Prometheus Bound

“[M]any a groan and many a lamentation

you’ll utter, but they will not help you; no,

the mind of Zeus is hard to soften with prayer,

and every ruler’s harsh whose rule is new.”

Zeus’s tyrannical rule is a central idea throughout the play, with different characters reminding us that Zeus’s brutality arises from the newness of his position and the fact that he is still insecure in his power. To maintain his rule, Zeus feels he must make an example of those who defy him, like Prometheus, even though doing so often means violating justice. The playwright also uses Zeus’s tyranny to reflect on politicians and rulers in the real world and to draw generalizations about power and justice, as when Hephaestus observes here that “every ruler’s harsh whose rule is new.”

“Everything has its burdens, except ruling

over the gods. For only Zeus is free.”

In a statement that runs counter to the common wisdom that it is burdensome to govern, Might asserts that “only Zeus is free.” But Zeus is not really free, as his obsession with maintaining his power at any cost forces him to act in a way that often runs counter to justice—and, as Prometheus knows, will lead to his fated overthrow.

“The gods misname you when they call you Forethought:

it’s you yourself who need Forethought, by which

to extricate yourself from this contrivance.”

Prometheus’s name, which means “Forethought” in ancient Greek, is reflected in some of the play’s primary themes and motifs, including fate and its role in the universe. Here, Might uses the etymology of Prometheus’s name to taunt him, saying that Prometheus’s defiance of Zeus lacked forethought. But Prometheus himself resists this notion later on, claiming that he knew what he was doing when stole fire and that he was doing only what he knew needed to be done.

“But what am I saying? I have foreknowledge of

all that shall be; it’s clearly known to me,

and none of these pains shall come as a surprise.

So must I bear, as lightly as I can,

the destiny that fate has given me;

for I know well that against necessity,

in all its strength, no one can fight and win.”

Prometheus possesses the gift of prophecy: He can see what is fated to happen. This knowledge gives him hope, as Prometheus knows that his suffering will eventually come to an end. For as Prometheus reveals, he has crucial information about Zeus’s downfall that will secure his freedom. The fact that “no one can fight” against necessity reminds Prometheus that it is pointless to lament his fate but also that even the tyrannical Zeus will ultimately be unable to escape his fate.

“Yes, there will come a day

when he will need me, me that now

am tortured in bonds and fetters—

he will need me then,

this president of the Blessed Ones—

to show him the new plot whereby he can be

despoiled of his throne and his power.”

Prometheus never explicitly describes the obscure “plot” that is fated to overthrow Zeus someday, but he clings to it throughout the play: He knows that this information alone can end his suffering. Prometheus is vague, however, about how inevitable Zeus’s downfall actually is, often suggesting not that Zeus must eventually fall but merely that he “can” fall.

“This is a sickness rooted and inherent

in the nature of a tyranny:

that the one who holds it doesn’t trust his friends.”

Another one of the many problems with tyranny is that the tyrant cannot trust anybody—not even their friends. This aspect of Zeus’s position is, to Prometheus, “a sickness,” another indication that for all of his power, Zeus is not really free but trapped in a role where he constantly alienates those around him by acting against justice.

“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.

In helping mortals I brought pain on myself;

but yet I did not think that with such tortures

as these I should be withered on these cliffs,

up high, alone, on this deserted hillside.”

Prometheus is not always consistent in how he represents his actions and motivations. On the one hand, Prometheus insists that he knew exactly what he was doing when he defied Zeus and that he did it “on purpose” because he knew it was necessary. On the other hand, Prometheus sometimes admits that he could not have imagined that his punishment would be as terrible as it actually is. We see that though Prometheus does have some insight into the future, he still does not know everything.

“This you soon shall know for sure

and know beside that in me

there is no mere word-kindness;

tell me how I can help you,

and you will never say

that you have any friend

more loyal to you than Ocean.”

In ancient Greek culture, it was common to draw a distinction between “word” and “deed,” and this distinction lies behind Ocean’s speech to Prometheus. Ocean is saying that he is not like other apparent friends who are loyal only “in word” (what Ocean calls “word-kindness”). Rather, Ocean will show that he is loyal also “in deed” by taking action to help Prometheus.

“Now look and see

the sight, this friend of Zeus, that helped set up

his monarchy, and see what agonies

twist me, by his instructions!”

Though Prometheus knew in advance what would happen to him, he is still clearly upset by how Zeus treated him, especially after Prometheus abandoned the other Titans to side with him. Zeus’s ingratitude and lack of loyalty to his friends is one aspect of his tyranny that Prometheus highlights throughout the play: Tyrants, especially new tyrants like Zeus, value power over justice.

“[Y]ou are not yet humble; still you do not yield

to your misfortunes, and you wish, indeed,

to add some more to them.”

Ocean is one of several characters to remind Prometheus that as bad as his current punishment is, Zeus can still make it even worse. If he wants to avoid worse suffering, then, Prometheus must learn from his mistake and defer to Zeus. But Prometheus refuses to be humbled, continuing to speak out against Zeus and maintaining his freedom of speech, even when his bodily freedom has been taken away.

“For humans in the beginning had eyes but saw

to no purpose; they had ears but did not hear.

Like the shapes of dreams they dragged through their long lives

and muddled everything haphazardly.”

By emphasizing the weakness of humanity, Prometheus calls attention to the impact that his gift of fire had. Without fire, humanity would never have survived and would not have been able to develop technology and civilization. Prometheus is humanity’s benefactor, but by championing such a weak creature, he also ensured that he would be punished—and that there would be nobody with the strength to help him.

