Prometheus Bound For Destruction?

Whilst checking the University Moodle site before my first lecture on Ancient Greek Religion, I come across a cited work by Carol Dougherty titled Prometheus, from the ‘Gods and Heroes of the Ancient World’ series. There were similar books from the series about other Greek deities but Prometheus caught my eye more so than the others. I knew he was a titan, who had been condemned by Zeus to be chained to a rock for eternity, as gods and titans are immortal. That is about as far as my insight into Prometheus went before deciding to write this blog about him. In my previous post I listed the main topics about Prometheus I would like to talk about. Some may have their own posts and some may tie in with lectures, similarly I may link lectures together in order to explain one part of Prometheus’ myth or a specific trait of his.

Firstly, however, I would like to begin by looking at Prometheus’ punishment and why he is subject to it. Some of the ancient texts I will be using to help describe how Prometheus earned his punishment are Aeschylus’ Prometheus Bound, Hesiod’s Theogony and Apollodorus’ Library. I feel that using these sources will not only provide information about Prometheus’ circumstances, but also give us an idea of how contemporary Greeks viewed Prometheus’ story.

Apollodorus states in Library I.vii.1 that 'Prometheus moulded men from water and earth and gave them also fire, hiding it from Zeus in a fennel stalk. But when Zeus learned of it, he ordered Hephaestus to nail his body to Mount Caucasus.' This brief description tells us what Prometheus did to anger Zeus and how he was punished, but it leaves the reader asking many questions as to why Prometheus went behind Zeus' back and why he was punished in such a way. Aeschylus’ Prometheus Bound gives some insight in to these questions. The play opens with Prometheus, Strength, Violence and Hephaestus entering the stage. Strength begins by telling Hephaestus to nail Prometheus to a rock, as commanded by Zeus. Strength continues by briefly stating why Prometheus deserves his punishment: 

‘- an offence,

Intolerable to the gods, for which he now must suffer,

Till he be taught to accept the sovereignty of Zeus

And cease acting as champion of the human race.’ [ll7-10]

Zeus is the King of the gods; therefore he must be obeyed no matter what. Prometheus is under the command of Zeus as he decided to side with him against Zeus’ father, Cronos, and even gave council concerning the imprisonment of the rest of the titans. Yet after all Prometheus had aided Zeus in taking full control, he is punished with being nailed to a rock by Hephaestus’ master handiwork. The offence Strength is talking about is Prometheus’ gift of fire to mankind. He hid it from Zeus in a fennel stalk and gave it to man because Zeus wanted to wipe out humans and create a new race, but Prometheus ‘pitied mortal men’ (l240), which is why he gave them hope, in that they would believe that they could create better lives for themselves, and in giving them fire they were able to create tools in which to advance their society and improve their way of living, as before Prometheus gave them these gifts they were; 

‘At first

Mindless, I gave them mind and reason.

 … They passed like shapes in dreams, confused and purposeless.

 … Such tools and skills I found for men.’ [ll443-465]

Prometheus states that he pitied man because they were to be eradicated by Zeus. This pity may have come from the way his titan brothers, Atlas and Typhon, were dealt with by Zeus. Prometheus notes that they too received punishment from Zeus because they did not side with him against Cronos:

                              ‘The fate of Atlas grieves me – my own brother,

                              Who in the far West stands with his unwieldy load

                              Pressing upon his back, the pillar of heaven and earth.

                              I pity Typhon, that earth-born destroying giant,

                              … I saw him, all his fiery strength subdued by force.

                              Against the united gods he stood,

                              … Threatening to annihilate the throne of Zeus.

                              … Now, crushed under Mount Etna’s roots, near the sea-straight,

                              He lies, a helpless sprawling hulk.’ [ll347-361]

This leads me to consider all the possible reasons as to why Prometheus chose to defy Zeus, even when he knew that he would be punished. Did he truly defy Zeus because he pitied the human race? Or was it out of revenge for his titan brothers? Did Prometheus wish to give humans the god’s powers of fire so that he could use man in order to overthrow the gods somehow? He is described as ‘the champion of the human race’, so did Prometheus wish to be worshipped above Zeus? Prometheus’ name means ‘forethought’, something Strength mocks him for in Aeschylus’ play, as Prometheus knew he would be punished for his actions. Yet he did it anyway. Prometheus knew that Zeus could not kill him. He speaks in Prometheus Bound as if he never liked Zeus to begin with; ‘For great Zeus I care less than nothing’. This leads me to assess his nature as a ‘trickster’, which I will discuss in a future blog entry.

‘Though he was angry, he ceased from the wrath which he had before because Prometheus matched himself in wit with the almighty son of Cronos.’ [Hes. Th. 535]

Works cited:

Aeschylus’ Prometheus Bound and Other Plays, Trans. Vellacott, P. (1961), Penguin books Ltd, Pp20-52 (Online version in Perseus)

Apollodorus’ Library

Dougherty, C. (2006), Prometheus, ‘Gods and Heroes of the Ancient World’, Routledge

Hesiod’s Theogony