Prometheus

by CAROL DOUGHERTY; WELLESLEY COL

• ISBN13: 9780415324069
• ISBN10: 0415324068
• Edition: 1st
• Format: Nonspecific Binding
• Copyright: 2006-01-13
• Publisher: Routledge

Summary

Myths and legends of this rebellious god, who defied Zeus to steal fire for mankind, thrive in art and literature from ancient Greece to the present day. Prometheus' gifts to mortals of the raw materials of culture and technological advancement, along with the curse of despair that followed the enlightenment of humankind, have formed the basis of a poetic and powerful embodiment of the human condition. Seeking to locate the nature of this compelling tale's continuing relevance throughout history, Carol Dougherty traces a history of the myth from its origins in ancient Greece to its resurgence in the works of the Romantic age and beyond. A Prometheus emerges that was a rebel against Zeus's tyranny to Aeschylus, a defender of political and artistic integrity to Shelley and a symbol of technological innovation during the industrial revolution, his resilience and adaptability illuminating his power and importance in Western culture. This book provides a comprehensive introduction to the Prometheus myth,emphasizing the vitality and flexibility of his myth in a variety of historical, literary, and artistic contexts of the ancient Greeks, the Romantics, and twentieth-century English poet, Tony Harrison. It is an essential introduction to the Promethean myth for readers interested in Classics, the arts and literature alike.

Author Biography

Carol Dougherty is Professor of Classical Studies at Wellesley College.

Table of Contents

Series foreword	xi
Acknowledgements	xv
List of illustrations	xvii
Genealogical table	xix
WHY PROMETHEUS?
INTRODUCING PROMETHEUS	3	(22)
Who is Prometheus?	4	(6)
Classic texts: the wellspring of myths	10	(1)
What is myth?	11	(2)
Why are myths so important?	13	(2)
The myth of Prometheus	15	(3)
Promethean themes: fire, rebellion, creativity, and work	18	(2)
Prometheus and the human condition	20	(1)
Survey of scholarship and overview of the book	21	(4)
KEY THEMES	25	(64)
1 THE TRICKSTER: HESIOD'S PROMETHEUS	27	(19)
Hesiod and his times	28	(2)
Hesiod's Prometheus	30	(1)
Prometheus vs Zeus: a battle of wits	31	(2)
Prometheus as trickster	33	(2)
Prometheus and the human condition	35	(9)
Overview	44	(2)
2 THE CULT OF PROMETHEUS AT ATHENS	46	(19)
Fire in Greek culture	47	(2)
Prometheus in Athenian myth	49	(1)
Prometheus in cult	50	(3)
Torch race	53	(3)
Prometheus, satyrs, and fire	56	(5)
Prometheus, fire, and fifth-century Athens	61	(3)
Overview	64	(1)
3 POLITICAL REBEL AND CULTURAL HERO: PROMETHEUS IN ATHENIAN LITERATURE	65	(24)
Aeschylus' Prometheus Bound	66	(5)
From trickster to rebel	71	(2)
From hope to prophecy	73	(2)
Prometheus and progress	75	(3)
Plato's Protagoras	78	(6)
The comic Prometheus	84	(2)
Overview	86	(3)
PROMETHEUS AFTERWARDS	89	(53)
4 THE ROMANTIC PROMETHEUS 9I
Goethe's Prometheus and artistic creativity	92	(4)
The political Prometheus	96	(4)
Shelley's Prometheus Unbound and the power of love	100	(4)
Prometheus and Napoleon	104	(4)
Frankenstein, or the Modern Prometheus	108	(7)
Overview	115	(1)
5 PROMETHEUS IN THE CONTEMPORARY AGE	116	(26)
Prometheus in the arts	117	(2)
The most Promethean of the Prometheans: breakthroughs in science and technology	119	(4)
The ambiguous Promethean legacy	123	(1)
Tony Harrison's Prometheus	124	(3)
The technological Prometheus	127	(4)
Prometheus and the worker: homo faber	131	(5)
Fire and poetry	136	(3)
Etymologies: what use is Prometheus?	139	(1)
Overview	140	(2)
Further reading	142	(5)
Works cited	147	(6)
Index	153