Prometheus Bound

At the beginning of the first episode (the scene following the first choral song), Prometheus reveals the backstory in more detail. He describes how he initially helped Zeus rise to power by betraying the other Titans, knowing that the Titans’ force would not be able to withstand the new god. Zeus’s behavior after his victory illustrated The Conflict Between Power and Justice. As Prometheus explains, Zeus quickly became paranoid and insecure in his power when he became the new ruler of the cosmos, for “a sickness rooted and inherent / in the nature of a tyranny” is “that the one who holds it doesn’t trust his friends” (224-25). Zeus decided to wipe out humanity and create a new race in its stead, and only Prometheus “dared” (234) oppose this plan, stealing fire from the gods and giving it to humanity. This act enabled the survival and progress of humanity but condemned Prometheus to eternal torment.

As Prometheus reflects upon his crime and the punishment he must suffer for it, the theme of The Consequences of Defying Tyranny becomes increasingly prominent. Ocean in particular chides Prometheus for his continued defiance: Though Zeus may not be just, he is the ruler of the world, and those who do not obey him will suffer terrible consequences. By refusing to submit to Zeus’s power and “yield / to [his] misfortunes” (319-20), Prometheus undermines Ocean’s desire to help him. He even risks incurring even harsher punishment. If Prometheus continues to speak out against Zeus, Ocean tells him, then:

soon Zeus will hear you,

even though his seat aloft is far removed,

and then your present multitude of pains

will seem like child’s play (312-15).

The Chorus offers Prometheus similar advice, insisting that Prometheus must recognize his mistake if he wants to be released. Despite their compassion for Prometheus, they feel obliged to ask him, “Do you not see how you have erred?” (260). But Prometheus will not hear such lines of reasoning. He is very harsh with Ocean, refusing his help and rudely sending him on his way. With the Chorus he is generally gentler but still firm in his resolve that what he did was necessary:

It is an easy thing for one whose foot

is on the outside of calamity

to give advice and to rebuke the sufferer.

I knew all this, and all that I did wrong

I did on purpose; I shall not deny it (263-66).

True to his name (“Foresight”), Prometheus thus continues to emphasize the role of fate in everything that has happened and will happen to him. He knew that Zeus would beat the Titans, and so sided with him during the Titanomachy; he knew that it was necessary for him to steal fire and give it to humanity, even though he would be punished for doing so; and he knows that he will be released from his present suffering when Zeus is overthrown. But there is also something ambivalent about fate and foreknowledge, as Prometheus realizes. For one thing, Prometheus is not omniscient: He realized that he would be punished for defying Zeus but admits that he “did not think that with such tortures / as these [he] should be withered on these cliffs” (268-69). More importantly, Prometheus clearly realizes that it is better not to know too much about one’s fate, as demonstrated by the fact that he “caused mortals to cease foreseeing death” by imbuing them with “blind hopes” (248-50).

Hope is important for Prometheus, as it is important for humanity. Hope—the reminder that his suffering will eventually end—allows Prometheus to exercise his freedom even during his imprisonment. Paradoxically, Prometheus is in some ways more free than the other characters in the play. The Chorus and Ocean, for instance, acknowledge that Zeus is tyrannical and unjust, but they follow him anyway and tell Prometheus to do the same. But Prometheus continues to repeat that his punishment only “brings / shame and dishonor to the name of Zeus” (241-42), and in his exchange with Ocean, he maintains angrily that he will continue to defy Zeus—even if doing so means that he will suffer even more. Prometheus can live without the freedom of his body—but he cannot live without freedom of speech.