Prometheus: summary, main events, retelling. Legend of Prometheus: a summary

About the titan Prometheus - the benefactor and intercessor of mankind - is mentioned in Hesiod in his "Theogony". What made Prometheus Titan famous? We will begin with a brief review of this work. In it, the hero appears before the readers as an intelligent cunning, dividing between the gods and people the meat of the sacrifice of a bull, and makes the best part of it for people.

Enraged Zeus does not want to give fire to mortals so that they can cook and taste meat. Prometheus went against the will of Zeus, stole fire and gave it to people. Enraged Zeus decided to punish the rebellious titan, chained him to a pillar and ordered the eagle to peck his liver. Prometheus will be subjected to this torture for many centuries, until the brave Hercules comes and liberates him by killing a bird of prey.

Another version of the myth

Later, this legend began to be stated differently. The protagonist of history is still Prometheus. The summary of its slightly different. Now he appears in the role of a great and wise seer (Prometheus and means "Crafter"), and not a cunning person who stole fire.

From the very beginning of the world, during the struggle of the old gods with the Olympians (younger gods), Prometheus knew that the younger gods would not be able to be taken by force, one must use cunning. He offered the titans their help, but the self-confident elder gods rejected his offer. Anticipating their imminent defeat, Prometheus took the side of the Olympians and helped them overthrow their enemies. And instead of gratitude and eternal friendship, he received a cruel punishment of once a former ally of Zeus.

The Olympians are haunted by the fear that the time will come - and they will suffer the fate of their fathers. They will be overthrown by their own descendants - young gods. They do not know how to prevent this, but Prometheus knows. The summary of this version tells that he knows everything that awaits them at the end of the world. Zeus wants to learn from Prometheus this secret, and therefore exposes him to torture, but the titan with pride is silent.

Then the son of Zeus, Hercules, not yet a god, decides to end the agony of Prometheus in gratitude for the good that titanium did for mortals. He punishes the eagle and releases Prometheus. In response to this step, Prometheus tells Hercules how to preserve the power of Zeus and his companions.

Zeus and the goddess Thetis

What secret did Prometheus know? The brief content of this myth includes the story that Zeus is seeking the love of the sea goddess - the charmer of Thetis. But Prometheus knows that Zeus should abandon her, since fate is predestined that the Thetis should give birth to a son who will be stronger than his father. If his father becomes Zeus, then the son will become stronger than him and will inevitably overthrow him, the power of the Olympians will end there.

Zeus listens to Prometheus and leaves the Thetis, who later became the wife of an ordinary mortal, from whom she gave birth to Achilles, the strongest man in the world.

The Poem of Aeschylus: a summary

Based on the above-mentioned version of the myth and created a poem by Aeschylus - "Chained Prometheus". The brief content of the work will begin with events in distant Scythia, located in the wild, uninhabited mountains.

Start

What does Aeschylus want to tell people in his poem ("Chained Prometheus")? The summary of the work reveals to the readers the nobility and courage of the protagonist against the background of the cruelty of the gods.

So, on the scene appears Prometheus, accompanied by two demons - Violence and Power. At the behest of Zeus, he must be chained to the rock by his comrade - the god of fire Hephaestus. The last one feels sorry for his friend, but he can not resist the great Zeus and his fate. Shackles fetter the shoulders, arms and legs Prometheus, and breasts punched with an iron stake, but Prometheus is silent. The thing is done, the executioners have nothing to do but retire from the scene. Finally, the Power contemptuously throws the phrase: "You are an Industrializer, so you have been trying to save yourself".

Further, a brief summary (Prometheus Chained) is worth continuing with a scene where, alone with himself, Prometheus turns to the sun and sky, the sea and the earth, urging them to witness how gods unfairly treated him for the abduction of fire and the desire to open to people Way to a decent life.

The conversation of Prometheus with the Oceanians and the Ocean

At this point, the brief content of "Prometheus Chained" should continue with the appearance of the Nymph Oceanids, daughters of the Titan of the Ocean, disturbed by the clang and clatter of the chains of the long-suffering Prometheus. He tells them that he would prefer languor in Tartarus to this public humiliation, and his confidence that his suffering will not last forever, and Zeus will be forced to change his anger for caress and humility. The chorus of nymphs asks Prometheus, for what Zeus so punishes him? To which he replies that the reason is in mercy to people, "... for he himself is not merciful" - speaks of Zeus Prometheus.

