When comparing Mary Shelley's gothic novel, "Frankenstein," to the 2008 film, "The Tale of Despereaux," a common theme runs through the novel is the archetypal character from innocence to evil. In “The Tale of Despereaux,” one of the major characters in the story is Chiaroscuro, or Roscuro. Roscuro is a rat misunderstood by people who have not yet met him. He travels with a human companion by boat and docks in the kingdom of Dor on the annual Royal Soup Day. Roscuro, enchanted by the aroma of the soup, climbs the chandelier in the royal dining room and ends up falling into the queen's soup, scaring her so much that she has a heart attack and dies. Roscuro, feeling guilty for the Queen's death, goes to Princess Pea to apologize for all the trouble he has caused. The princess, terrified at the sight of Roscuro, immediately rejects him before he has time to explain himself. Heartbroken when he is turned away, Roscuro swears revenge on the princess. This is a major similarity between Roscuro and the creature from "Frankenstein", as the creature swears revenge on all humanity. The creature finally finds the courage to go see Mr. Delacey, knowing that he is blind and that the old man will not judge him based on what he says. just on his appearance. However, when Safie, Agatha and Felix return home, he is immediately rejected and chased away without giving them an explanation. Roscuro and the creature are both very similar as they never got the chance to explain themselves and were immediately turned away. Once Roscuro and the creature are rejected by the people whose forgiveness or sympathy they most want, they are devastated. They both transform from an innocent being into a cruel and merciless monster. “When you...... middle of paper ......e in the world; the creature, on the other hand, was always alone. Roscuro was found by Botticelli, the leader of the rat world, in the dungeon beneath the castle. He also had help from Miggery Sow. The creature never had anyone to listen to or help in times of need. "The Tale of Despereaux" and "Frankenstein" both illustrate how two characters who started out as innocent beings are transformed into real monsters because they were judged too quickly on their appearance alone, or because of a stereotype to which they were prematurely labeled. These two stories teach a valuable lesson about not judging others before meeting them and tell the story of two good hearts damaged because of society's prejudices. Works Cited < “The Tale of Despereaux”; Real. Sam Fell and Robert Stevenhagen; Matthew Broderick, Emma Watson, Dustin Hoffman; Universal images; 2008; DVD>