“It’s alive!” - Comparisons with Frankenstein

Mary Shelley wrote her immortal novel Frankenstein: or, The Modern Prometheus in 1816-17 as the result of a writing competition between herself, Percy Bysshe Shelley and Lord Byron (and Polidori) after discussing the horror genre on stormy, thundering nights in a mansion in Switzerland. Shelley (P. B.) is also the creator of the poem “Ozymandias” (“Look on my Works ye Mighty and despair”).

The less known continuation of the title - “or, The Modern Prometheus” takes its themes from classical Greek mythology - in which the titan Prometheus gives the forbidden fire (knowledge/enlightenment) to man and is therefore punished by the gods (by being tied to a rock and the liver, considered the residence of the soul, eternally being eaten by an eagle since the liver always regenerates). So here we have the themes of “hubris” and “nemesis”.

Similar to Prometheus, Dr Victor Frankenstein wants to give the secret of creation (life) to man. As his mother dies in childbirth (creating life), he becomes obsessed with the idea of creating life. For this, he is, as it were, eventually punished. He studies at the University of Ingolstadt, particularly scientists and alchemists not accepted at the university. The study of galvanism leads to the theory that electricity is the key to creating life. After robbing church yards of bodies and body parts he finally succeeds in creating “the monster”.

David is also created, brought to life, from dead matter by his “father” Sir Peter Weyland. Just like Frankenstein's monster he is rejected, mocked and humiliated by his father and mankind for being an abomination. His purpose and meaning in “life” is to serve. From here the rage and hate originate and his need for revenge.

Elizabeth (the same first name as Dr Shaw’s) is the fiancé of Dr Frankenstein and she is eventually one of the targets of the monster’s revenge on his “father” and mankind, just as David is responsible for the death of Shaw. But David can also be seen, not only as the created monster, but also as the creator (of new monsters) and perhaps there is, or was, something like a love affair between Elizabeth and David and she eventually dies by his creation (or experiments).

Finally, David uses bodies and body parts (of engineers) in his laboratory, just as Dr Frankenstein digs up bodies in church yards. In fact, what David calls his necropolis may not just refer to all the dead engineers in the open space outside the temple, the temple itself might be a necropolis where the engineers buried prominent persons. It would then also explain how David could create the stuffed, mounted engineer (the bodies outside the temple being charred and mutated)?