“…the archangel who aspired to omnipotence…chained in an eternal hell.” (pg. 261)
An archangel is a high ranking celestial being. In this quote, the archangel being alluded to is Lucifer who was exiled from Heaven after his uprising against God and sent to the depths of Hell. Although he was banished from Heaven, he “aspired to omnipotence,” or rose to power, as the ruler of the underworld. Since his fall, the former archangel has become more commonly referred to as Satan or the Devil. Shelley compares Frankenstein to Satan because both were formerly reputable men, but because both defied the natural state of being they were forced to live lives of misery.
"LUCIFER." JewishEncyclopedia.com. Web. 14 Aug. 2009. http://www.jewishencyclopedia.com/view.jsp?artid=612&letter=L
Photo Credit: Satan. Digital image. Web. 14 Aug. 2009. http://scrapetv.com/News/News%20Pages/usa/images-3/satan.jpg
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