TRANSLATOR\u2019S NOTE<\/p>\r\nIn the following text, the numbers without brackets refer to the English text, and those in square brackets refer to the Greek text. Indented partial lines in the English text are included with the line above in the reckoning. Stage directions and endnotes have been provided by the translator.\r\n
BACKGROUND NOTE<\/p>\r\nAeschylus (c.525 BC to c.456 BC) was one of the three great Greek tragic dramatists whose works have survived. Of his many plays, seven still remain. Aeschylus may have fought against the Persians at Marathon (490 BC), and he did so again at Salamis (480 BC). According to tradition, he died from being hit with a tortoise dropped by an eagle. After his death, the Athenians, as a mark of respect, permitted his works to be restaged in their annual competitions.\r\n\r\nPrometheus Bound\u00a0was apparently the first play in a trilogy (the other two plays, now lost except for some fragments, were\u00a0Prometheus Unbound\u00a0and\u00a0Prometheus the Fire-Bringer). Although a number of modern scholars have questioned whether Aeschylus was truly the author of the play, it has always been included among his works.\r\n\r\nIn Greek mythology, Prometheus was a Titan, a descendant of the original gods, Gaia and Ouranos (Earth and Heaven). The Titans were defeated in a battle with Zeus, who fought against his own father, Cronos, imprisoned him deep in the earth, and became the new ruling power in heaven. Although he was a Titan, Prometheus assisted Zeus in this conflict, but later offended him by stealing fire from heaven and giving it to human beings, for whom he had a special affection. Aeschylus\u2019s play begins after Zeus has assumed control of heaven and learned about the theft.\r\n
PROMETHEUS BOUND<\/p>\r\n
DRAMATIS PERSONAE<\/p>\r\nPOWER: divine agent of Zeus.\r\nFORCE: divine agent of Zeus.\r\nHEPHAESTUS: divine son of Zeus, the artisan god.\r\nPROMETHEUS: a Titan.\r\nCHORUS: daughters of Oceanus.\r\nOCEANUS: a god of the sea.\r\nIO: daughter of Inachus.\r\nHERMES: divine son of Zeus.\r\n\r\n[In a remote mountainous region of Scythia. HEPHAESTUS enters with POWER and FORCE dragging PROMETHEUS with them in chains.]<\/em>\r\n\r\nPOWER\r\n\r\nWe have just reached the land of Scythia,\r\nat the most distant limits of the world,\r\nremote and inaccessible. Hephaestus,\r\nnow it is your duty to carry out\r\nthose orders you received from Father Zeus\u2014\r\nto nail this troublemaker firmly down\r\nagainst these high, steep cliffs, shackling\u00a0him\r\nin adamantine chains that will not break.\r\nFor he in secret stole your pride and joy\r\nand handed it to men\u2014the sacred fire10<\/span>\r\nwhich fosters all the arts. For such a crime,\r\nhe must pay retribution to the gods,\r\nso he will learn to bear the rule of Zeus[10]<\/span>\r\nand end that love he has for humankind.\r\n\r\nHEPHAESTUS\r\n\r\nPower and Force, where you two are concerned,\r\nwhat Zeus commanded us has now been done.\r\nThere are no further obstacles to face.\r\nI am not bold enough to use sheer force\r\nagainst a kindred god and nail him down\r\nhere on this freezing rock. But nonetheless,20<\/span>\r\nI must steel myself to finish off our work,\r\nfor it is dangerous to disregard\r\nthe words of Father Zeus.\r\n\r\n[HEPHAESTUS addresses PROMETHEUS.]<\/em>\r\n\r\nHigh-minded son\r\nof our wise counsellor, goddess Themis,\r\nagainst my will and yours, I must bind you[20]<\/span>\r\nwith chains of brass which no one can remove\r\non this cliff face, far from all mortal men,\r\nwhere you will never hear a human voice\r\nor glimpse a human shape and sun\u2019s\u00a0hot rays\r\nwill scorch and age your youthful flesh. For you,30<\/span>\r\nthe sparkling stars high in the sky at night\r\nwill hide those rays and offer some relief.