A Comparative Analysis of Three Factors in Prometheus Bound and Prometheus Unbound

Author

Marilyn Glee Canty, Prairie View A&M College

Date of Award

1-1966

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Arts

Degree Discipline

English

Abstract

A profound interest in the legends of Greek mythology led the writer to pursue the Promethean subject and examine it from the viewpoint of a Greek dramatist and an English dramatist. Aeschylus (525- 456 B. C.) and Shelley (1792-1822) were chosen for a comparative study on the grounds that in Prometheus Bound and Prometheus Unbound, both writers treated the same theme; both voiced their philosophies; and both had similar aims. However, in view of the analogies that have been pointed out, there were enough divergencies to provide ample material for contrast; namely, Aeschylus was a classicist and Shelley a romanticist; they lived in different centuries and different countries and these factors may account for different methods of handling the myth. There is good reason for assuming that these two works provided excellent content that will make for a rewarding and interesting comparative analysis; for Haigh has stated that no one can deny that Shelley's Prometheus Unbound was deeply imbued with ideas of Aeschylus' Prometheus Bound.¹

¹A. E. Haigh, The Tragic Drama of the Greeks (Oxford: At The Clarendon Press, 1896), p. 4.

With these analogies and divergencies considered, the purpose of this study is to show evidence of three factors: symbolism, revolt, and reform in Prometheus Bound and Prometheus Unbound and compare and contrast these factors as used by Aeschylus and Shelley in the light of their alleged motives. It is certainly acknowledged that an author's motives are not always known, but there comes to light now and then, in the process of research, a reasonably good explanation for a certain handling of given material or for a certain direction of thought.¹

¹Ibid., p.9.

Committee Chair/Advisor

Anne Campbell

Publisher

Prairie View A&M College

Rights

Date of Digitization

10-27-2021

Contributing Institution

John B Coleman Library

City of Publication

Prairie View

MIME Type

Application/PDF

Recommended Citation

Canty, M. G. (1966). A Comparative Analysis of Three Factors in Prometheus Bound and Prometheus Unbound. Retrieved from https://digitalcommons.pvamu.edu/pvamu-theses/624