Prometheus is the ultimate creator and artist in Aeschylus’s Prometheus Bound. According to ancient Greek mythology, Prometheus is the creator of the human race, having molded them from clay. He gave humankind life, and when Zeus threatened to exterminate them, Prometheus gave humankind fire and reason to ensure their survival and continued progress towards civilization. Prometheus is also seen within Greek mythology as the father of human arts, sciences, and architecture, and his likeness is immortalized in numerous works of literature, art, and sculpture.

• Prometheus Artwork

As an artist himself, Prometheus knows that the creation and support of humankind will anger Zeus, but he sacrifices himself anyway to save his creation from the tyrannous king. In this vein, Prometheus is often interpreted as the consummate tortured artist, suffering for the sake of his art. The trope of the suffering artist is often of one who is isolated and misunderstood on account of their art, and Prometheus indeed fits this stereotype; however, through the depiction of Prometheus’s relationship to humanity, Aeschylus suggests that suffering is a necessary part of artistic creation.In addition to creating humankind and giving them fire and reason, “all human arts were founded by Prometheus,” which reflects his role as the supreme artist and creator. Prometheus “invented” for humankind “the joining of letters, which is the very memory of things.” In other words, Prometheus gave humans the gift of language and words, which will lead them in time to the art of writing and literature. Prometheus also introduced humankind to the “muses’ arts,” referring to the inspirational goddesses of art, music, and writing. Within Greek mythology, the muses are the source of poetry and song, and they will likewise stir the same inspiration in humankind.

Prometheus Artwork

In addition to language, art, and song, Prometheus “made plain” to the humans “all that was hidden,” and revealed “the treasure concealed beneath the earth, bronze, iron, silver, and gold.” In addition to weapons and armor, these precious metals will also be molded in beautiful sculpture and architecture, again underscoring Prometheus’s role as master artist and creator.However, Prometheus is made to suffer for his creation and love of humankind. The play makes it clear that for a creator as skilled and dedicated as Prometheus, suffering is inevitable. As Kratos orders Hephaistos to bind Prometheus to side of the Scythian mountains, Kratos says to Hephaistos: “This is the crime for which Prometheus now must pay / the price to all the gods, that he may learn / to love the tyranny of Zeus.” When Prometheus chose to help the humans, he effectively turned his back on Zeus, and he is made to suffer for it.

As Hephaistos reluctantly chains Prometheus to the mountain, he says to his friend, “This is the fruit of your philanthropy. / A god, you scorned the anger of the gods / by granting mortals honor above their due.” In other words, it is specifically because of Prometheus’s charity and creativity that Zeus has sentenced him to a life of pain and despair. Despite the severity of Prometheus’s punishment, he remains amazingly calm.

“For this offense / I now must pay the penalty: to live nailed to this rock beneath the open sky.” Prometheus has held his love for humankind above all else, and he willingly pays the price. Thus, the play suggests that while the work of creation is tied to agony, it can also bring immense peace and satisfaction to the creator.Throughout Aeschylus’s play, Prometheus doesn’t flinch. Even when Hermes, Zeus’s son and the messenger of the gods, appears on the mountain and tells him of the horrendous pain that awaits him, Prometheus still will not budge.

He won’t apologize for his love of humankind and he won’t attempt to lessen his punishment by giving in and telling Zeus what he most desires to know—Zeus’s fate, which Prometheus’s gift of “forethought” has revealed to him. Instead, Prometheus hardens his resolve and suffers for his love of humankind. “For an enemy to suffer at an enemy’s hand is no disgrace,” Prometheus says, and as the sun rises on the first day of his punishment, he prepares himself for what is to come.

“Oh, holy Mother Earth,” Prometheus cries, “oh sky whose light revolves for all, / you see me. You see / the wrongs I suffer.” Prometheus’s creation—that of humankind—could not have survived without his sacrifice, and he willingly suffers on behalf of his art, which, Aeschylus implies, is an essential part of artistic creation. I transgressed willfully, I won’t deny it.By helping mortals I drew suffering on myself,and did so of my own will, freely.Yet never did I think that by such punishmentI would be made to parch suspended in midair,clamped to this barren solitary rock.But don’t lament over my present woes.Descend from your high carriage, stand beneath me,that you may hear what is to comeand know the whole of it.For my sake, please, come down and share my sorrow.Misfortune is a migrant bird that settles,now here, now there, on each of us in turn. But all your vehemence rests on a weak foundation,mere cleverness, a scheme. What good is obstinate willuntamed by sound thought and good measure?Consider the storm that will rise up against youif you refuse to heed my words,a threefold tidal wave of misery,impossible to escape. For first,the Father will destroy this jagged cliffwith thunder and lightning, and bury you,still gripped by its embrace, inside it.Then, after an enormous span of time,you will come back again into the light,and Zeus’s winged hound, a scarlet eagle,will carve your body into ragged shredsof flesh.

He will return, day in, day out,as an unbidden guest, to feast uponyour blackened liver.

Update #2: A new batch of scans from the Prometheus artbook has. This new batch includes a lot of imagery of the Engineers, pyramid and creatures shown in the film.Update #1: New scans of the Prometheus: The Art of the Film book have been today.

The new images show concept art pieces of the characters, prologue and unseen creatures from the film so be aware of spoilers as usual.Original post 06/05/12: Several pictures from the upcoming Prometheus: The Art of the Film book have. They show a number of different and mostly unused concept art pieces and props used in the film.Categories:. Completely forgot I'd pre-ordered a copy and it showed up in the post on Monday. Read through it that night and Jesus Christ, what an absolutely fantastic book. To Prometheus what The Book of Alien is to Alien. Absolutely loved a lot of the artwork in it. The Deacon design is growing on me immensely and I loved seeing all those other designs.I do feel a little cheated in that I know there's so much more out done but hopefully the internet will prevail.

I'll do a proper review on it soon enough. Actually very excited and happy with a release for once, feel motivated lol. Finally got time to check my book.It's pretty coolbut i'ma bit disapointed.You see no art leading to the prometheus as we know it.Almost no Engineers concept art, some pics of the prop suit, but no actual artwook of the research they made for their look.Nothing also about the inner suit the surviving engineer wears save for those horrid 3d images by Steve Messing.Also nothing from the ideas and concepts leading to the deacon.Well i guss i will have to hunt down each concept artist blog and website to get somejuicy stuff. Yes, it always bothered me how David & Shaw end up going to another Juggernaught, giving the impression the downed ship, even though it remained in one piece was now totally useless, especially when you see what the Prometheus ship was capable of. But having seen these pictures of the baby xeno, you do get left wondering 'what if David leads Shaw to another ship on purpose!' 'What if the reason he never questions Shaw after he discovers she's pregnant is because he anticpates what she'll do because she's human!' Leaving the creature free to do whatever, even fly a ship at some point, so why not leave it a ship that he really knew was still functional!!

To be honest, as much as I enjoyed Prometheus as a piece of entertainment, what with Sir Riddles sounding like he's making things up as he goes along and the redicilousness of the plot of Prometheus which at times insults ALL the previous Alien films, I can really see this happening. Thats what i tought you were aiming atWell my take on this is simple.You can already see big differences between the fuctionnal helmet and the one of the severed head.The functionnal has more 'flesh', the severed is dried, more skeletal, its dead.The one from ALIEN is dead too, what you call a mouth is the front end of helmet that connects with the hose, the teeth could be the mechanisms inside that can be seen once the helmet is dead.I guess this is what Scott goes for and i don't see it retconning design wise the one from ALIEN.