\r\nThen, in the morning, once again the sun\r\nwill melt the frost. This never-ending burden\r\nof your present agony will wear you down,\r\nfor the one who is to rescue you someday\r\nis not yet even born. This is your reward\r\nfor acting as a friend to human beings.\r\nThough you are a god, you were not deterred\r\nby any fear of angering the gods.40<\/span>\r\nYou gave men honours they did not deserve,[30]<\/span>\r\npossessions they were not entitled to.\r\nBecause of that, you will remain on guard,\r\nhere on this joyless rock, standing upright\r\nwith your legs straight, and you will never sleep.\r\nYou will often scream in pain and sorrow,\r\nfor Zeus\u2019s heart is pitilessly harsh,\r\nand everyone whose ruling power is new\r\nis cruel and ruthless.\r\n\r\nPOWER\r\n\r\nCome on. Why wait\r\nand mope around like this so uselessly?50<\/span>\r\nWhy do you not despise this deity\r\nwho is so hateful to the other gods?\r\nHe gave your special gift to mortal men.\r\n\r\nHEPHAESTUS\r\n\r\nWe are comrades\u2014we share strong common bonds.\r\n\r\nPOWER\r\n\r\nThat may be true, but can you disobey[40]<\/span>\r\nyour father\u2019s words? Do you not fear him more?\r\n\r\nHEPHAESTUS\r\n\r\nAh yes! You always lack a sense of pity\r\nand are so full of cruel self-confidence.\r\n\r\nPOWER\r\n\r\nThere is no point in wailing a lament\r\nfor this one here. You should stop wasting time60<\/span>\r\non things that bring no benefits to you.\r\n\r\nHEPHAESTUS\r\n\r\nHow much I hate the special work I do!\r\n\r\nPOWER\r\n\r\nWhy hate it? It\u2019s clear enough your artistry\r\nhad nothing at all to do with causing\r\nwhat we are facing here.\r\n\r\nHEPHAESTUS\r\n\r\nThat may be true,\r\nbut still I wish my lot as artisan\r\nhad gone to someone else.\r\n\r\nPOWER\r\n\r\nWell, every task\r\nis burdensome, except to rule the gods.\r\nNo one is truly free except for Zeus.[50]<\/span>\r\n\r\nHEPHAESTUS\r\n\r\nI know. This work is proof enough of that.70<\/span>\r\nI cannot deny it.\r\n\r\nPOWER\r\n\r\nThen hurry up\r\nand get these chains around him, just in case\r\nZeus sees you stalling.\r\n\r\nHEPHAESTUS\r\n\r\nAll right. These shackles here\r\nare ready. Take a look.\r\n\r\n[Hephaestus starts chaining Prometheus\u2019s arm to the cliff.]<\/em>\r\n\r\nPOWER\r\n\r\nBind his hands.\r\nUse some heavy hammer blows and rivet him\r\nagainst the rock.\r\n\r\nHEPHAESTUS\r\n\r\nThere! This part is finished.\r\nIt looks all right.\r\n\r\nPOWER\r\n\r\nStrike harder. Make sure\r\nhe is securely fixed, with nothing slack.\r\nHe is an expert at devising ways\r\nto wriggle out of hopeless situations.80<\/span>\r\n\r\nHEPHAESTUS\r\n\r\nWell, this arm, at least, is firmly nailed here.[60]<\/span>\r\nNo one will get this out.\r\n\r\nPOWER\r\n\r\nNow drive a spike\r\nin here as well\u2014make sure it won\u2019t come loose.\r\nNo matter how intelligent he is,\r\nhe has to learn he is nothing but a fool\r\ncompared to Zeus.\r\n\r\nHEPHAESTUS\r\n\r\nNo one could justly fault\r\nthis work I do, except for him.\r\n\r\nPOWER\r\n\r\nNow smash\r\nthe blunt tip of this adamantine wedge\r\nstraight through his chest\u2014use all your force.\r\n\r\nHEPHAESTUS\r\n\r\nAlas!\r\nO Prometheus, this suffering of yours\u201490<\/span>\r\nhow it makes me weep!\r\n\r\nPOWER\r\n\r\nWhy are you so slow\r\nand sighing over Zeus\u2019s enemy?\r\nBe careful, or soon you may be groaning\r\nfor yourself.\r\n\r\nHEPHAESTUS\r\n\r\nThis sight is difficult to watch,\r\nas you can see.\r\n\r\nPOWER\r\n\r\nI see this criminal[70]<\/span>\r\nis getting just what he deserves. Come on,\r\nwrap these chains around his ribs.\r\n\r\nHEPHAESTUS\r\n\r\nLook, I know\r\nI have to carry out this work, so stop\r\nordering me about so much.\r\n\r\nPOWER\r\n\r\nHold on\u2014\r\nI\u2019ll give you orders as often as I please100<\/span>\r\nand keep on badgering you. Move down,\r\nand use your strength to fix his legs in place.\r\n\r\nHEPHAESTUS\r\n\r\nOur work is done. That did not take too long.