Creation, Art, and Sacrifice Theme Analysis

Prometheus is the ultimate creator and artist in Aeschylus’s Prometheus Bound. According to ancient Greek mythology, Prometheus is the creator of the human race, having molded them from clay. He gave humankind life, and when Zeus threatened to exterminate them, Prometheus gave humankind fire and reason to ensure their survival and continued progress towards civilization. Prometheus is also seen within Greek mythology as the father of human arts, sciences, and architecture, and his likeness is immortalized in numerous works of literature, art, and sculpture. As an artist himself, Prometheus knows that the creation and support of humankind will anger Zeus, but he sacrifices himself anyway to save his creation from the tyrannous king. In this vein, Prometheus is often interpreted as the consummate tortured artist, suffering for the sake of his art. The trope of the suffering artist is often of one who is isolated and misunderstood on account of their art, and Prometheus indeed fits this stereotype; however, through the depiction of Prometheus’s relationship to humanity, Aeschylus suggests that suffering is a necessary part of artistic creation.

In addition to creating humankind and giving them fire and reason, “all human arts were founded by Prometheus,” which reflects his role as the supreme artist and creator. Prometheus “invented” for humankind “the joining of letters, which is the very memory of things.” In other words, Prometheus gave humans the gift of language and words, which will lead them in time to the art of writing and literature. Prometheus also introduced humankind to the “muses’ arts,” referring to the inspirational goddesses of art, music, and writing. Within Greek mythology, the muses are the source of poetry and song, and they will likewise stir the same inspiration in humankind. In addition to language, art, and song, Prometheus “made plain” to the humans “all that was hidden,” and revealed “the treasure concealed beneath the earth, bronze, iron, silver, [and] gold.” In addition to weapons and armor, these precious metals will also be molded in beautiful sculpture and architecture, again underscoring Prometheus’s role as master artist and creator.

However, Prometheus is made to suffer for his creation and love of humankind. The play makes it clear that for a creator as skilled and dedicated as Prometheus, suffering is inevitable. As Kratos orders Hephaistos to bind Prometheus to side of the Scythian mountains, Kratos says to Hephaistos: “This is the crime for which [Prometheus] now must pay / the price to all the gods, that he may learn / to love the tyranny of Zeus.” When Prometheus chose to help the humans, he effectively turned his back on Zeus, and he is made to suffer for it. As Hephaistos reluctantly chains Prometheus to the mountain, he says to his friend, “This is the fruit of your philanthropy. / A god, you scorned the anger of the gods / by granting mortals honor above their due.” In other words, it is specifically because of Prometheus’s charity and creativity that Zeus has sentenced him to a life of pain and despair. Despite the severity of Prometheus’s punishment, he remains amazingly calm. “For this offense / I now must pay the penalty: to live nailed to this rock beneath the open sky.” Prometheus has held his love for humankind above all else, and he willingly pays the price. Thus, the play suggests that while the work of creation is tied to agony, it can also bring immense peace and satisfaction to the creator.

Throughout Aeschylus’s play, Prometheus doesn’t flinch. Even when Hermes, Zeus’s son and the messenger of the gods, appears on the mountain and tells him of the horrendous pain that awaits him, Prometheus still will not budge. He won’t apologize for his love of humankind and he won’t attempt to lessen his punishment by giving in and telling Zeus what he most desires to know—Zeus’s fate, which Prometheus’s gift of “forethought” has revealed to him. Instead, Prometheus hardens his resolve and suffers for his love of humankind. “For an enemy to suffer at an enemy’s hand is no disgrace,” Prometheus says, and as the sun rises on the first day of his punishment, he prepares himself for what is to come. “Oh, holy Mother Earth,” Prometheus cries, “oh sky whose light revolves for all, / you see me. You see / the wrongs I suffer.” Prometheus’s creation—that of humankind—could not have survived without his sacrifice, and he willingly suffers on behalf of his art, which, Aeschylus implies, is an essential part of artistic creation.