung.”

Setting – Geneva: “We possessed a house in Geneva, and a campagne on Belrive, the eastern shore of the lake, at the distance of rather more than a league from the city.”                  

Setting – Geneva: “I contemplated the lake: the waters were placid; all around was calm; and the snowy mountains, `the palaces of nature,’ were not changed. By degrees the calm and heavenly scene restored me, and I continued my journey towards Geneva.”

“The world was to me a secret which I desired to divine. Curiosity, earnest research to learn the hidden laws of nature, gladness akin to rapture, as they were unfolded to me, are among the earliest sensations I can remember.”    

“At length the high white steeple of the town met my eyes.”

“yer with how many things are we upon the brink of becoming acquainted, if cowardice or carelessness did not restrain our inquiries.”  

                            “But my enthusiasm was checked by my anxiety, and I appeared rather like one doomed by slavery to toil in mines or any other unwholesome trade than an artist occupied by his favourite employment.”

“It was very different when the mas- ters of the science sought immortality and power; such views, although futile, were grand; but now the scene was changed. The ambition of the inquirer seemed to limit itself to the anni- hilation of those visions on which my interest in science was chiefly founded. I was required to exchange chimeras of bound- less grandeur for realities of little worth.”

“I collected the instruments of life around me, that I might infuse a spark of being into the lifeless thing that lay at my feet.”

“How can I describe my emotions at this catastrophe, or how delineate the wretch whom with such infinite pains and care I had endeavoured to form?”

“A serene sky and verdant fields filled me with ecstasy. The present season was indeed divine; the flowers of spring bloomed in the hedges, while those of summer were already in bud.”

“Nothing is more painful to the human mind than, after the feel- ings have been worked up by a quick succession of events, the dead calmness of inaction and certainty which follows and de- prives the soul both of hope and fear.”

“Yet my heart overflowed with kindness and the love of virtue. I had begun life with benevolent inten- tions and thirsted for the moment when I should put them in practice and make myself useful to my fellow beings.”

“The abrupt sides of vast mountains were before me; the icy wall of the glacier overhung me; a few shattered pines were scattered around; and the sol- emn silence of this glorious presence-chamber of imperial nature was broken only by the brawling waves or the fall of some vast fragment, the thunder sound of the avalanche or the cracking, reverberated along the mountains, of the accumu- lated ice.”

“A mist covered both that and the surrounding mountains. Presently a breeze dissipated the cloud, and I descended upon the glacier.”

“The desert mountains and dreary glaciers are my refuge.”

“The light became more and more op- pressive to me, and the heat wearying me as I walked, I sought a place where I could receive shade. This was the forest near Ingolstadt;”

“This was indeed a godlike sci- ence, and I ardently desired to become acquainted with it.”

“Was man, indeed, at once so powerful, so virtuous and magnificent, yet so vicious and base? He appeared at one time a mere scion of the evil principle and at another as all that can be conceived of noble and godlike.”

“Was I, then, a monster, a blot upon the earth, from which all men fled and whom all men disowned?”

“I cannot describe to you the agony that these reflections in- flicted upon me; I tried to dispel them, but sorrow only in- creased with knowledge.”

“I sickened as I read. `Hateful day when I received life!’ I exclaimed in agony. `Accursed creator! Why did you form a monster so hideous that even YOU turned from me in disgust?”

“Their happiness was not decreased by the absence of summer. They loved and sympathized with one another; and their joys, depending on each other, were not interrupted by the casualties that took place around them. The more I saw of them, the greater became my desire to claim their protection and kindness; my heart yearned to be known and loved by these amiable creatures;”

“Why did I live? Why, in that instant, did I not extinguish the spark of existence which you had so wantonly bestowed? I know not; despair had not yet taken pos- session of me; my feelings were those of rage and revenge. I could with pleasure have destroyed the cottage and its inhabit- ants and have glutted myself with their shrieks and misery.”

“All, save I, were at rest or in en- joyment; I, like the arch-fiend, bore a hell within me, and find- ing myself unsympathized with, wished to tear up the trees, spread havoc and destruction around me, and then to have sat down and enjoyed the ruin.”

“There was none among the myriads of men that existed who would pity or as- sist me; and should I feel kindness towards my enemies? No; from that moment I declared everlasting war against the spe- cies, and more than all, against him who had formed me and sent me forth to this insupportable misery.”

“if I cannot inspire love, I will cause fear.”

“She longed to bid me hasten my return; a thousand conflicting emotions rendered her mute as she bade me a tear- ful, silent farewell.”

