NationMaster - Encyclopedia: Prometheus Bound

Prometheus Bound is an Ancient Greek tragedy. In Antiquity, this drama was attributed to Aeschylus, but is now considered by some scholars to be the work of another hand, perhaps one as late as ca. 415 BC.^[1] Despite these doubts of authorship, the play's designation as Aeschylean has become a literary convention. The tragedy is based on the myth of Prometheus, a Titan who was punished by the god Zeus for giving fire to mankind. This article is about the ancient Greek playwright. ... In Greek and Roman mythology, the Oceanids were the three thousand children of Oceanus and Tethys. ... This Kratos is the Greek personification; there is also a Tales of Symphonia In Greek mythology, Cratos (strength) was a son of Styx and Pallas, brother of Nike, Bia and Zelus. ... In Greek mythology, Bia (force) was the personification of force, daughter of Pallas and Styx. ... Hephaestus, Greek god of forging, riding a Donkey; Greek drinking cup (skyphos) made in the 5th century BC Hephaestus (IPA pronunciation: or ; Greek HÃªphaistos) was the Greek god whose Roman equivalent was Vulcan; he was the god of technology including, specifically blacksmiths, craftsmen, artisans, sculptors, metals and metallurgy, and... For other uses, see Prometheus (disambiguation). ... Oceanus, with his wife, Tethys, ruled the seas before Poseidon. ... Jupiter and Io, Renaissance masterwork by Antonio da Correggio. ... Hermes Fastening his Sandal, Roman marble copy of a Lysippan bronze (Louvre Museum) Hermes (Greek, , IPA: ), in Greek mythology, is the Olympian god of boundaries and of the travelers who cross them, of shepherds and cowherds, of orators and wit, of literature and poets, of athletics, of weights and measures... É¾drama are obscure. ... Antiquity means different things: Generally it means ancient history, and may be used of any period before the Middle Ages. ... This article is about the ancient Greek playwright. ... Convention has at least two very distinct but related meanings. ... For other uses, see Prometheus (disambiguation). ... Titan may mean: // Titan (mythology), a class of deities who preceded the Olympians in Greek mythology Helios, Greek sun-deity sometimes referred to as Titan (Mahler), nicknamed Titan Titan (satellite), largest satellite of the planet Saturn Titan beetle, the largest beetle in the Amazon rainforest USS Titan (AGOS-15), a... The Statue of Zeus at Olympia Phidias created the 12-m (40-ft) tall statue of Zeus at Olympia about 435 BC. The statue was perhaps the most famous sculpture in Ancient Greece, imagined here in a 16th century engraving Zeus (in Greek: nominative: ZeÃºs, genitive: DiÃ³s), is... For other uses, see Fire (disambiguation). ... Look up Mankind in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ...

Synopsis

The play is composed almost entirely of speeches and contains little action since its protagonist is chained and immobile throughout. At the beginning, Cratus (Force), Bia (Violence), and Hephaestus the smith-god chain Prometheus to a mountain in the Caucasus and then depart. According to Aeschylus, Prometheus is being punished not only for stealing fire, but also for thwarting Zeus' plan to obliterate the human race. This punishment is especially galling since Prometheus was instrumental in Zeus' victory in the Titanomachy. A blacksmith A blacksmith at work A blacksmith at work A blacksmiths fire Hot metal work from a blacksmith A blacksmith is a person who creates objects from iron or steel by forging the metal; i. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with Caucasus Mountains. ... In Greek mythology, the Titanomachy, or War of the Titans (Greek: Î¤Î¹Ï„Î±Î½Î¿Î¼Î±Ï‡Î¯Î±), was the eleven-year series of battles fought between the two races of deities long before the existence of mankind: the Titans, fighting from Mount Othrys, and the Olympians, who would come to reign on Mount Olympus. ...

The Oceanids appear and attempt to comfort Prometheus by conversing with him. Prometheus cryptically tells them that he knows of a potential marriage that would lead to Zeus' downfall. Oceanus later arrives to commiserate with Prometheus, as well; he urges the Titan to make peace with Zeus, and departs. The titan next tells the chorus that the gift of fire to mankind was not his only benefaction; in the so-called Catalogue of the Arts (447-506), he reveals that he taught men all the civilizing arts, such as writing, medicine, astronomy and agriculture. Prometheus is then visited by Io, a maiden pursued by a lustful Zeus; the Olympian transformed her into a cow, and a gadfly sent by Hera has chased her all the way from Argos. the Titan forecasts her future travels, telling her that Zeus will eventually end her torment in Egypt, where she will bear a son named Epaphus. He adds that one of her descendants (an unnamed Heracles), thirteen generations hence, will release him from his own torment. Jupiter and Io, Renaissance masterwork by Antonio da Correggio. ... For other uses, see Hera (disambiguation). ... Coordinates 37Â°37â€² N 22Â°43â€² E Country Greece Periphery Peloponnese Prefecture Argolis Province Argos Population 29,505 Area 5. ... In Greek mythology, Epaphus, also called Apis, is the son of Zeus and Io. ... Hercules, a Roman bronze (Louvre Museum) For other uses, see Heracles (disambiguation). ...

