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Muhammad Amayad

Mr. R Hobbins

ENG4U-05 Friday,

May 5, 2023

The Essence of Evil:

A Comparative Analysis of Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein and

William Shakespeare's King Lear

The Nature of Evil has presented itself and encompassed humanity in various forms

throughout history. Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein and William Shakespeare’s King Lear both

explore the various natures of evil and how they end up rotting society to its core. The

prevalence of evil in these works highlights the disturbing reality of its existence in the world

and the destructive consequences it can bring. Throughout both literary works, multiple

characters spread various forms of evil that ultimately lead to tragic endings. These characters

embody the essence of evil through their actions, which involve violence, cunningness, and

selfishness.

Evil exists most prominently in the form of the violence that these characters show in

order to procure what they want. Blinded by his ambitions, Victor goes to gruesome lengths to

create the creature’s body. Victor himself admits, "Who shall conceive the horrors of my secret

toil, as I dabbled among the unhallowed damps of the grave, or tortured the ; living animal"

(Shelley 82). Despite being fully aware of how immoral his violent acts are, he secretly kills
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several animals and desecrates the dead only for his experiments. This violent behaviour is

further projected onto the creature, even when he is willing to be docile so that he can reason

with Victor. The creature even calls out Victor’s hypocrisy for accusing him of murder while he

himself would destroy his own creation (Shelley 127). The creature who was once virtuous

continues to mirror his vile creator, Victor, as he resorts to violence seeking revenge for the

misery Victor caused him. He grasps young and innocent William Alphonse’s neck due to his

built-up anger and kills him. This is especially vile as the creature remains content with his

violent behaviour as he says, "I gazed on my victim, and my heart swelled with exultation and

hellish triumph: clapping my hands, I exclaimed,'!, too, can create desolation" (Shelley 167). He

continues spreading misery by violently killing both Henry Clervil and Elizabeth Alphonse as he

seeks to cause Victor further pain. After murdering Elizabeth, the wretched creature is filled with

joy and points towards her lifeless body, taunting Victor with a cruel smile (Shelley 218-219).

Similarly, characters in King Lear resort to violence without hesitation to get what they

want. A prime example is Cornwall and Regan as they ruthlessly pluck out Gloucester’s eyes for

a false accusation. Instead of showing any remorse to him, they proudly continue being violent

as Regan suggests, "One side will mock another. Th’ other too" (Shakespeare 3.7. 96). This cycle

of violence extends beyond just the villainous characters, as even wise characters like Kent act

hostile. He trips and constantly abuses Goneril’s servant, Oswald, in order to regain the favour of

King Lear. His loyalty to King Lear incites even more violence as he continues to threaten and

abuse Oswald, “Draw, you rogue, for though it be night, yet the moon shines. I’ll make a sop o’

th’ moonshine of you, you whoreson, cullionly barbermonger. Draw!” (Shakespeare 2.2. 31-34).

Even when Oswald chooses not to respond Kent is unable to control his anger and escalates the

situation by striking him. In doing so Kent only ends up harming himself as he is placed in
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stocks for his aggression. Regardless of upbringing or circumstance, these characters resort to

violence to harm others and fulfil their own desires. Both literary works demonstrate how violent

urges can cause even virtuous characters to compromise their morals, enabling evil to thrive

more easily in society.

Evil continues to corrupt society by embodying these characters in the essence of

cunningness as they achieve their goals through deceitful means. The creature abandons his

virtue and vows to wreak havoc on humanity after they make him miserable. Using the

knowledge he gained from Felix, he cunningly conceals his giant stature and frames innocent

Justine for William's murder (Shelley 168). This act is even more wretched because he has never

encountered Justine before and is completely unaware of her connection with Victor

Frankenstein. The creature goes on to murder Henry Clerval and Elizabeth Lavenza without

being detected by anyone besides Victor. This is particularly cunning because nobody would

believe Victor's story about an unimaginable being; therefore, leaving him unable to get any help

against the monster. Even the magistrate is hesitant to help, believing that Victor is insane,

forcing Victor to drive himself to death trying to stop the monster (Shelley 223).