“where the snowy mountains descend almost perpendicularly to the water, casting black and impenetrable shades, which would cause a gloomy and mournful appearance were it not for the most verdant islands that believe the eye by their gay appearance; I have seen this lake agitated by a tem- pest, when the wind tore up whirlwinds of water and gave you an idea of what the water-spout must be on the great ocean; and the waves dash with fury the base of the mountain”

“It was, indeed, a filthy process in which I was engaged. During my first experiment, a kind of enthusiastic frenzy had blinded me to the horror of my employment; my mind was in- tently fixed on the consummation of my labour, and my eyes were shut in the horror of my proceedings. But now I went to it in cold blood, and my heart often sickened at the work of my hands.”

“I called myself the murderer of William, of Justine, and of Clerval.”

“I felt the fingers of the monster already grasping my neck, and screamed aloud with agony and terror.”

“Death snatches away many blooming children, the only hopes of their doting parents; how many brides and youthful lovers have been one day in the bloom of health and hope, and the next a prey for worms and the decay of the tomb!” 

“I felt a wish for happiness and thought with melancholy delight of my beloved cousin or longed, with a de- vouring maladie du pays, to see once more the blue lake and rapid Rhone, that had been so dear to me in early childhood; but my general state of feeling was a torpor in which a prison was as welcome a residence as the divinest scene in nature.”

“The past appeared to me in the light of a frightful dream;”

“I was anxious and watchful, while my right hand grasped a pistol which was hidden in my bosom; every sound terrified me, but I resolved that I would sell my life dearly and not shrink from the conflict until my own life or that of my ad- versary was extinguished.”

“I swear; and by thee, O Night, and the spirits that preside over thee, to pursue the daemon who caused this misery, until he or I shall perish in mortal conflict.”

“What a glorious creature must he have been in the days of his prosperity, when he is thus noble and godlike in ruin! He seems to feel his own worth and the greatness of his fall.”

“I am surrounded by mountains of ice which admit of no escape and threaten every moment.”

“We are still surrounded by mountains of ice, still in imminent danger of being crushed in their conflict.”

“Visions are worth fighting for. Why spend your life making someone else’s dreams?”Tim Burton is someone who creates movies that no one else would think to do and continues to do so regardless of criticism .Tim Burton has his own very distinct style of film where he uses techniques to create unsettling and very distinct films.He uses elements of the gothic genre to do this.The film Sweeney Todd the demon barber from Fleet Street directed by Tim Burton is a film set in London and is about Benjamin Barker who has returned from his time in prison in Australia where he was wrongfully sent returns to his home London to discover he no long has his family and changes his name to Sweeney Todd. This sets him on a revenge vendetta where he slaughters people and puts them inside pies.Sweeny Todd has won 10 awards including Golden Globe for best motion picture and best villain.Sleepy Hollow is set in 1799 in a small village called sleepy hollow where Ichabod Crane is sent to figure out the murders that have been occurring frequently there.In both films Burton uses the same techniques to show elements to connect his work to gothic .The use of music, colour  and lighting are techniques used in both films.

Tim Burton is an american film director, artist , producer and animator.He is the eigth highest grossing director by world box office, he is known for his gothic, dark, eccentric style horror and fantasy films.He has been nominated for 2 oscars and has won multiple awards for his pieces of work.Because of Burtons style of work he includes many gothic elements into his films through film techniques.

A technique used by Burton in the film is the use of music.The tone of the music Burton uses quiet commonly does not match what is happening in the film and gives the watcher a slight feeling of discomfort and also helps to foreshadow. An example of this is the juxtaposition used during the first flashback when Todd , then referred to as Benjamin Barker was strolling through the markets with his wife and new born child.During this scene Todd is singing in the past tense telling us that this is not how it is anymore even though he is singing about his past and how good it was, foreshadowing to us that things are just going to get worse through the film.Another example of the music being used as a technique was when Judge Turpin comes in for his shave from Todd because he heard he was the best barber in London.Todd and Judge Turpin have a past because he was the now who sent Todd to prison in Australia and stole his family resulting in Todd’s daughter being trapped with him and the wife supposedly committing suicide.The juxtaposition of Judge Turnips character singing makes us feel uncomfortable because he is singing about positive happy things and we know that Todd wants to kill him.The contrast of the music and Todd having his blades so close to Judge Turnips neck makes us feel on edge because this is Todd ultimate goal however he is singing with the judge.In Sleepy Hollow Burton also uses this technique in sleepy hollow when the headless horseman is about to make his attacks on the people he has been commanded to kill , the music is very suspenseful foreshadowing that something is about to happen.Burton uses this technique to show an element of foreshadowing and a feeling of discomfort.The tone of the music does not usually match the images we are seeing on the movie leaving us with a feeling of confusion and discomfort.This also help foreshadowing events that are about to happen when we listen to the words of the songs in Sweeney Todd they are all about his revenge matched to a happy tone foreshadowing that he is going to carry out his revenge plot to feel the happiness we can hear in the music in the background.This gives us the feeling of suspense and uncomfort .In sleepy hollow the music builds suspense because it is playing before the headless horseman takes his victims .Forshadowing is a technique commonly used in the gothic genre to create suspense, Burton has done this through the use of music in both films.

