Prometheus

Fiction | Poem | Adult | Published in 1816

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Related Poems

“The Prisoner of Chillon” by Lord Byron (1816)

One of Byron’s most famous long poems, this epic recounts the tale of François Bonivard, who was a Genevois nobleman who was imprisoned twice in the 1500s for his rebellion against the Duke of Savoy during the Protestant Reformation. Byron’s poem recounts Bonivard’s suffering and portrays him as the quintessential Byronic hero—an isolated rebel who finds comfort in nature and suffers because of his commitment to what he believes is right. Byron writes the poem from the perspective of Bonivard narrating his life and imprisonment.

Prometheus Bound by Aeschylus (430 BCE)

This play recounts the punishment of Prometheus as he is chained to the rock. However, the play is notable for “Prometheus” because of its characterization of the titan. In the play, Prometheus is defiant against Zeus’s power, he does not regret what he has done, and he vows to endure his punishment and not reveal the name of the man who will one day challenge Zeus’s tyrannical rule. While this is not the only ancient source of the Prometheus myth, it is the one that Byron used for his poem, as this Prometheus matches the spirit of the Prometheus in the poem.

Prometheus Unbound by Percy Bysshe Shelley (1820)

Similar to Byron’s poem and Aeschylus’s play, Prometheus Unbound tells the story of Prometheus’s punishment and defiance of Zeus even while being tortured. However, Shelley’s play goes further, recounting the fall of Jupiter (Zeus) and Hercules (Heracles) freeing Prometheus. Though this play is incredibly difficult to follow, the portrayal of Prometheus falls in line with Byron’s, as Prometheus is rebellious, stoic, a martyr, and courageous.

Further Literary Resources

“Lord Byron (George Gordon)” by Poetry Foundation

This lengthy biography of Lord Byron goes into great detail about his childhood, adulthood, personal relationships, poetry, and legacy. It is an excellent primer for anyone interested in learning about Lord Byron’s life, writing, and legacy. The page also features links to some full-text editions of his most famous poems.

“British Romanticism” by Poetry Foundation

This hub for British Romantic writers is an excellent resource from The Poetry Foundation. It features a brief introduction to the history and philosophy of the English Romantics. It also includes links to a number of the writers from the era, the essays they wrote, and some of their most important poems.

“Greek Mythology in 18th-to-19th English Romantic Poetry” by Yujie Su (2016)

This article investigates the ways the two different generations of English Romantic writers utilized Greek mythology. The author analyzes the use of different Greek figures in the poetry of writers like William Wordsworth, John Keats, Shelley, and Byron. The article concludes that the second generation of Romantic writers, including Byron, were more open to ideas and traditions beyond England and the Hebrew Bible, and their more emotional approach to poetry than the first generation allowed them to make better use of Greek and Roman iconography.