Environmental Thought in Antiquity

In Prometheus Bound, Prometheus essentially assumes the role of a protector and advocate for the mortal population, regardless of never-ending backlash from the other Gods. Prometheus acknowledges the little influence humans have on their own lives in comparison to the authority of the gods, and gifts the mortals with helpful advancements. Mortals within the story were considered lesser and unimportant especially from a powerful, godly perspective. Since they are unable to implement Godly alterations of the world, they cannot be of any importance or use. Although Prometheus bears the burden of defending the humans, he stands up for them regardless and serves to fulfill their best interest. He incurs the great weight inflicted upon humanity and greatly serves to better their lifestyle and keep maintaining their progress. The human population credits Prometheus with the implementation of many scientific and cultural developments carried out by mortals. The emergence of betterments such as agriculture, letters, numbers, and medicine aided the mortal race in their lifestyle and attempts to account for their inability to live amongst the Gods. The most influential extension of knowledge that polarizes Prometheus from the Gods was his gift of fire and hope to the human race. 

Prometheus also fosters a welcoming attitude towards nature and its beneficial aspects. As Prometheus runs into issues with the Gods, he calls upon nature and often relies on its support to face his troubles. Prometheus believes that the advancement of human technology and succession should be paired with a devotion to delve deeper into nature and learn of its true benefits. The language of the piece additionally lends to Prometheus holding an intimate relationship with nature by using terms such as “sacred air,” “swift soaring winds,” and “all-mothering earth.” Development of the human relationship with nature is Prometheus’s ideal form of evolution by humans and is partly executed through the implementation of natural metals for human weapons. I believe the mortals are better off with the help of Prometheus because of his initial interest in mending the relationship between the gods and mortals.

Prometheus’s Mortals .docx

            Throughout Prometheus Unbound, early humans are alluded to numerous times while Prometheus is conversing with his multiple visitors. From these interactions, readers first learn that Zeus was planning to “make [humans] vanish, and create a new race,” and none of the other deities opposed his proposal, except Prometheus (235). Even before Prometheus brings his infamous gift of fire to humanity, he was already serving them by having the “courage” to spare them (237). Later in the narrative, readers learn that early humans were “like children in their wits” until Prometheus shared fire and the knowledge of “agriculture, medicine, letters and numbers, and … prophecy” (443; introduction). At this early stage of humanity, it appears they simply lived with nature instead of heavily manipulating it. Prometheus states, “They knew no brick-built houses / to shield them from the sun, nor works of wood; / like crawling ants they hid themselves in holes, / in dark and sunless caverns underground” (450-453). These lines suggest that early humans had not begun to manipulate clay, sand, or lime to craft bricks or even cut trees for lumber for their homes or other tools. Instead, early humans mimicked the animals (i.e., the ants) and found refuge in the natural world (i.e., caves). They did not need to create their own environment; they simply used what the Earth (Gaia) provided to them.

            While Prometheus did save humans from Zeus’ proposed eradication and deliver numerous gifts, especially fire, to them, he also assisted them in their domination of the natural world. Readers learn that Prometheus “was the first to tie their beasts in teams, / enslaving these to yokes and saddle-bags, / that they might take men’s burdens on their backs” (462-464). From the beginning, the language Prometheus uses is problematic. He uses words and phrases like “enslaving” and “take men’s burdens on their backs” that treats animals as if they are lower than humanity. This appears to be the origin of hierarchy between animals and humans and the idea that humans can use animals for personal profit—a gift of the Titan Prometheus. This knowledge would later allow humans to subjugate and manipulate animals and the natural world to their own benefit. Thus, it appears that humans are (somewhat) better off with Prometheus as a benefactor; however, the natural world only suffers with Prometheus as humans’ new benefactor, and it makes sense that the natural world does not choose to help him when he invokes “all-mothering earth” early in the play (90).

Prometheus guided the humans, and more importantly gave them ways to manipulate and use the natural world, which is why Prometheus is now suffering and being punished. He gave them tools that helped them use nature to their advantage like "the gentle curatives with which they ward off every disease" (lines 481-482). Being able to control nature was an ability that only the gods possessed until Prometheus taught humans how to do so. I think that humans are better off with Prometheus as a benefactor because they have all of these new skills and ideas that can help them survive and protect themselves. Even though I say this, I wonder if these lessons could have given humans too much power? Is having all of this "control" a good thing?

Prometheus was called the “foresight” he knew what may happen to him in the future. He knew he would be punished if he helped humans and gave the Hephaestus’s gift of fire but yet he still did it. Early humans, much like now face issues with heat and sun, it would burn our skin until it blistered or would wither up and “lose its youth” (line 23). More than once it seems Prometheus cared for humans, and didn’t want to see all of them end up with Hades (line 238). Prometheus allowed humans to “stop forseeing doom”(250), he gave early humans hope. Early humans, we known to be able to fight, Colchian land were fearless, the warrior chiefs of Arabia with sharp pointed spears (lines 415-425). Without Prometheus as their benefactor humans would not be anything but a useless pile of skin and bones. Prometheus taught humans how to use their minds, the power of sight, hearing, he gave them shelter, language (words and numbers) and memory (lines 445-470). Prometheus provided humans with power, the ability to tame wild animals, and use them for work to make it easier on themselves.  The biggest thing Prometheus provided humans with is knowledge, he may have given medicine and the ability to hunt, but they never would have understood anything without knowledge and memory. Early humans needed Prometheus to push them along in society. With knowledge, came understanding, understanding led to disagreements. So in theory, Prometheus also gave jealously and strife, and hatred, but with good always comes bad, but overall I think Prometheus did more good than bad.

