Review (PDF) Prometheus Bound (Dover Thrift Editions)
In Greek legend, Prometheus was the Titan who, against the will of Zeus, stole fire from the gods for the benefit of man. His terrible punishment by Zeus, and his continuing defiance of Zeus in the face of that punishment, remain universal symbols of man's vulnerability in any struggle with the gods.In the epic drama Prometheus Bound, Aeschylus (c. 525–456 BC), first of the three great Greek tragic poets, re-creates this legendary conflict between rebellious subject and vengeful god. Chained for eternity to a barren rock, his flesh repeatedly torn by a ravaging eagle, Prometheus defends his championship of mankind, rejoicing in the many gifts of language and learning he has given man despite Zeus's cruel opposition.Inspired by Prometheus's spirit, Aeschylus reaches beyond the myth to create one of literature's most gripping portrayals of man's inhumanity to man. How Prometheus clings to his convictions and braves his harsh fate give Prometheus Bound its extraordinary vitality and appeal. For over 2,000 years, this masterpiece of drama has held audiences enthralled. It is reprinted here in its entirety from the translation by George Thomson.
Series: Dover Thrift Editions
Paperback: 64 pages
Publisher: Dover Publications; Revised ed. edition (January 22, 1996)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0486287629
ISBN-13: 978-0486287621
Product Dimensions: 5.2 x 0.2 x 8.2 inches
Shipping Weight: 1.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
Best Sellers Rank: #146,929 in Books (See Top 100 in Books) #87 in Books > Literature & Fiction > Dramas & Plays > Ancient & Classical #2002 in Books > Textbooks > Humanities > Literature #15172 in Books > Teens
Of my free will, my own free will, I erred, And freely do I here acknowledge it. -PrometheusAeschylus is considered to be the father of Greek Tragedy as we know it, if for no other reason than his introduction of a second actor onto the scene. Up until his time, plays had consisted of just one actor, changing masks if necessary. But in addition to being an innovator, Aeschylus wrote one of the really pivotal works in the history of literature and of the human quest to understand our purpose in the universe: Prometheus Bound.The parallels to the Biblical account of man's fall are obvious. Prometheus is a Titan, more than human but less than God, like the angels. He gives fire to mankind in violation of Zeus' orders, making man a threat to the gods. Zeus punishes him by chaining him to a boulder where vultures peck out his innards every day, only to have them grow back at night, a little harsher than making the serpent crawl and banishing man from Eden, eh? And so on...The play opens as Prometheus is being bound by the reluctant Hephaestus, god of fire, who is the first of several characters to beg him to repent and apologize to Zeus. Not only does Prometheus refuse, he is outwardly defiant of the king of the gods: PROMETHEUS These things are sorrowful for me to speak, Yet silence too is sorrow: all ways woe!
Prometheus Bound (Dover Thrift Editions) Bound Complete Box Set (Bound by Lies, Bound Forever): A Dark Mafia Romance All That You've Seen Here Is God: New Versions of Four Greek Tragedies Sophocles' Ajax, Philoctetes, Women of Trachis; Aeschylus' Prometheus Bound (A Vintage original) Greek Tragedies 1: Aeschylus: Agamemnon, Prometheus Bound; Sophocles: Oedipus the King, Antigone; Euripides: Hippolytus Aeschylus I: The Persians, The Seven Against Thebes, The Suppliant Maidens, Prometheus Bound (The Complete Greek Tragedies) Greek Tragedies, Vol. 1: Agamemnon/Prometheus Bound/Oedipus the King/Antigone/Hippolytus Three Greek Plays: Prometheus Bound / Agamemnon / The Trojan Women The Rubáyát of Omar Khayyám : First and Fifth Editions (Dover Thrift Editions) Everyman and Other Miracle and Morality Plays (Dover Thrift Editions) 1st (first) Edition by Anonymous published by Dover Publications (1995) On Dreams (Dover Thrift Editions) The Picture of Dorian Gray (Dover Thrift Editions) The Life of Olaudah Equiano (Dover Thrift Editions) Rights of Man (Dover Thrift Editions) The Mikado (Dover Thrift Editions) Macbeth (Dover Thrift Editions) Othello (Dover Thrift Editions) Complete Sonnets (Dover Thrift Editions) Essay on Man and Other Poems (Dover Thrift Editions) Songs of Innocence and Songs of Experience (Dover Thrift Editions) Lyric Poems (Dover Thrift Editions)