\r\n\r\nPOWER\r\n\r\nHit the fetters really hard\u2014those ones there,\r\naround his feet. The one who\u2019s watching us,\r\ninspecting what we do, can turn vicious.\r\n\r\nHEPHAESTUS\r\n\r\nThe words you speak well match the way you look.\r\n\r\nPOWER\r\n\r\nWell, your soft heart can sympathize with him,\r\nbut do not criticize my stubborn will[80]<\/span>\r\nand my harsh temper.\r\n\r\nHEPHAESTUS\r\n\r\nWe should be going.110<\/span>\r\nHis limbs are all securely fixed in place.\r\n\r\n[Exit Hephaestus.]<\/em>\r\n\r\nPOWER\u00a0[to Prometheus]<\/em>\r\n\r\nNow you can flaunt your arrogance up here,\r\nby stealing honours given to the gods\r\nand offering them to creatures of a day.\r\nAre mortal beings strong enough to ease\r\nthe burden of your pain? The gods were wrong\r\nto give that name \u2018Prometheus\u2019 to you,\r\n\u2018someone who thinks ahead,\u2019 for now you need\r\na real Prometheus to help you out\r\nand find a way to free you from these chains.120<\/span>\r\n\r\n[Exit Power and Force.]<\/em>\r\n\r\nPROMETHEUS\r\n\r\nO you heavenly skies and swift-winged winds,\r\nyou river springs, you countless smiling waves\r\non ocean seas, and Earth, you mother of all,[90]<\/span>\r\nand you as well, the all-seeing circle\r\nof the celestial sun\u2014I summon you\r\nto see what I, a god, am suffering\r\nat the hands of gods. Look here and witness\r\nhow I am being worn down with torments\r\nwhich I will undergo for countless years.\r\nThis is the kind of shameful punishment130<\/span>\r\nthe new ruler of the gods imposed on me.\r\nAlas! Alas! I groan under the pain\r\nof present torments and those yet to come.\r\nWho will deliver me from such harsh pain?[100]<\/span>\r\nFrom what part of the sky will he appear?\r\nAnd yet, why talk like this? For I possess\r\na detailed knowledge of what lies in store\r\nbefore it happens\u2014none of my tortures\r\nwill come as a surprise. I must endure,\r\nas best I can, the fate I have been given,140<\/span>\r\nfor I know well that no one can prevail\r\nagainst the strength of harsh Necessity.\r\nAnd yet it is not possible for me\r\nto speak or not to speak about my fate.\r\nI have been compelled to bear the yoke\r\nof punishment because I gave a gift\r\nto mortal beings\u2014I searched out and stole\r\nthe source of fire concealed in fennel stalks,\r\nand that taught men the use of all the arts[110]<\/span>\r\nand gave them ways to make amazing things.150<\/span>\r\nNow chained and nailed beneath the open sky,\r\nI am paying the price for what I did.\r\nBut wait! What noise and what invisible scent\r\nis drifting over me? Is it divine\r\nor human or both of these? Has someone\r\ntravelled to the very edges of the world\r\nto watch my suffering. What do they want?\r\n\r\n[Prometheus shouts out to whoever is watching him.]<\/em>\r\n\r\nHere I am, an ill-fated god! You see\r\nan enemy of Zeus shackled in chains,[120]<\/span>\r\nhated by all those gods who spend their time160<\/span>\r\nin Zeus\u2019s court! They think my love for men\r\nis too excessive!\r\n\r\nWhat is that sound I hear?\r\nThe whirling noise of birds nearby\u2014the air\r\nis rustling with their lightly beating wings!\r\nWhatever comes too close alarms me.\r\n\r\n[Enter the Chorus of nymphs, daughters of Oceanus, in a winged chariot, which hovers beside Prometheus.]<\/em>\r\n\r\nCHORUS\r\n\r\nYou need not fear us. We are your friends.\r\nThe rapid beating of these eager wings\r\nhas borne our company to this sheer cliff.[130]<\/span>\r\nWe worked to get our father to agree,\r\nand he did so, although that was not easy.170<\/span>\r\nThe swiftly moving breezes bore us on,\r\nfor the echoing clang of hammer blows\r\npierced right into the corners of our cave\r\nand beat away my bashful modesty.\r\nAnd so, without tying any sandals on,\r\nI rushed here in this chariot with wings.