Cain, Satan, Don Juan, these are some of the great characters in literature that captivateus time and time again. What draws us to them are their flaws, morally and emotionally they represent anti-heroes, and yet we relate to, even sympathize with them. In literature these are known as Byronic heroes, or Romantic heroes. They are moody, rebellious, outcasts from society, and yet they are charismatic, winning the sympathies of readers and fellow characters alike. Generally considered the invention of Lord Byron, a famous romantic writer and poet, Byronic heroes are representative of the ideals of the Romantics. In the early 1800's the Romantic movement swept through literature and philosophy. The movement was based largely on the work of Swiss writer Rousseau, who outlined his theories in the book The Social Contract. Rousseau, and the Romantics, believed that society placed restrictions on man, corrupting him from his nobler, simpler ways of savagery. In Mary Shelley's Frankenstein the Romantic hero is embodied by the creature. The creature was the product of a bizarre series of experiments by Victor Frankenstein in which the young doctor bestows life upon a creature he has constructed of human corpses. Having been rejected by his creator and forced to fend for itself, the creature swears revenge on his maker and all mankind. Frankenstein's creature represents all of the characteristics of a Byronic hero in that he is brooding, isolated, and charismatic. For these reasons the Byronic hero of Frankenstein is the creature, not Victor Frankenstein.
One of the most obvious traits of the creature is his characteristic moodiness. The creature is prone to great changes in emotion or temperament with little provocation. The creature is full of self-loathing, he says, "Accursed creator! Why did you form a monster so hideous that even you turned from me in disgust? Satan had his companions, fellow devils, to admire and encourage him, but I am solitary and abhorred.