Evil continues to spread as characters in King Lear manipulate others to fulfill their

own desire. The tragedy begins due to the cunning nature of Regan and Goneril who

successfully fool King Lear into handing over the kingdom to them. Cordelia foreshadows,

"Time shall unfold what plighted cunning hides. Who cover faults, at last shame them

derides" (Shakespeare 1.1. 325–326). Unfortunately, King Lear falls for Regan and Goneril's

deception and is driven to madness as they gaslight him to strip him of his remaining
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authority. Edmund remains the master of deceit as he defames his innocent brother, Edgar,

in order to gain land and power. Edmund himself says after framing his brother, "Some

blood drawn on me would beget opinion/Of my more fierce endeavour. . . /⌜He wounds his

arm.⌝ /Father, father! Stop, stop! No help?" (Shakespeare 2.1. 36-40). He continues acting

innocent and loyal, gaining the support of not only his father but also the admiration of the

Duke of Cornwall, who, impressed by his deceitful actions, employs him. Meanwhile, Edgar

is forced to suffer as Edmund cunningly rises above the ranks, eventually even framing his

own father, Gloucester, for more power. At the end of the war, Edmund sees Cordelia and

King Lear as possible threats to his power and cunningly orders their wrongful execution.

He tries his best to deceive the Duke of Albany by saying "At this time We sweat and bleed.

The friend hath lost his friend, And the best quarrels, in the heat, are cursed By those that

feel their sharpness. The question of Cordelia and her father Requires a fitter place"

(Shakespeare 5.3. 64-68). Unfortunately, his attempt to delay anyone from recognizing what

he ordered works and Cordelia is hanged. The cunning nature of these characters leads to

their subsequent tragic endings in both works as they wickedly fulfil their goals.

Lastly, evil manifests in the form of selfishness as characters continue to fulfil their

desires without realizing the consequences they have on those around them or even on

themselves. Victor Frankenstein's selfishness begins as he tries to play God and creates the

creature. Although Victor initially hopes to benefit humanity by finding the elixir of life, he has

personal motives as well. He even expects more gratitude from his creation than a father does
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from his child (Shelley 82). Yet he ultimately chooses to abandon the creature only because he

cannot bear his appearance. This is extremely selfish because Victor fails to consider how he is

leaving the creature vulnerable to the world and chooses to avoid it. After Clerval’s death, Victor

selfishly decides to marry Elizabeth as soon as possible. This action is particularly callous since

he just destroyed the female creature, despite knowing that she is the only chance the creature

has at happiness (Shelley 191). His selfishness is the cause of the creature's miserable existence,

and his selfish marriage only deepens the creature's wounds, causing him to murder Elizabeth.

Despite the creature's desperate longing for love and family, Victor continuously fails to consider

his creation's needs and desires. Victor is the orchestrator of the alienation of the creature, and

his selfishness acts as a catalyst for the monster to commit evil acts when overwhelmed by rage.

Eventually, the creature’s wickedness only drives Victor to his own death by making him

miserable.

King Lear chooses to twist the method of division of the kingdom, actuated by his selfish

desire for flattery. He falls for the flattery of Regan and Goneril and goes as far as to even

disown Cordelia as she is unable to satisfy his ego. Kent tries to advise Lear, "Think’st thou that

duty shall have dread to speak when power to flattery bows? To plainness honor’s bound when

majesty falls to folly" (Shakespeare 1.1. 163-165). However, Lear ignorantly dismisses his

trusted servant, Kent, leaving himself vulnerable to his wicked daughters who cause him to go

mad. Both Regan and Goneril fall for Edmund’s deceit and desire to marry him. Goneril inherits

King Lear’s egocentric attitude as she poisons her own sister, Regan, considering her a rival for

Edmund’s love. This act is even more evil as she decides to kill herself yet chooses to remain

quiet about the poison as she says to herself, “If not, I’ll ne’er trust medicine” (Shakespeare 5.3.
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116). Each time the characters choose to satisfy their selfish desires not considering the anguish

they cause not only others but themselves as well.

While Frankenstein and King Lear differ in their plots and settings, they both parallel in

exploring the nature of evil and its destructive consequences. The characters in both works

manifest their wickedness in various forms such as violence, cunningness, and selfishness.

These works serve as cautionary tales, warning readers about the dangers of allowing evil to

thrive in oneself and in society.

Works Cited

Shelley, Mary Wollstonecraft, et al. Frankenstein: Or, the Modern Prometheus; the 1818

Version. 2nd ed., Broadview Press, 2004.

Shakespeare, William. King Lear. Edited by Barbara Mowat and Paul Werstine, Folger

Shakespeare Library, Folger Shakespeare Library,

https://www.folger.edu/explore/shakespeares-works/king-lear/.