Will we ever know Prometheus?

When I started this module the idea of writing a blog every week on Prometheus daunted me. I wasn’t sure of how long the blogs should be or what I should write about; the only thing I was sure on was the tale of Prometheus. It seemed a good place to start, so I began to research the finer points of the myth to make sure I had the plot correct and I found I didn’t I in fact had missed half the plot. So in that first blog I outlined the plot and I was cast iron certain that I had it correct.

Now that I have all but completed the module I realised that I was wrong again. I thought I knew who Prometheus was but I didn’t.  I outlined Hesiod’s version of the myth, his is the oldest we have and therefore can be the one to compare the other later versions to. But just because I outlined the oldest version doesn’t mean that I outlined the correct version. There are many interpretations and accounts of Prometheus in all genres from all time periods and Hesiod may have been working from an older account that didn’t survive. All accounts were influenced by the of the society at the time, some were influenced by previous accounts, others just by the author’s personal opinions on Prometheus but there is nothing to say that any of them are wrong or right. Instead of declaring who Prometheus was out right, now when I talk to people about Prometheus I am careful to say “the Prometheus myth according to...” and then one of the author’s names. It is pleasing to note that whilst my thoughts on Prometheus we skewed by one simplified telling of Prometheus they weren’t wrong; just different.

Without knowing the actual origin of the myth it would be severely improbable to know what actually happened or who exactly Prometheus was. And in trying to learn what happened I have learnt some truly fascinating interpretations of the myth, especially his use as an example against heresy in Renaissance Europe. Prometheus has appeared in many different roles and guises and I think when combined all show a deeper perspective on this character. I find that when comparing the Prometheus in Hesiod with that in Aeschylus; it gives a fascinating view into the role Zeus played. I think when looking at the tyrannical approach of Zeus in Aeschylus and Byron the rebellion of Prometheus seems more justified.

My feeling at the end of this module is that whilst we may never what actually happened to Prometheus or who he was; his myth is a tool that can transport us to societies from the past. The events in the myth of Prometheus almost certainly didn’t happen but their telling has influenced societies for millennia and in this way Prometheus has become real. If on the other hand the Promethean myth is a true story and Prometheus is sitting in Olympus, I hope he looks at the various stories of his myth with the amused look of a celebrity who reads about themselves in the press; reading about events that have been twisted and changed to suit the angle of the author but with the original plot having gone astray.