In both films Burton also uses the technique of colour, this is used to give us a informed vision of the setting and to establish tone and mood .Monochromatic tones are achieved by adding a darker color, grey or black.In both films the colour palette is usually grey or black or a washed out blue grey colour.Dark colours like grey or black are usually associated with death ,evil and mystery and have negative connottions.An example of this is when we see Todd returning to London on his boat, the entire scene is in different tones of grey and washed out blues.We can see the clouds in the sky causing shadows onto London below , all the buildings are colourless and do not  have define distinct feature.The only light we can see is the street lights which have a dull have a darker brown light than a typical street light would have.Through the use of these colours in Sweeney Todd Burton has portrayed London to us as a dark and alarming place.Burton is well acknowledged for creating a grim , dark and fearful setting.He brings the town of sleepy hollow to life in a cold and dead sort of way.We can clearly see this when we are shown a shot of the own, the entire scene is in different shades of greetings such as sheep which are supposed to be a bright white are washed out with grey shadows on them.The forest is in the background and is black with the trees behind the foreground being grey, the trees have no clear definition between apart from the different shades of grey.The sky is grey and the smoke from chimneys adds more grey to the scene.Through Burtons use of monochromatic tones he has established the tone and mood to viewers.He is showing us through the dark colours that this is a place where bad things are going to take place and create a element of fear and dread to the viewers, and over all setting a dark and scary mood and that the main characters have negative views of the settings.This dark and foreboding tone and mood is very typically linked with the gothic genre.

Tim Burton’s style of movie is always portrayed as dark and uncomfortable. a way burton portrays this is through is the use of lighting.He uses low key lighting and the technique of chiaroscuro.Low key lighting is when one light is put directly towards the subject or setting, this technique is commonly used in horror movies and gives us a sense of mystery.In Sweeney Todd we see this through the mise en scene in Sweeney Todds old home when mrs lovett shows him it now whilst handing him his old barber blades.The only light in this scene is the light streaming through the window which casts shadows from the few objects that are placed in the room.In sleepy hollow the scenes filmed inside the people of the towns homes and the forest were filmed in low key lighting.In the forest in sleepy hollow the light is being shown forwards from the back casting shadows of the trees towards us , from the shadows we get that this is a dark and gloomy setting.The use chiaroscuro is also a lighting technique burton has chosen to use ,chiaroscuro is  the artistic term for the contrast of light and dark , it isn’t often used in a bold manner so it has a dramatic effect on the scene and effect is created through the low key lighting.This is used in both of Tim Burton’s films through the monochromatic tones he uses from the lighting this makes us see a washed out setting and charcaters , the lighting only allowed us to see half the face usually.We see this in sleepy hollow in the forest.Everywhere is surrounded by trees letting a limited amount of light in casting shadows on his face making it less clear for us to see his face and emotions towards the first and this tree because we can’t see his full face.This technique makes us feel uncomfortable well we are watching it , like in most horror movies when it is dark and there are shadows we begin to sit on the edges of out seat waiting for something happen so we don’t get a shock when something does.I think this was burtons intentions when making the film to have us sitting there with a fear enhanced by what we don’t know.

Tim Burton is not one to shy away from giving his viewers a sense of discomfort well they watch his films.He is best known for his gothic, dark, eccentric style horror and fantasy films and sleepy hollow and Sweeney Todd are no exception to this.He uses the techniques of music , colour and lighting to successfully do this.The music is used as a foreshadowing tool for both films, colour was used to set the tone and mood and lighting is used to give us the fear of the unknown and give viewers a feeling of discomfort.All these techniques are used to build the gothic elements and elements of horror in the film.I find this combined with his own personal style of film keeps his audience intrigued to the end of the film because you feel so uncomfortable but you know something is going to happen so you keep watching to the end to find out.  

“Education begins the gentleman, but reading, good company and reflection must finish him.” John Locke was an English philosopher whose ideas had an influence during the enlightenment period. Mary Shelley was an English novelist who is best known for her book Frankenstein. Locke’s theory was that the mind started off like a blank sheet of paper and that it would develop and learn through exposure to objects and beings. In Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, this theory is evident through the development of the monster from after his creation.

