Big ideas

• • Shelley is playing on fears about progress and Science and where this will lead in the future.
• • Shelley is writing about the hubris (arrogance which leads to downfall) of mankind
• • Shelley makes us consider how ambition can be destructive. In particular male ambition can be destructive
• Shelley makes us see that good people can be made evil by the way society treats them - this links directly to Rousseau’s ideas
• Shelley is warning readers about ‘playing God’ and unlocking God’s powers through science - this links directly to the myth of Prometheus
• • Shelley makes us see that despite our intelligence, the most important thing we need is love and acceptance
• Shelley makes us question the morality of progress
• Shelley reminds us of how insignificant we are in the universal masterplan
• • Shelley makes us consider how we judge others we don’t know – prejudice
• Shelley is warning readers by creating a horror story and by showing how hideous the monster is – the monster is a horrific physical symbol of progress