There are many authors who use a well-known historical figure to contrast the protagonist of their novel. A great author who uses this method to compare a famous person to a fictional character is Mary Wollstonecraft Shelly. In his novel Frankenstein he uses the subtitle “The Modern Prometheus”. Prometheus, the Greek god, and Victor Frankenstein, the creator of the Monster, have contrasting qualities and behaviors that allow them to go against God's will and attempt to create life. Prometheus, a Greek god, is the son of Iapetus and Themis. He was a guardian and protector of humanity and is well known for his superior intelligence. He stole fire from the Greek god Zeus and gave it to mortals. This mistake caused the heroine Prometheus to suffer greatly. Zeus punished him for his offense and tied Prometheus to a rock, and every day an eagle came and ate his liver. Prometheus is both credited and accused of playing a gigantic role in the initial formation of mankind. Prometheus stole fire from Zeus to help mortals because he befriended them and took pity on them. At the time, humans were in desperate need of help, and Prometheus wanted to see them reach their full potential instead of dying. Prometheus stole fire and showed humans how to use it because he was a very compassionate man and wanted to help. Prometheus is seen as a gentle titan while Zeus is seen as a dark god. Prometheus acted based on what the future held because he had the gift of foresight. He knew that humans would need help to survive, and it was the titan who brought help in the form of fire. Prometheus represented a man who "played at being God", as did Victor Frankenstein. Both... middle of paper... he took care of the house and the laboratory and took care of Victor. He had so much desire to gain divine powers that it stressed him out too much for Victor. He withdraws from society and cultivates an unhealthy obsession with taking revenge on the monster. This ultimately leads to his death after telling his story to Robert Walton. Mary Shelly was absolutely right when she compared Frankenstein to "The Modern Prometheus." Frankenstein and Prometheus were similar in their character and how they wanted to help humanity, even if one protagonist went too far. Both attempted to be like God by creating life and suffered the consequences of their actions. Mortal humans needed saving, so two intelligent and kind men stepped forward to help. They were trying to become too much like God or their attempts to help the mortals of the world were justified??