\r\n\r\nPROMETHEUS\r\n\r\nAaaiii! Alas! O you daughters\r\nborn from fertile Tethys, children\r\nof your father Oceanus, whose current\r\ncircles the entire world and never rests,\u00a0180\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0[140]<\/span>\r\nlook at me! See how I am chained here,\r\nnailed on this cliff above a deep ravine,\r\nwhere I maintain my dreary watch.\r\n\r\nCHORUS\r\n\r\nI see that, Prometheus, and a cloud\r\nof tears and terror moves across my eyes\r\nto observe your body being worn away\r\nin these outrageous adamantine chains.\r\nNew gods now rule on Mount Olympus,\r\nand, like a tyrant, Zeus is governing[150]<\/span>\r\nwith new-fangled laws, overpowering190<\/span>\r\nthose gods who were so strong before.\r\n\r\nPROMETHEUS\r\n\r\nIf only he had thrown me underground,\r\ndown there in Hades, which receives the dead,\r\nin Tartarus, through which no one can pass,\r\nand cruelly bound me there in fetters\r\nno one could break, so that none of the gods\r\nor anyone else could gloat at my distress.\r\nBut now the blowing winds toy with me here,\r\nand the pain I feel delights my enemies.\r\n\r\nCHORUS\r\n\r\nWhat god is so hard-hearted he would find200\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0[160]<\/span>\r\nthis scene enjoyable? Who would not feel\r\ncompassion for these sufferings of yours,\r\napart from Zeus, who, in his angry mood,\r\nhas set his rigid mind inflexibly\r\non conquering the race of Ouranos.\r\nAnd he will never stop until his heart\r\nis fully satisfied or someone else\r\noverthrows his power by trickery,\r\nhard as that may be, and rules instead.\r\n\r\nPROMETHEUS\r\n\r\nYes, and even though I am being tortured,210<\/span>\r\nbound in these strong chains, the day is coming\r\nwhen that ruler of those sacred beings[170]<\/span>\r\nwill truly need me to reveal to him\r\na new intrigue by which he will be stripped\r\nof all his honours and his sceptre, too.\r\nHe will not charm that secret out of me\r\nwith sweet honeyed phrases of persuasion,\r\nnor, for all his savage threats, will I ever\r\ncringe down in front of him and let him know\r\nthe answer\u2014no!\u2014not until he frees me220<\/span>\r\nfrom these cruel shackles and is willing\r\nto pay me compensation for his crime!\r\n\r\nCHORUS\r\n\r\nWith that audacious confidence of yours,[180]<\/span>\r\nyou do not cower before these bitter pains,\r\nbut you allow your tongue to speak too freely.\r\nA piercing fear knifes through my heart,\r\nmy dread about your fate, how you must\r\nsteer your ship to find safe haven\r\nand see an end to all your troubles.\r\nFor the son of Cronos has a heart230<\/span>\r\nthat is inflexible\u2014his character\r\nwill not be moved by prayer.\r\n\r\nPROMETHEUS\r\n\r\nYes, I know.\r\nZeus is a harsh god and holds the reins[190]<\/span>\r\nof justice in his hands. But nonetheless,\r\nI can see the day approaching when his mind\r\nwill soften, once that secret I described\r\nhas led to his collapse. Then he will abate\r\nhis stubborn rage and enter eagerly\r\ninto a bond of friendship with me.\r\nBy then I will be eager for that, too.240<\/span>\r\n\r\nCHORUS\r\n\r\nTell us the whole story of what happened.\r\nHow did Zeus have you seized and on what charge?\r\nWhy does he so shamefully abuse you\r\nin this painful way? Give us the details,\r\nunless you would be harmed by telling us.\r\n\r\nPROMETHEUS\r\n\r\nI find these matters truly unbearable\r\nto talk about, but remaining silent\r\npains me, too. The events that led to this[200]<\/span>\r\nare all so miserably unfortunate.\r\nWhen the powers in heaven got angry,250<\/span>\r\nthey started quarrelling amongst themselves.