Prometheus

Greek mythology, in fact, has always been an attractive mystical world for me. Now being weaved with the art of drama, it’s an extended scene for human contentment and comprehension.

The story of Prometheus Bound as the champion of human being and a ‘superman’ has been one part of Aeschylus' trilogy on the Prometheus myth. Neither of the other two plays in the trilogy has survived. Now that I’m familiar with the Oresteia, the only surviving trilogy to come down to us, I know that how the loss of two parts of the cycle damages our understanding of Prometheus Bound, though it has much to offer and impress.

I think Prometheus is the only god or titan with him we can sympathize. He is an archetype of rebel, intelligence and progress. Prometheus boasts of all the gifts he has given to humanity, insisting that he is responsible for all human arts and portraying himself as central to the growth of human civilization and the survival of the race. But the question remains as well; Prometheus who knew better than anyone what would become of him in the hands of fate and destiny, why did he committed such a sacrifice? Maybe it’s not a far-fetched idea to interpret him as the Christ figure who worked as the champion of human being and sacrificed himself for the sake of human salvation. Even Christ’s crucifixion reminds us of the binding of his Greek classic precursor Prometheus.