John Locke’s theory of the human understanding essay was published in 1689 during the age of reason and the early age of enlightenment. A theory he came up with is that we are all born with minds that are a blank slate, he called this Tabula Rasa. Locke believed that everything we know and feel is derived from experience. The ideas we receive are from sensations in the outside world and internal reflections on the process of our own understanding. He believed we learn from experience and observation and that our mind is vulnerable to the ideas people put into them well we are young.

We are introduced to the monster in chapter 16 when he becomes the new narrator, he is talking about his new experiences that he is beginning to learn from. In the beginning, he is discussing his memories talking about the sensations he is beginning to feel in his newly created body, this can relate to Locke’s theory of Tabula rasa because he is beginning to feel new experiences and learning from them. He says  ” I began to distinguish my sensations from each other. I gradually saw plainly the clear stream that supplied me with drink and the trees that shaded me with their foliage. I was delighted when I first discovered that a pleasant sound, which saluted my ears”   In this passage, the monster has been staying in the woods for a while now and is starting to learn his feelings and thoughts. He says that he began to distinguish his senses from one another much like a child would when they are experiencing new things for the first time and distinguishing what he likes and dislikes. The monster also has a kind tone at the beginning of this chapter because this is a time of positive learning for him, he is experiencing new things and understanding how his mind and body work much like a newborn baby. Locke’s theory of Tabula Rasa is all about the mind being a blank slate and learning through external experiences, Shelley has illustrated Locke’s theory through the monster in this passage by portraying him like a young child experiencing new sensations for the first time and showing his thoughts as he is learning in the text.

“No man’s Knowledge here can go beyond his experience” Locke discusses how a man’s knowledge cannot go beyond his experience. In the novel Frankenstein  Victor referred to his creation as the monster because of the actions he took and his appearance,  the monster was never really a monster but the way humans treated him was the reason he chose to act violently towards them. The monster addresses this when he discusses how the humans have treated him because of his appearance “All men hate the wretched; how, then, must I be hated, who am miserable beyond all living thing” When the monster is saying that all men hate the wretched, he is referring to himself. The definition of wretched is an unfortunate state in which the monster was perceived as by the humans because of all his scars sewn together was nothing like the humans had ever seen before. The monster didn’t understand if the hate the humans showed towards him was needed and wished they didn’t judge him because it made him miserable, he even refers to himself as the most miserable beyond the living he is addressing the fact that really he was dead and shouldn’t be alive through the use of the word beyond. The monster also discusses how he was not a murderer when he was created but the actions of humans towards him is what formed him to become the monster he was always perceived as. He says ” I was benevolent; my soul glowed with love and humanity; but am I not alone, miserably alone? You, my creator, abhor me; what hope can I gather from your fellow creatures, who owe me nothing? They spurn and hate me.” In this quote, the monster addresses the fact that he was benevolent which means he acted kind and meant well, his soul glowed was a metaphor he used to explain that he had so much love and humanity it caused him to feel as if his soul was glowing. Love is a strong feeling of affection generally used and felt towards someone in a positive way in the case of the monster he is referring to the fact that when he was created he had nothing but love towards the humans and everything new he was experiencing. Humanity is the traits that determine the qualities of a person, for example, humans are meant to be kind and compassionate and if someone committed murder like the monster did it is perceived inhumane. The monster then addresses the fact that he is alone, loneliness is not a nice feeling when all you are searching for is companionship from people and can cause a person to spiral in this case the loneliness affected the monster to feel bad about himself and his appearance. Abhor is the word the monster used when he confronted Victor about his hate towards him and the fact that if the man who created him with good intentions and love towards his work could feel the way he did how could any other human feel good towards him. In Locke’s human understanding essay he talks about the mind being blank with no ideas or principles already inscribed in it, so for the case of the monster who was created a new person with a new mind and body, his mind would’ve been a blank slate with potential for either good or bad. All the monster had seen was hate and fear towards him, all he had known was rejection which led to jealousy because he saw everyone being kind to each other which made him  unhappy about himself and his life and to fulfil it he would take his revenge on Frankenstein and lived up to the label all the humans had given him, a monster.

Even though Mary Shelley and John Locke lived almost 200 years apart it is evident through the development of the monster that she had an understanding of his ideas. John Lockes theory Tabula rasa is that when one is born their mind is a blank slate and they learn through experiences and sensations. The monster began a kind ‘man’ appreciating the nature he was living in and starting to feel sensations, however as he begins to venture into society he is rejected by humankind which turns him into a hateful creature. It changes the monster from a kind loving creature to a monster, which he had been referred to as so many times. I think Shelley showed areas of Locke’s theory from his essay of human understanding of the monster throughout the novel but these show the contrast of how the monster had changed and developed as the novel continued.

Geneva

 

Swiss Alps

 

 

 

Loft/Lab