\r\nSome wanted to hurl Cronos from his throne,\r\nso Zeus could rule instead, but then others\r\nwanted the reverse\u2014to ensure that Zeus\r\nwould never rule the gods. I tried my best\r\nto give them good advice, but I could not\r\nconvince the Titans, offspring of the Earth\r\nand Heaven, who, despising trickery,\r\ninsisted stubbornly they would prevail[210]<\/span>\r\nwithout much effort, by using force.260<\/span>\r\nBoth mother Themis and the goddess Earth\r\n(who has a single form but many names)\r\nhad often uttered prophecies to me\r\nabout how Fate would make events unfold,\r\nhow those who would seize power and control\r\nwould need, not brutal might and violence,\r\nbut sly deception. I went through all this,\r\nbut they were not concerned\u2014they thought\r\neverything I said a waste of time.\r\nSo then, when I considered what to do,270<\/span>\r\nthe wisest course of action seemed to be\r\nto join my mother and take Zeus\u2019s side.[220]<\/span>\r\nI did so eagerly, and he was keen\r\nto have me with him. Thanks to my advice,\r\nthe gloomy pit of Tartarus\u00a0now hides\r\nold Cronos and his allies.\u00a0I helped Zeus,\r\nthat tyrant of the gods\u2014now he repays me\r\nwith this foul torment. It is a sickness\r\nwhich somehow comes with every tyranny\r\nto place no trust in friends.\r\n\r\nBut you asked280<\/span>\r\nwhy Zeus is torturing me like this.\r\nI will explain. As soon as he was seated[230]<\/span>\r\non his father\u2019s throne, he quickly set about\r\nassigning gods their various honours\r\nand organizing how he meant to rule.\r\nBut for those sad wretched human beings,\r\nhe showed no concern at all. He wanted\r\nto wipe out the entire race and grow\r\na new one in its place. None of the gods\r\nobjected to his plan except for me.290<\/span>\r\nI was the only one who had the courage.\r\nSo I saved those creatures from destruction\r\nand a trip to Hades. And that is why\r\nI have been shackled here and have to bear\r\nsuch agonizing pain, so pitiful to see.[240]<\/span>\r\nI set compassion for the human race\r\nabove the way I felt about myself,\r\nso now I am unworthy of compassion.\r\nThis is how he seeks to discipline me,\r\nwithout a shred of mercy\u2014the spectacle300<\/span>\r\ndisgraces Zeus\u2019s name.\r\n\r\nCHORUS\r\n\r\nBut anyone\r\nwho shows no pity for your agonies,\r\nPrometheus, has a heart of iron\r\nand is made out of rock. As for myself,\r\nI had no wish to see them, and now I have,\r\nmy heart is full of grief.\r\n\r\nPROMETHEUS\r\n\r\nYes, to my friends\r\nI make a most distressing sight.\r\n\r\nCHORUS\r\n\r\nWas there more?\r\nOr were you guilty of just one offence?\r\n\r\nPROMETHEUS\r\n\r\nI stopped men thinking of their future deaths.[250]<\/span>\r\n\r\nCHORUS\r\n\r\nWhat cure for this disease did you discover?310<\/span>\r\n\r\nPROMETHEUS\r\n\r\nInside their hearts I put blind hope.\r\n\r\nCHORUS\r\n\r\nWith that\r\nyou gave great benefits to humankind.\r\n\r\nPROMETHEUS\r\n\r\nAnd in addition to hope, I gave them fire.\r\n\r\nCHORUS\r\n\r\nYou did that for those creatures of a day?\r\nDo they have fire now?\r\n\r\nPROMETHEUS\r\n\r\nThey do. And with it\r\nthey will soon master many arts.\r\n\r\nCHORUS\r\n\r\nSo Zeus\r\ncharged you with this . . .\r\n\r\nPROMETHEUS\u00a0[interrupting]<\/em>\r\n\r\n. . . and he torments me\r\nand gives me no relief from suffering!\r\n\r\nCHORUS\r\n\r\nAnd has no time been set when your ordeal\r\ncomes to an end?\r\n\r\nPROMETHEUS\r\n\r\nNo. None at all,320<\/span>\r\nexcept when it seems suitable to Zeus.[260]<\/span>\r\n\r\nCHORUS\r\n\r\nHow will he ever think it suitable?\r\nWhat hope is there in that? Do you not see\r\nwhere you went wrong? But I do not enjoy\r\ndiscussing those mistakes you made, and you\r\nmust find it painful. Let us leave that point,\r\nso in this anguish you find some release.\r\n\r\nPROMETHEUS\r\n\r\nIt is easy for someone whose foot remains\r\nunsnared by suffering to give advice\r\nand criticize another in distress.330<\/span>\r\nI was well aware of all these matters,\r\nand those mistakes I made quite willingly\u2014\r\nI freely chose to do the things I did.