Then the legend of Prometheus, which we summarize, tells us about the appearance of the Ocean itself after the daughters. He once fought with the Titans against the younger gods. But he resigned himself, resigned himself, received forgiveness and peacefully carries his waves around the world. He says that humility is the only way out, and warns about the vengeance of Zeus, who can doom Prometheus even more unbearable torments. However, the latter rejects with contempt the arguments of the Ocean and invites him to think about himself, for he can anger Zeus with his sympathy for the criminal. The ocean withdraws, and the choir Oceaness sings a song of compassion, remembering in it about the brother of Prometheus Atlanta, who suffered the torture of eternally holding on his shoulders a copper firmament on the western side of the world.

Prometheus' story of his helping people

What is the next story about Prometheus? The summary continues with the story of Prometheus Oceanidas about how much good he did for mortals. People were unreasonable, like children, and Prometheus gave them intelligence and speech. At the time of yearning for cares, he reassured them with hopes. It was hard for them to live in caves, every night came inspiring fear, they were powerless before the winter cold - and Prometheus taught them to build houses. He told them about how the seasons change and how the heavenly bodies move, taught them to write and count, convinced them to pass this knowledge from generation to generation.

What else did Prometheus do for people? Aeschylus (a brief summary of the poem of this author we are considering) points out in his work that none other than Prometheus showed mortal deposits of underground ores, taught to build carts to move around the earth, and ships to plow the sea revealed how to harness the bulls To cultivate fertile land. He opened mortals to the secrets of medicinal herbs, so that they could heal the disease.

People did not understand anything about the prophetic signs that the gods and mother nature sent them, the noble Prometheus taught them divination by the insides of animals, the cries of birds and sacrificial fire.

The Oceanians listened to him and marveled at the fact that, with such knowledge and the gift of prophecy, the wise Prometheus could not protect himself from the wrath of Zeus. To which the Titan replied that fate is stronger than him and Zeus. Then the nymphs asked him what was the fate of Zeus? But Prometheus did not reveal his great secret to them, and the choir continued to sing his song of sympathy.

Meeting with Queen Io

A brief summary of the tragedy of Aeschylus "Prometheus Chained" should contain these memories of the past, which are then interrupted by the future. On the scene appears the beloved of the god Zeus - the beautiful princess Io, turned him into a cow. Fearing the wrath of his jealous wife, the goddess Hera, Zeus turned the princess into an animal. But Hera guessed this cunning and demanded that her husband give this cow to her. Zeus fulfilled her demand, and then Hera sent to the unfortunate terrible gadfly. In search of salvation from his incessant bites, Io wandered around the world.

Exhausted and driven to desperation by the brink of madness, she climbed onto the Promethean rock. Renowned for his charity, Prometheus felt sorry for the princess and told her about what awaits her. From the mouth of the titan she learns that her wanderings yet can not see the end, she must overcome the cold and heat, wandering through Asia and Europe, to see monsters and savages before she reaches the Egyptian lands. There she will give birth to Zeus son, a descendant in the twelfth tribe of which will be Hercules. He will come to this mountain to free Prometheus. Io asks what will happen if Zeus does not allow Hercules to do this, to which Prometheus responds that then Zeus himself will perish. The princess wants to know who decides to destroy the god Zeus, and the titan explains to her that the reason for the death of Zeus will be his unreasonable marriage. And then Prometheus refused to talk. Here the princess again attacks the princess, and she has nothing left to do but rush off.

Visit to Prometheus by Hermes

After memories and predictions, it's time to return to the present. There is a messenger of Zeus - the god Hermes, despised by Prometheus for a slurp before the Olympians, and requires the titan to repeat what he said about the fate of Zeus, threatening him with new torments. But Prometheus does not want to talk to Hermes, preferring suffering. He says that he is immortal and witnessed the fall of Uranus and Crohn, and the fall of the god Zeus will wait. Then Hermes leaves, and Prometheus calls to witnesses of his innocent suffering Heaven and Earth. This concludes the book "Prometheus Chained" can be completed.