200 years ago, in January 1818, Frankenstein was published, when its author was only 21 years old. The novel was published anonymously, but included a preface by Percy Shelley, leading many to believe that the tale was created by the reputable poet of the time. Even today, experts question that Mary Shelley penned the tale, citing annotations by Percy in original drafts of the novel as evidence that he, her husband, was the true author, despite these being equivalent to an ordinary editor’s notes. But it is clear from her life and influences that it was Mary who forged the “hard yellow eye”, who moulded the “work of muscles and arteries” and infused “life into an inanimate body”, creating an immortal creature that would be iconic for generations to come.

Have you ever read the Harry Potter books and been invariably jealous of all the cool concoctions they seem to be able to whip up in no time? Have you ever thought, ‘that Kings boy would definitely go out with me if I could slip him some Amortentia in his chocolate cauldrons’, or ‘ohh, I think this snake is lying to me, I wish there was a way to know for sure? Veritaserum could help me!’ Well, by using the magic of chemicals it seems that actually, this might be a possibility.

‘Supernatural’ is a good show to watch with a philosophical mind, perhaps only to be watched in daylight and not by anyone with fear of ghosts but for those with strong dispositions it is something that touches the deepest questions of our society and two of the most prominent schools of philosophical thought.

We can see that history is still influencing the way that we see and depict villains and the qualities the western world seeks to emphasises in its heroes, such as fighting for ‘freedom’ and democratic western ideals.