Frankenstein and the Once and Future King

¶ … Frankenstein and the Once and Future King are similar in respects of secrecy that ended in destruction. Victor Frankenstein's secrecy was with his science. He believed that science was full of secrets and when they were revealed they were to be kept secret. Arthur's lineage was filled with secrecy in affairs that he inherited and even had an affair of his own. Arthur also kept the affairs of others secret. The secrecy in both tales brought destruction in the end to the point of death.

'Victor's secrecy caused him to be alienated from any social society; including people he loved (Shelley, 2003). He lived in isolation exploring the science of making the creature and bringing it to life. Once the monster was made and alive, he still kept the secret until the end. The monster had haunted him and murdered his entire family, all the people he loved. Victor only revealed the secret just before he died himself.

Victor's secrecy leads to shame and guilt for creating the monster. The haunting effects of the monster created a deep fear as the looks of the monster was horrifying to him. Victor's long illness of nervous fever shows the consequences of shame and guilt embodied in his secrecy. Even after he recuperated, Victor felt he had to keep the secret of the monster. The secret caused him to live in fear with shame and guilt eating at him. As each member of his family and loved ones died from the hands of the monster, he had even more guilt and shame that came from holding the secret. Victor realized in the end that no matter where he went, the monster would haunt him because the creature felt abandoned from its creator.

Even though Arthur was not told about his father's affair, he inherited all the battles that had stemmed from the affair (White). When he had an affair of his own, more problems were added to his battles in the end when the illegitimate son, Mordred, set out to reveal the affairs of Arthur's wife and Lancelot. The entire country was fighting age old feuds and ethnic hatreds that had stemmed from previous generations. Arthur was keeping secrets of his own affair and the ongoing affair between his wife and Lancelot to the point of breaking his own kingdom rules where people were to be punished for breaking them.

Mordred hated Arthur because he believed Arthur abandoned him as an infant to die and the feuds between the two families. Arthur, at nineteen when the affair took place, had ordered all babies of a certain age to be put at sea. This was another secret that Arthur had tried to keep hidden that caused resentments for Mordred, the next generation. Because of the resentment, Mordred was determined to bring an end to Arthur and his rule.

Lancelot faced his own destruction to the point of insanity when Guenever, Arthur's wife, and Elaine found out about each other. It was an ongoing battle between the two women with vindictiveness turned toward Lancelot. Elaine was determined that she loved Lancelot and wanted him as a husband. She tricked him into having a son with her. Guenever, on the other hand, was determined that she loved Lancelot and was going to keep him as her lover.