Prometheus As A Tragic Hero

By definition tragic heroes can be considered one who is held up high by society for the good deeds they bring, but is then slowly or quickly taken away from that grace and placed in a world far below what they were originally. An example of this is the excerpt and the tragedy of Oedipus the king. The play shows that the faults humanity can fall through when put into a very stressful situation. Oedipus is a tragic hero because he wants to improve the lives of his citizens, he has a major human flaw of being impulsive and easily irritable, Oedipus takes more punishment than what the play told, his life and fate was not fully under his control, and he makes a vast realization with an equal amount of change.

Another similarity between the two figures is their intention or goal. Both characters had supposedly good intentions that were tainted through the fulfilment of their cause. Frankenstein believed that, "a new species will bless me as its creator and source; many happy and excellent natures would owe their being to me"(32). Prometheus insists that his actions had a similar impact- "I risked the bord attempt, and saved mankind / From stark destruction and the road to hell... And in a single word to sum the whole- / All manner of arts men from Prometheus learned." (Aeschylus). In both cases, these ideas, deluded or realistic, were not the actual or only outcome of their "gifts". In Percy Bysshe Shelley's interpretation of the Prometheus myth, Prometheus is faced with the consequences of his gift of fire (and of creating the human race).

Although neither his past nor his situation is different, Zeus’ character and actions in Prometheus Bound deviate greatly from his persona in the Theogony. Furthermore, this cannot be due to a chronological character development over a large period of time, since the content in Prometheus Bound is set at roughly the same time as Hesiod’s

Mary Shelley wrote Frankenstein as a modern day version of the legend of Prometheus. Prometheus created men out of clay and taught them the "arts of civilisation" (Webster's World Encyclopedia CD-ROM 1999). Zeus, the chief god of the Titans, wanted to destroy Prometheus' creation but Prometheus stole fire from heaven to help mankind. Zeus punished Prometheus by chaining him to a rock where an eagle would feed on his liver during the day and each night the liver would grow back. Prometheus was able to bargain for his release because he knew a secret which concerned Zeus' future. Heracles shot the eagle and so Prometheus gained release. Victor Frankenstein is Shelley's modern Prometheus in that

When Prometheus deceives Zeus and gives fire to mankind, he releases the wrath of Zeus upon mankind and himself. Zeus punishes Prometheus by binding him with “inescapable harsh bonds… he inflicted on him a long-winged eagle, which ate his immortal liver; but grew as much in all at night as the long-winged bird would eat all day” (Nelson, 43, 521-525). God’s punishment of the serpent does not seem as violent as Prometheus’s punishment, but they are both harsh. God also uses nature when punishing the serpent, like Zeus controlled the eagle. “Then the Lord God said to the serpent: 'Because you have done this you are accursed more than all cattle and all wild creatures. On your belly you shall crawl, and dust you shall eat all the days of your life…They [mankind] shall strike at your head’” (Genesis, 3). The serpent and Prometheus are punished for eternity for rebelling against their authority.

Hesiod’s Theogony has transcended generations, delivering to vast audiences the traditional stories of the Greek gods as well as ancient Greek conceptions of the world. One particularly well known aspect of the Theogony, the section that tells the tale of Prometheus, is unique in that it has little intrinsic worth; its value is in its ability to enhance other stories and conceptions. Across the globe, people know well the story of the one who deceived Zeus and stole fire for man, but few recognize its role in Hesiod’s work as a whole. The story of Prometheus serves two primary purposes for Hesiod and his audience. First, it solidifies Zeus’s position as king of the gods, providing one of the first characterizations of his temperament, and

     Prometheus, the Titan of Greek mythology, was considered to be the most important Titan ever in all the myths. He helped the human race tremendously in his efforts to sustain an easier lifestyle. Mankind had great respect for him because of his advantages and gifts or abilities he gave them. Also, his battle against Zeus as a result of his love for man was very much appreciated. Prometheus was one of the most interesting Greek mythology figures in his time. He was a very kind, loving, generous, and courteous god to mankind. This can be seen through many events in his life including a particular myth that the reader will acknowledge in this research paper.

