Superman, Spiderman, Iron Man, Batman; these are some examples of the modern day hero. Most call this form of hero a superhero. At the beginning of the 19th century, the popular hero of the time was the romantic hero. Mary Shelly gives a beautiful image of this hero in her novel Frankenstein. It uses Victor Frankenstein, the creator of the famous “Frankenstein’s Monster,” as a character who embodies the traits of a romantic hero. The model was relatively new; however, Christopher Marlowe had written a character in the early 15th century who embodied the same characteristics. These attributes of romanticism in the form of a hero are found in much the same way in Mary Shelly's Frankenstein and in Christopher Marlowe's Dr. Faustus. The authors use their respective hero to show the flaws of human nature and humanity's predisposition to sin using elements such as obsession, internal battles, and differing moral codes. The romantic hero is obsessed with something, and usually that something is detrimental to himself and/or his relationship with Christ. Victor is obsessed with two things: first, creating his monster and, second, finding his monster after it destroys his life. Victor says that “I was so deeply absorbed in my craft” that he “did not look at the blossom or the expanding leaves” that had previously enticed him (Shelly 34). Victor was so obsessed with creating his monster that he didn't even leave his "den." This obsession led to health problems, isolation from the world and his family, and ultimately the deaths of several people due to the monster he finished off. Towards the end of the novel, we see a Victor determined to find and kill the beast. He swears “pure…… middle of paper……arranged by about three hundred years and different types of literature; However, Shelly and Marlowe use the qualities of a romantic hero to show that human nature is imperfect and man is prone to sin. They use the "qualities" of obsession, internal battles and differing moral codes to convey their message that "bad company corrupts good character" so to speak, the "bad company" being humans and their sinful nature , and “good company” being seemingly harmless qualities of a hero (1 Corinthians 15:33). Humanity should take his stories as an example and learn from them, turning to God rather than these things. Works Cited Barker, Kenneth L., ed. Holy Bible. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Zondervan, 2010. Print. Marlowe, Christopher. Dr. Faustus. New York: Dover, 1994. Print. Shelley, Mary W. Frankenstein. New York, New York: Dover Publications, 1994. Print.