Prometheus Bound

Roles

• Prometheus - Adult (36-50), Senior (>50), Male

About this piece

Prometheus tells the Chorus what he has done for humanity

Summary

Prometheus Bound's story is about the punishment that Zeus inflicts upon Prometheus for giving the human race the gift of fire. There is no action, just dialogue and speeches as Prometheus is chained throughout the play. At the beginning of the play Kratos, Bia and Hephaestus, Zeus' servants carry Prometheus to a rocky mountain in the Caucasus and chain him to a rock. After being questioned by a Chorus of Oceanids, daughters of Oceanus, he tells them that he is being punished by Zeus even if he helped him defeat the Titans. He confesses that he gave the gift of fire to the human race and that's why he is being punished. He is then visited by Oceanus who offers to help him. After he departs, Prometheus, in this monologue, tells the Chorus all that he has done for humanity, not only giving them fire but all the arts and sciences.

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