Finally, Hermes the messenger-god is sent down by the angered Zeus to demand that Prometheus tell him who threatens to overthrow him. Prometheus refuses, and Zeus strikes him with a thunderbolt that plunges Prometheus into the abyss. [1]

Prometheus Trilogy

There is evidence that Prometheus Bound was the first play in a trilogy conventionally called the Prometheia, but the other two plays, Prometheus Unbound and Prometheus the Fire-Bringer, survive only in fragments. In Prometheus Unbound, Heracles frees Prometheus from his chains and kills the eagle that had been sent daily to eat the Titan's perpetually regenerating liver. Perhaps foreshadowing his eventual reconciliation with Prometheus, we learn that Zeus has released the other Titans whom he imprisoned at the conclusion of the Titanomachy. In Prometheus the Fire-Bringer, the Titan finally warns Zeus not to lie with the sea nymph Thetis, for she is fated to give birth to a son greater than the father. Not wishing to be overthrown, Zeus would later marry Thetis off to the mortal Peleus; the product of that union will be Achilles, Greek hero of the Trojan War. Grateful for the warning, Zeus finally reconciles with Prometheus. A trilogy of plays attributed to Aeschylus (there is some doubt on this subject) containing: Prometheus Bound, Prometheus Unbound, and Prometheus Pyrphoros. ... There are two plays named Prometheus Unbound. ... Prometheus the Fire-Bringer (Greek: Prometheus Pyrphoros) was likely the final play in the Prometheia trilogy traditionally ascribed to the ancient Greek playwright Aeschylus. ... There are two plays named Prometheus Unbound. ... Prometheus the Fire-Bringer (Greek: Prometheus Pyrphoros) was likely the final play in the Prometheia trilogy traditionally ascribed to the ancient Greek playwright Aeschylus. ... This article is about the Greek sea nymph. ... Peleus consigns Achilles to Chirons care, white-ground lekythos by the Edinburgh Painter, ca. ... The Wrath of Achilles, by FranÃ§ois-LÃ©on Benouville (1821â€“1859) (MusÃ©e Fabre) In Greek mythology, Achilles (also Akhilleus or Achilleus) (Ancient Greek: ) was a hero of the Trojan War, the central character and greatest warrior of Homers Iliad, which takes for its theme, not the War... For the 1997 film, see Trojan War (film). ...

The Authenticity Debate

Scholars at the Great Library of Alexandria (whose resources were considerable) unanimously deemed Aeschylus to be the author of Prometheus Bound. Since the 19th century, however, several scholars have doubted Aeschylus' authorship of the drama. These doubts initially took the form of the so-called "Zeus Problem." That is, how could the playwright who demonstrated such piety toward Zeus in (e.g.) The Suppliants and Agamemnon be the same playwright who, in Prometheus Bound, inveighs against Zeus for being a violet tyrant? This objection prompted the theory of a Zeus who (like the Furies in the Oresteia) "evolves" in the course of the trilogy. Thus, by the conclusion of Prometheus the Fire-Bringer, Aeschylus' Zeus would be more like the just Zeus found in the works of Hesiod.^[2] Increasingly, arguments against authenticity have been based on metrical-stylistic grounds: the play's diction, the use of so-called Eigenworter, the use of recitative anapests in the meter, etc. ^[3] Using such criteria in 1977, Mark Griffith made a case against the play's authenticity.^[4] C.J. Herington, however, repeatedly argued for authenticity.^[5] Since Griffith's landmark study, confidence in Aeschylean authorship has steadily eroded. Influential scholars such as M.L West,^[6] Alan Sommerstein^[7] and Anthony Podlecki^[8] have made arguments against authenticity. West has argued that the Prometheus Bound and its trilogy are at least partially and probably wholly the work of Aeschylus' son, Euphorion, who was also a playwright. Based upon allusions to Prometheus Bound found in the works of comic playwright Aristophanes, Podlecki has recently suggested that the tragedy might date from ca. 415 BC. Those who trust in the verdict of Antiquity and still favor Aeschylean authorship have dated the play anywhere from the 480's to 457 BC. The matter may never be settled to the satisfaction of all. As Griffith himself, who argues against authenticity, put it: "We cannot hope for certainty one way or the other."^[9] The Royal Library of Alexandria was once the largest in the world. ... The Suppliants (Greek Hiketides, also translated as The Suppliant Maidens) was probably first performed sometime after 470 BC. It was once thought to be the earliest play by Aeschylus due to the relatively anachronistic function of the chorus as the protagonist of the drama. ... The so-called Mask of Agamemnon. Discovered by Heinrich Schliemann in 1876 at Mycenae. ... In Greek mythology the Erinyes (the Romans called them the Furies) were female personifications of vengeance. ... The Oresteia is a trilogy of tragedies about the end of the curse on the House of Atreus, written by Aeschylus. ... Sketch of Aristophanes Aristophanes (Greek: , ca. ...

