Prometheus Unbound

Prometheus is the idealized protagonist of Prometheus Unbound. The mythical Prometheus is a Titan, or a primordial ancient Greek deity. Before the opening of the play, Prometheus assisted Jupiter’s overthrow of the Saturn, the god of time, which placed Jupiter on the throne. Later, seeing humanity suffering on the cold Earth, Prometheus stole divine fire from Mount Olympus and brought it down to humanity. As punishment for his act of rebellion, Jupiter had Prometheus chained to a mountain for eternity.

At the opening of Prometheus Unbound, Prometheus has been imprisoned for “three thousand years of sleep-unsheltered hours” (I.13). He is in immense pain, as every night an eagle rips out and eats his liver, only for it to regrow the next day. Prometheus is chained with his arms spread, in the pose of Jesus crucified on the cross. Initially, Prometheus wished vengeance upon the tyrant who punished him. However, after hearing his hateful words about Jupiter recited back, he regrets speaking in anger. He states boldly, “I wish no living thing to suffer pain” (I.305). Like Christ, Prometheus preaches the importance of forgiveness.

Shelley’s rewriting of the myth to emphasize Prometheus’s forgiving nature is tied to Shelley’s understanding of the mistakes of the French Revolution.