\r\nI will not deny that. By offering help\r\nto mortal beings I brought on myself\r\nthis suffering. But still, I did not think[270]<\/span>\r\nI would receive this kind of punishment,\r\nwasting away on these high rocky cliffs,\r\nfixed on this remote and desolate crag.\r\nBut do not mourn the troubles I now face.340<\/span>\r\nStep down from your chariot and listen\r\nto those misfortunes I must still confront,\r\nso you will learn the details of my story\r\nfrom start to finish. Accept my offer.\r\nAgree to hear me out, and share with me\r\nthe pain I feel right now. For misery,\r\nshifting around from place to place, settles\r\non different people at different times.\r\n\r\nCHORUS\u00a0[leaving the chariot]<\/em>\r\n\r\nYour request does not fall on deaf ears,\r\nPrometheus. My lightly stepping foot350\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0[280]<\/span>\r\nhas moved down from the swift-winged chariot\r\nand sacred air, the pathway of the birds,\r\nto walk along this rugged rock towards you.\r\nI want to hear your tale, a full account\r\nof all your suffering.\r\n\r\n[Enter OCEANUS on a flying monster.]<\/em>\r\n\r\nOCEANUS\r\n\r\nI have now reached\r\nthe end of my long journey, travelling\r\nto visit you, Prometheus, on the wings\r\nof this swift beast, and using my own mind\r\ninstead of any reins to guide it here.\r\nYou know I feel great sympathy for you360\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0[290]<\/span>\r\nand for your suffering. It seems to me\r\nour ties of kinship make me feel that way.\r\nBut even if there were no family bonds,\r\nno one wins more respect from me than you.\r\nYou will soon realize I speak the truth\r\nand do not simply prattle empty words.\r\nSo come, show me how I can be of help,\r\nfor you will never say you have a friend\r\nmore loyal to you than Oceanus.\r\n\r\nPROMETHEUS\r\n\r\nWhat is this? What am I looking at?370\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0[300]<\/span>\r\nHave you, too, travelled here to gaze upon\r\nmy agonies? How were you brave enough\r\nto leave that flowing stream which shares your name\r\nand those rock arches of the cave you made,\r\nto journey to this land, the womb of iron?\r\nOr have you come to see how I am doing,\r\nto sympathize with me in my distress?\r\nBehold this spectacle\u2014a friend of Zeus,\r\nwho helped him win his way to sovereignty!\r\nSee how his torments weigh me down!\r\n\r\nOCEANUS\r\n\r\nI see that,380<\/span>\r\nPrometheus, and although you do possess[310]<\/span>\r\na subtle mind, I would like to offer you\r\nsome good advice. You have to understand\r\nyour character and adopt new habits.\r\nFor even gods have a new ruler now.\r\nIf you keep hurling out offensive words,\r\nwith such insulting and abusive language,\r\nZeus may well hear you, even though his throne\r\nis far away, high in the heavenly sky,\r\nand then this present heap of anguished pain390<\/span>\r\nwill seem mere childish play. Instead of that,\r\nyou poor suffering creature, set aside\r\nthis angry mood of yours and seek relief\r\nfrom all this misery. These words of mine\r\nmay seem to you perhaps too old and trite,\r\nbut this is what you get, Prometheus,[320]<\/span>\r\nfor having such a proud and boastful tongue.\r\nYou show no modesty in what you say\r\nand will not bow down before misfortune,\r\nfor you prefer to add more punishments400<\/span>\r\nto those you have already. You should hear me\r\nas your teacher and stop this kicking out\r\nagainst the whip. You know our present king,\r\nwho rules all by himself and has no one\r\nhe must answer to, is harsh. I will go\r\nand, if I can, attempt to ease your pain.\r\nYou must stay quiet\u2014do not keep shouting\r\nsuch intemperate things. Do you not know,[330]<\/span>\r\nwith all that shrewd intelligence of yours,\r\nyour thoughtless tongue can get you punished?410<\/span>\r\n\r\nPROMETHEUS\r\n\r\nI am happy things turned out so well for you.