The mythological character and God, Zeus, is portrayed in many ways, by many different people. Hesiod describes Zeus as being relentless in his fury. When he gets mad he unleashes all of his power. If his brother Hades wasn’t in charge of the Underworld, he’d make all of Hell break loose. For example, in Hesiod’s Theogony, which is about when Zeus defeated his father, Cronus, he says, “Then Zeus did not hold back any longer, but now immediately his heart was filled with strength and he showed clearly all his force.” (Morford and Lenardon 85) He tends to treat others, mortals and immortals, very unfairly. Two mortals could do the same exact type of sacrilege towards him, and depending on how he felt that day, he would take two very different approaches to how he would treat them. He also doesn’t take any threats towards him very lightly at all. If anyone ever threatens him, he normally punishes them very severely, if he doesn’t destroy them completely. Hesiod’s approach to Zeus’ behavior is overdramatic, and makes it seem more extreme than it probably would’ve been.

The second generation titan Prometheus had fought Zeus for the betterment of mankind. He had felt as if the humans did not have as many right as they should have. As a result, Prometheus tricked the gods out of the best portion of a sacrificial feast to give to the humans, and stole fire from Zeus to give to them as well. In the end he was punished by being tied to a rock with a eagle to eat eternally regenerating liver everyday. Even though both Eve and Prometheus had failed their attempts at helping mankind, they also have a major difference. The punishment on Prometheus was much more severe than Eve’s punishment. He had been tortured and his creation had been plagued with death and sickness. Eve had been punished with painful labor while giving birth, which cannot compare to centuries of torture and

Nearly every story in Greek mythology revolves around a character with a certain outstanding attribute, be it strength, intellect, or even musical talent. Heroes such as this might spend their lives questing for kleos, or the myth might simply be a tale in which the hero was trying to accomplish a certain task, such as returning home or rescuing a lover from Hades. In every case, these heroic tales would always end with tragedy; the hero would be killed by a jealous lover, go mad, or have a loved one taken away from him. However, one Greek hero existed whose story did not end with tragedy: Odysseus. Homer's The Odyssey is unique among all other Greek myths in that it is the only story in which the hero does not meet a tragic end; why

Tragic Greek dramas featured tragic heroes, mortals who suffered incredible 
losses as a result of an inescapable fate or bad decisions. According to Aristotle, a tragic hero is a character, usually of high birth, which is pre-eminently great, meaning they are not perfect, and whose downfall is brought about
 by a tragic weakness or error in judgment. The three Greek heroes Oedipus, Medea and Agamemnon, who each killed a member of their family, carry most of the qualities that make up a tragic hero: being of noble birth, being surrounded by an extraordinary circumstance, and gaining self-awareness or some kind of knowledge through their downfall. There is an important need for the audience to identify with the Aristotelian hero through

Prometheus in Greek myth stole fire from Zeus and gives it to humanity but was then eternally punished by Zeus. In the Latin version Prometheus created man from clay and water. Victor Frankenstein is seen as a modern Prometheus

The ambiguity of the myth of Prometheus lies in its interpretation. The Greek myth surrounds the creation of man and the part Prometheus played in it. Prometheus (meaning forethought) and his brother, Epimetheus (meaning afterthought), were given certain tasks by Zeus after they fought on Zeus' side in the war with the Titans. As a reward for their loyalty, Zeus gave Epimetheus the responsibility of creating the animals and distributing their qualities, for example, strength, speed, and stamina. Prometheus, on the other hand, was given the task of creating man. Prometheus molded man out of clay, giving them the ability to walk upright so that they could be closer to the heavens and the Gods. Since Epimetheus was extremely rash in his dispersion of the traits and qualities to the animals, when it came time for Prometheus to give some to man, there were none left. So, Prometheus gave man fire, and taught him how to grow food, and how to make objects, such as tools.

When Apollo had first fallen from Olympus, he had thought it to be a joke- as something that would quickly be reversed. He had been too caught up in himself to remember that his father lacked a sense of humor, and thus, he had found himself subjected to the horrors of mortal life. The one recurring thought he had during his time as Lester was regaining his immortality. Now, finally, after what felt like eons, once again he was Apollo. He was the God of light and the sun, truth and prophecy, healing, plague, music, poetry, and much more… So why did he feel so empty and cold on the inside? Who wouldn’t want to be a god? Who would want to be a god?!

In the play Prometheus Bound, the gods are directly involved as characters and are portrayed as extremely stubborn. Prometheus, a titan and god of foresight, is being punished for aiding the humans who Zeus would like to replace with a new master race. As a relatively new leader of the gods, Zeus has the power to punish Prometheus in anyway he wants even though Prometheus is a god himself. Zeus decides to bind Prometheus to a rock, hence the name Prometheus Bound. There are many instances where Zeus is proven to be stubborn and cold shouldered towards everyone, regardless of their standing. When talking to