Pre-Flight for
Prometheus Bound
by Glen Draeger

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Hello Titan Readers,

When people went to see the Prometheus Bound by Aeschylus they all knew the story. It may help you to enjoy the story more if you know the myth of Prometheus before you read.

Prometheus is considered the most intelligent Titan (the Titans were the offspring of Uranus and Gaea, the first of the Greek gods). In some versions of his story he creates man out of mud.

Prometheus tricked Zeus into taking fat and bone for the god's sacrifice, thus leaving the flesh (or the best part) for men. That's why Zeus did not allow men to have fire. When Prometheus gave fire to men Zeus punished him by chaining him to a rock. Everyday an eagle would come and eat his liver. That night his liver would grow back and the next day the eagle would come to eat it again. This went on for a long time. This is the part of the story that the play is about.

In another version of the story for punishment Zeus creates Pandora (a human) and sends her to Epimetheus. Prometheus warns Epimetheus not to marry her but he does anyway and when Pandora opens the box she is carrying evil, disease and toilsome work are released upon the world. When you hear the phrase "Pandora's box" that is what is being referred to. Someone might say, "Let's not open Pandora's box" in reference to a question. When you hear the term Hindsight it is really a reference to Epimetheus. He could look back and see he should not have married Pandora. Have you heard the phrase: "Hindsight is 20/20 vision"? It's easy to look back and see what we should or shouldn't have done.

Anyway, back to Prometheus. Heracles (in Latin, Hercules) rescues him by killing the eagle with his giant bow. In some versions of the story Zeus does.

Hopefully this will give you a little more insight into this interesting character.

Regards,

Mr. Draeger

Sources:

Benet's Reader's Encyclopedia: Third Edition, original editor, William Rose Benet, Editorial Director, Carol Cohen, Harper and Row, Publishers, New York, 1987

The New Encyclopaedia Britannica, Encyclopaedia Britannica, Inc., Chicago, Ill., 1988, 15th edition, Vol. 9, p. 727.

Rosenberg, Donna, World Mythology: An Anthology of the Great Myths and Epics, Second Edition, NTC Publishing Group, Lincolnwood, Illinois, 1986.

©2005-2012 Glen Draeger (all rights reserved)
Millstone Education: World Literature / http://www.millstoneeducation.com/worldLit