“Bewildered in your mind

you are astray, and like a bad doctor who

has fallen sick, you have lost heart not finding

by what drugs your own illness might be cured.”

Though the Chorus feels sympathy for Prometheus, they are not uncritical of him. Like Ocean and the other gods, the Chorus repeatedly chides Prometheus for his misguided behavior, calling him “[b]ewildered in [his] mind” and “astray.” The simile of the “bad doctor” is a reference to Prometheus’s own prophetic “foresight”: As a prophet, Prometheus should have anticipated the suffering he would bring upon himself by helping humanity, but he helped them anyway.

“In one short sentence understand it all:

all human arts come from Prometheus.”

The play portrays Prometheus very emphatically as the benefactor of the “human arts.” Prometheus invented writing, sea travel, medicine, and prophecy, teaching all these skills to humanity and thus demonstrating The Role of Knowledge and Enlightenment in Human Progress, an important theme in the play.

“Not yet has fate that brings all things to pass

determined this. First I must be tormented

by ten thousand pangs and agonies, as I am now,

before I can escape my chains.

Craft is far weaker than necessity.”

Prometheus knows that he must yield to fate and necessity, and his knowledge brings him hope as well as suffering. On the one hand, Prometheus knows that he will eventually be freed. But on the other hand, Prometheus also knows everything that he must suffer before he is freed.

“Think of some other story; this one’s not seasonable

to utter, it must be wholly hidden.

For only by so keeping it can I

escape my shameful bonds and agonies.”

Prometheus hints throughout the play at the fated downfall of Zeus but never gives away the details. He knows that only by keeping his knowledge secret will he be able to gain his freedom, as he needs to have something to offer Zeus in exchange for his freedom.

“IO. In addition, then, indicate to me what date

will be the limit of my wanderings.

PROMETHEUS. Better for you not to know this than to know it.

IO. Don’t hide from me what I am due to suffer.

PROMETHEUS. It’s not that I begrudge you this favor that you ask.

IO. Why then delay to tell me everything?

PROMETHEUS. No grudging, but I hesitate to break your spirit.”

Prometheus’s response to Io—that it is best for her “not to know” her fate—is based on the basic ambivalence of prophecy. While prophecy can give someone hope, it also gives them detailed knowledge of experiences and suffering that may be harder to endure if the person in question knows what is coming.

“Do you not think the tyrant of the gods

is equally brutal in all the things he does?

He is a god, yet sought to lie in love

with this girl who’s mortal, and on her he’s brought

this curse of wanderings.”

Prometheus is not the only victim of Zeus’s tyrannical behavior. Humans like Io have also suffered at his hands, and this creates a kinship between Prometheus and Io. But Zeus’s abuse of power will not go unpunished, as Prometheus reminds us: Even Zeus is subject to fate, and eventually he is fated to fall.

“Death would be indeed release from pain;

but for me there is no limit of suffering set

till Zeus shall fall from power.”

Unlike humanity, Prometheus is immortal, meaning that his suffering is potentially eternal. This fact makes the prospect of his torture unimaginably horrible, especially when coupled with his detailed knowledge of the future—and everything he still has left to suffer.

“That is a fight that none can fight, a fruitful

source of fruitlessness. I would not

know what I could do; I cannot see

how I would escape the plans of Zeus.”

As the Chorus reflects on Zeus’s treatment of women like Io, they dread the apparent hopelessness of fighting against Zeus: Nobody can oppose Zeus and win. Zeus’s apparent invincibility makes his tyranny even more upsetting, as there is no end in sight to Zeus’s brutal rule of the cosmos.

“Worship, pray; flatter whatever king

is king today; but I care less than nothing

for Zeus. Let him do just as he likes;

let him be king for his short time: he won’t

be king of the gods for long.”

Prometheus’s eponymous “foresight” gives him a special insight into the transience of political power. To Prometheus, Zeus is not worth fearing because his tyranny will eventually come to an end. So Prometheus knows that no matter how severely Zeus punishes him, it will eventually come to an end.

“Be sure of this: when I measure my misfortune

against your slavery, I would not change.”

Throughout the play, Prometheus again and again prefers freedom of speech and thought to freedom of body. Though he is ostensibly a prisoner while the other gods are ostensibly free, Prometheus sees them as trapped in an even worse servitude than he is, because they must submit to the tyranny of Zeus while he refuses to do so.

“There’s not

a torture or device of any kind

which Zeus can use to make me speak these things,

till these atrocious shackles have been loosed.

So let him hurl his smoky lightning flame,

and throw into turmoil all things in the world,

with white-winged snowflakes and deep bellowing

thunder beneath the earth: he shall not bend me

by all of this to tell him who is fated

to drive him from his tyranny.”

Though Zeus is the ruler of the cosmos, his power over Prometheus is ultimately limited: Zeus can make Prometheus suffer, but he cannot force him to reveal information that Prometheus does not want to reveal. Prometheus’s determination to keep his knowledge secret is what will ensure his eventual salvation—and the end of Zeus’s political power.

“You’re like a colt new-broken, with the bit

clenched in its teeth, fighting against the reins,

and bolting. You are far too bold and confident

in your weak cleverness. For obstinacy

standing alone is the weakest of all things

in one whose mind is not possessed by wisdom.”

Hermes, like Might, underestimates Prometheus’s mind. He views Prometheus’s refusal to submit to Zeus as pointless “obstinacy,” failing to see that by his actions, Prometheus maintains the freedom of his mind in a way none of the other gods can.