It is clear that Prometheus has taught them many things and that the humans benefited greatly from his help. When he claimed to bring them fire, that was only a small part. He gave the humans a chance at surviving for this long. It is possible that without Prometheus, humans may not have made it far. Especially without having medicine. Without medicine, if a plague came along, or even just the flu, humankind could have ended right there. From what it seems like from Zeus, he would not have done much to help save mankind or even repopulate them after they went extinct. 

     I think each character being introduced in the order of their appearance as they were provided a beautiful transition of Prometheus story unfolding to the reader. we see the anger of Power against Prometheus and the compassion and sorrow toward Prometheus from Hephaestus. We see Chrous need for understanding. We see Ocean wanting Prometheus' confession of wrongdoing against Zeus. We see Hermes the messenger persuasion fall on deaf ears. Yet IO introduction I found most profound. She enters in a state of confusion in contrast to Prometheus he has complete clarity. She is sent wondering and being chased throughout the barren land for who knows how long, again in contrast Prometheus's punishment is to be still chained to a rock. Metaphorically Prometheus is being tied or bound to the earth, for which his crimes are connected and IO is left to wonder in confusion as though she is trapped in a dream-like state. Her wondering is going to free him from his still torment. Their connection is the most powerful depiction throughout the entire story.  

Prometheus choosing to give the humans the ability to create fires was moral. Because now, this sparked a new piece to agriculture and that is giving humans the ability to make food such that they wouldn't get sick. Before fires were discovered, humans had to eat meat raw and of course this was the number 1 way of getting sick. Alongside from food, fires introduced blacksmithing. This helps create tools and weapons such as swords, shovels, spears, knife, shields, and so many others. However, fires can be used for destruction, such as wildfires and committing arson. It just shows how much we humans are responsible and accountable for using fires in a productive manner.

         In Hesiod's Theogony, men are almost always mentioned "the deathless gods and mortal men." This emphasizes the hierarchy of gods and goddesses and mankind. This is how men are often mentioned in the Theogony, and I think most of the time men are mentioned, it is to emphasize the control of the gods over humans. On line 264, Hesiod writes "plague of men," and around line 442, Zeus knowingly wishes evil on mankind. Prometheus is one of only a few gods who seem to go as far as liking humans. Others simply pick sides in human affairs or openly hate them (Zeus). When Prometheus gave them fire, Zeus gave them more evil, Pandora. Women were made as evil for mortal men, and there is no escaping their evil. In Prometheus Bound, Aeschylus portrays humans as "like shapes of dreams they spent their whole lives shuffling things together in random patterns" and "like children in their wits" until Prometheus intervenes (443-450). They lived in holes in the ground and had no certainties, but Prometheus gave them numbers, letters, medicine, augury, domesticated ox and horses, prophecy, and more. Before Prometheus helped humans, they seemed like they were absolutely no threat to the gods. Humans seemed to merely exist. Aeschylus makes it seem like Prometheus was the best thing to ever happen to the humans, but Prometheus also provided the gateway for humans harming Earth. He domesticated nature. He is the one who yoked ox (allowed for farming/tilling) and gave man the ability to travel and spread their impact. 

     Around line 453 is when Hesiod begins talking about how Prometheus gave fire to mankind, and Hesiod never details how helpful it is for mankind. Aeschylus does. According to Hesiod, "Zeus, who knows all things forever, knew and recognized the trick, but he intended evil for mortal man, which was to come to pass" (442-444). In Prometheus Bound, Zeus sent Hermes to find out the name of the woman that would bear his son that was destined to defeat him (947-950). This seems to disagree with Hesiod's omnipotent Zeus. Prometheus is seen as a heroic and brave figure in Prometheus Bound, helping mankind even though he knew the suffering he would go through (100-103). In the Theogony, Prometheus is repeatedly reduced to a clever trickster (409-410). Aeschylus also gives Prometheus sympathizers (Hephaestus, Chorus, Ocean) while Hesiod never mentions any. He only says Zeus is ok with Heracles releasing Prometheus because he realized that Prometheus "had matched wits with the mighty son of Kronos" (428-429). One thing that I found interesting from Prometheus Bound, starting around line 89 Prometheus is calling on the environment (air, winds, rivers, ocean waves, earth) to recognize his suffering at the hands of Zeus. At the end, starting at line 1080, the environment he was calling on at the beginning is being used against him, and most are the exact elements he called on in the beginnings (earth begins to quake, whirlwinds spin dust, winds leap madly, upper air mingled with ocean). I also saw irony in the fact that Prometheus negatively mentions fire since it is what he gifted humans, the reason he was being punished. In the last 3 lines of Prometheus Bound, Prometheus addresses his mother Earth and says "Majesty of my mother Earth, bright sky that lets the common light whirl round, you see me here, and see my lot: injustice." I thought it was interesting he was calling out to mother Earth.

      I also thought Prometheus' interaction with Io was particularly odd because it brought out a kinder side of this god who had previously been snarky and angry. Despite her being a mortal he shares with her the next process of her journey and it drives her into madness, blinding her from the advice that Prometheus has offered only to her and not to fellow gods. The playwright's constant reminder to the reader or viewer that Io's descendant Heracles will one day free Prometheus (and that he is aware of this) adds an entirely new layer to his "kindness" towards humans. My main takeaway from this play was whether or not Prometheus genuinely believed that giving humankind fire was the right thing to do or if it was pre-ordained that he must do it by the fates and he is just playing out the narrative of the gods.