Prometheus Bound

Prometheus’s theft of fire is a central idea in the play, representing the reason for Prometheus’s punishment. The fire Prometheus gave humanity embodies the ideals of knowledge and enlightenment: The gift of fire allowed humanity to survive but also to develop further technologies and arts. Without fire, there could be no civilization—hence Prometheus’s boast: “[A]ll human arts come from Prometheus” (506). Indeed, Prometheus paints a bleak picture of humanity before his arrival: “[H]umans in the beginning had eyes but saw / to no purpose; they had ears but did not hear” (447-48). But fire provided humanity with the light they needed to see. Fire, moreover, is only the beginning of Prometheus’s contributions to humanity, as Prometheus also claims to have introduced writing, sailing, medicine, and divination. Everything, however, began with fire, so fire becomes both the symbol of humanity’s salvation and the reason for Prometheus’s suffering.

Prophecy and oracles recur throughout the play, illustrating larger themes such as The Conflict Between Power and Justice and The Consequences of Defying Tyranny. The play mentions several different prophecies: the prophecy that the Olympians would beat the Titans using guile; the prophecy that Zeus would punish