Reputation and Influence

Prometheus Bound enjoyed a measure of popularity in Antiquity. Aeschylus was very popular in Athens decades after his death, as Aristophanes' The Frogs makes clear. Allusions to the play are evident in his The Birds of 414 BC, and in the tragedian Euripides' fragmentary Andromeda, dated to 412 BC. If Aeschylean authorship is assumed, then these allusions some half-century after the play's first performance speak to the enduring popularity of Prometheus Bound. Moreover, a performance of the play itself (rather than a mere depiction of the myth in general) appears on fragments of a Greek vase dated ca. 370-360 BC. Sketch of Aristophanes Aristophanes (Greek: , ca. ... Greek Wikisource has original text related to this article: The Frogs Frogs (Î’Î¬Ï„ÏÎ±Ï‡Î¿Î¹ (BÃ¡trachoi)) is a comedy written by the Ancient Greek playwright Aristophanes. ... The Birds can refer to several things: The Birds was a 1963 horror film by Alfred Hitchcock. ... This article refers to the literary work. ... A statue of Euripides. ... See Andromeda (disambiguation) for other uses of Andromeda. Andromeda Chained to the Rock by the Nereids (1840) ThÃ©odore ChassÃ©riau, Louvre Andromeda was a Greek mythological figure who was chained to a rock to be eaten by a sea monster and was saved by Perseus, whom she later married. ...

In the early nineteenth century, the Romantic writers came to identify with the defiant Prometheus. Johann Wolfgang von Goethe wrote a poem on the theme, as did Lord Byron. Percy Bysshe Shelley wrote a poem, Prometheus Unbound, which used some of the materials of the play as a vehicle for Shelley's own vision. Alternative meaning: Nineteenth Century (periodical) (18th century — 19th century — 20th century — more centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 19th century was that century which lasted from 1801-1900 in the sense of the Gregorian calendar. ... Wanderer above the sea of fog by Caspar David Friedrich Romanticism is an artistic, literary, and intellectual movement that originated in 18th century Western Europe, during the Industrial Revolution. ... â€œGoetheâ€ redirects here. ... Lord Byron, English poet Lord Byron (1803), as painted by Elisabeth Vigee-Lebrun George Gordon Byron, 6th Baron Byron, (January 22, 1788 – April 19, 1824) was the most widely read English language poet of his day. ... -1... There are two plays named Prometheus Unbound. ...

Memorable lines

Notes

^ See "The Authencity Debate" section of this entry.
^ For a summary of the "Zeus Problem" and the theory of an evolving Zeus, see D.J. Conacher's Aeschylus' Prometheus Bound: a Literary Commentary, 1980. Toronto.
^ Analyses such as these are a bit "inside baseball" for the layperson; it is unnecessary in this forum to delve into specifics.
^ The Authenticity of the Prometheus Bound, 1977. Cambridge.
^ E.g., The Author of the Prometheus Bound, 1970. Austin.
^ Studies in Aeschylus, 1990. Stuttgart.
^ Aeschylean Tragedy, 1996. Bari.
^ "Echoes of the Prometheia in Euripides' Andromeda?" 2006 Annual Meeting of the American Philological Association. Montreal.
^ Aeschylus Prometheus Bound: Text and Commentary, 34. 1983. Cambridge.

Translations

Edward Hayes Plumptre (August 6, 1821 â€“ February 1, 1891), English divine and scholar, was born in London. ...

External Links

Category: Ancient Greek plays Image File history File linksMetadata Aischylos_BÃ¼ste. ... This article is about the ancient Greek playwright. ... The Persians (Î ÎÏÏƒÎ±Î¹) is a tragedy by the ancient Greek playwright Aeschylus. ... Wikisource has original text related to this article: Î•Ï€Ï„Î¬ ÎµÏ€Î¯ Î˜Î®Î²Î±Ï‚ The Seven Against Thebes is a mythic narrative that finds its classic statement in the play by Aeschylus (467 BCE) concerning the battle between the Seven led by Polynices and the army of Thebes headed by Eteocles and his supporters, traditional Theban... The Suppliants (Greek Hiketides, also translated as The Suppliant Maidens) is a play by Aeschylus. ... The Oresteia is a trilogy of tragedies about the end of the curse on the House of Atreus, written by Aeschylus. ... The Oresteia is a trilogy of tragedies about the end of the curse on the House of Atreus, written by Aeschylus. ... The Oresteia is a trilogy of tragedies about the end of the curse on the House of Atreus, written by Aeschylus. ...

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