How do romantic heroes from Romanticism, such as Frankenstein or Prometheus, relate to the question of defeat?

If you are asking about the heroes of the medieval
romances, I perhaps can help  you. These heroes went on quests to prove their honor and
nobility.  Bound to the chivalric code, they sought perfection, and defeat and failure
to achieve this goal often resulted.  One of the best representatives of this type of
hero is Sir Gawain in "Sir Gawain and the Green Knight."  He bravely accepted the
challenge of an exchange of blows from the Green Knight.  He tries to honor his word to
meet the Green Knight in a "year and a day" as well as to the lord of the castle, where
he stays on his journey to find the Green Knight.  Even though he mostly succeeds in his
quest, he considers himself a failure because of one slight show of cowardice--he
accepts the green sash from the lady of a castle, believing that it will keep him safe
from harm.  By taking this gift, he breaks his word with the lord of the
castle.

When Sir Gawain returns to Arthur's court admidst
cheers and praise, Gawain himself is dejected.  He knows that he made a mistake and is
not a perfect knight.  Sir Gawain's story is typical of many of those of the medieval
knights--the attempt to achieve perfection is often met with defeat.  Yet, while the
knight may himself feel a failure, the reader ultimately feels that the knight is a
true--if blemished--hero.  The battle in these cases is often internal rather than
external.  Defeat in battle is accepted, but failure to uphold the moral codes of
loyalty to lord, lady, and god produces greater consternation in our heroic
knights.