Prometheus Bound : The Principle of Hope

Abstract

Unlike most Greek tragedies, Prometheus Bound is set mainly among the gods and it has a divine protagonist: Prometheus. It reinterprets a foundational episode in Greek mythology and presents conflict among the gods as prototype for human political struggles. It uses the same mythological reworking to articulate a progressive, materialist model of human society. The presentation of these strands also demonstrates and guarantees the importance of compassion and solidarity for the survival of the human race. Prometheus Bound , however, has more to say about human affairs and is even stronger when placed in this ideological context. The picture of human development follows a shift in Greek thought towards materialism: in metaphysics in the sixth century and in sociology in the fifth.