Literary Criticism

Submitted by: Ma. Ronalyn. R. Rosendo PT-2A

Submitted to: Prof. Paulo T. Danduan

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Title Prometheus Bound

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Background of the Author Aeschylus (524-456 B.C.E.) He was the first great Greek tragedian. He is said to have written about 90 plays of which only seven are extant. His name derives from the Greek word aiskhos (), meaning "shame. As a youth he worked at a vineyard until, according to the 2nd-century AD geographer Pausanias, the god Dionysus visited him in his sleep and commanded him to turn his attention to the nascent art of tragedy. As soon as he woke from the dream, the young Aeschylus began writing a tragedy, and his first performance took place in 499 BC, when he was only 26 years old; He would win his first victory at the City Dionysia in 484 BC.

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Characters Prometheus Titan whose name means forethought. After he defied the will of Zeus by becoming the benefactor of mankind, Zeus turned against him, ordering him bound to a rock in a desolate gorge of the Causasus Mountains. There, Prometheus remains proudly defiant, exhibiting no remorse or regret for his actions. Zeus King of the universe, who rules from Mount Olympus. He exhibits human traits such as pride, lust, deceit, and vengefulness. In Roman mythology, Zeus is known as Jupiter. Setting action takes place on a single day at a time just after human beings begin to use fire as a tool of advancement. The place is a gorge in the Caucasus, a mountain range running southeast from the Black Sea.
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Theme

Defying the Established Order After Zeus orders Prometheus bound to a rock in a gorge of the remote Caucasus Mountains, Prometheus continues to defy Zeus, using his tonguethe only weapon available to himto launch verbal attack at the king of the gods. Suffering Prometheus suffers pain, humiliation, isolation, and loneliness because of his benefactions to mankind. Compassion Prometheus is superior to Zeus in terms of compassion. His benefactions toward mankind contrast sharply with the coldly vengeful actions of Zeus. Conflict Man vs. Man Prometheus and Zeus are the main characters in the literary piece and they are enemies here because of what Prometheus did to Zeus which is stealing the fire from Zeus. VII. Summary Prometheus was the Titan god of forethought and crafty counsel who was entrusted with the task of taking care to mankind. His attempts to better the lives of mankind brought him into direct conflict with Zeus. Firstly he tricked the gods out of the best portion of the sacrificial feast, acquiring the meat for the feasting of man. Then, when Zeus withheld fire, he stole it from heaven and delivered it to mortal kind hidden inside a fennel-stalk. As punishment for these rebellious acts, Zeus ordered the creation of Pandora (a woman) as a means to deliver misfortune into the house of man, or as a way to cheat mankind of the company of the good spirits. Prometheus meanwhile, was arrested and bound to a stake on Mount Caucasus where an eagle was set to feed upon his everregenerating liver (or, some say, heart). Generations later the great hero Heracles came along and released the old Titan from his torture. Prometheus was loosely identified in cult and myth with the fire-god. VIII. Criticism of the Piece a. Physiological Implication b. Social Implication c. Emotional Implication d. Intellectual Implication e. Aesthetic Implication

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