\r\nYou had the courage to support my cause,\r\nbut you escaped all blame. Now let me be,\r\nand do not make my suffering your concern.\r\nWhatever you may say will be in vain\u2014\r\npersuading Zeus is not an easy task.\r\nYou should take care this journey you have made\r\ndoes not get you in trouble.\r\n\r\nOCEANUS\r\n\r\nYour nature\r\nmakes you far better at giving good advice\r\nto neighbours rather than yourself. I judge420<\/span>\r\nby looking at the facts, not by listening\r\nto what others say. You should not deter[340]<\/span>\r\na person who is eager to help out.\r\nFor I am sure\u2014yes, I am confident\u2014\r\nthere is one gift which Zeus will offer me,\r\nand he will free you from this suffering.\r\n\r\nPROMETHEUS\r\n\r\nYou have my thanks\u2014and I will not forget.\r\nThere is in you no lack of willingness\r\nto offer aid. But spare yourself the trouble,\r\nwhich will be useless and no help to me,430<\/span>\r\nif, in fact, you want to make the effort.\r\nJust keep quiet, and do not interfere.\r\nI may be miserable, but my distress\r\ndoes not make me desire to see such pain\r\nimposed on everyone\u2014no, not at all.\r\nWhat my brother Atlas has to suffer[350]<\/span>\r\nhurts my heart. In some region to the west\r\nhe has to stand, bearing on his shoulders\r\nthe pillar of earth and heaven, a load\r\neven his arms find difficult to carry.440<\/span>\r\nAnd I feel pity when I contemplate\r\nthe creature living in Cilician caves,\r\nthat fearful monster with a hundred heads,\r\nborn from the earth,\u00a0impetuous Typhon,\r\ncurbed by Zeus\u2019s force.\u00a0He held out against\r\nthe might of all the gods. His hideous jaws\r\nproduced a terrifying hiss, and his eyes\r\nflashed a ferocious stare, as if his strength\r\ncould utterly destroy the rule of Zeus.\r\nBut Zeus\u2019s thunderbolt, which never sleeps,450\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0[360]<\/span>\r\nthat swooping, fire-breathing lightning stroke,\r\ncame down and drove the arrogant boasting\r\nright out of him. Struck to his very heart,\r\nhe was reduced to ash, and all his might\r\nwas blasted away by rolls of thunder.\r\nNow his helpless and immobile body\r\nlies close beside a narrow ocean strait,\r\npinned down beneath the roots of Aetna,\r\nwhile on that mountain, at the very top,\r\nHephaestus sits and forges red-hot iron.460<\/span>\r\nBut one day that mountain peak will blow out\r\nrivers of fire, whose savage jaws devour[370]<\/span>\r\nthe level fruitful fields of Sicily.\r\nThough Typhon may have been burned down to ash\r\nby Zeus\u2019s lightning bolt, his seething rage\r\nwill then erupt and shoot out molten arrows,\r\nbelching horrifying streams of liquid fire.\r\nBut you are not without experience\r\nand have no need of me to teach you this.\r\nSo save yourself the way you think is best,470<\/span>\r\nand I will bear whatever I must face,\r\nuntil the rage in Zeus\u2019s heart subsides.\r\n\r\nOCEANUS\r\n\r\nSurely you realize, Prometheus,\r\nthat in the case of a disordered mood[380]<\/span>\r\nwords act as healers.\r\n\r\nPROMETHEUS\r\n\r\nYes, but only if\r\none uses them at the appropriate time\r\nto soften up the heart and does not try\r\nto calm its swollen rage too forcefully.\r\n\r\nOCEANUS\r\n\r\nWhat dangers do you see if someone blends\r\nhis courage and his eagerness to act?480<\/span>\r\nTell me that.\r\n\r\nPROMETHEUS\r\n\r\nSimple stupidity\r\nand wasted effort.\r\n\r\nOCEANUS\r\n\r\nWell, let me fall ill\r\nfrom this disease, for someone truly wise\r\nprofits most when he is thought a fool.\r\n\r\nPROMETHEUS\r\n\r\nBut they will think that I made the mistake.\r\n\r\nOCEANUS\r\n\r\nThose words of yours are clearly telling me\r\nto go back home.\r\n\r\nPROMETHEUS\r\n\r\nYes, in case concern for me[390]<\/span>\r\ngets you in serious trouble.\r\n\r\nOCEANUS\r\n\r\nYou mean with Zeus,\r\nnow seated on his new all-powerful throne?\r\n\r\nPROMETHEUS\r\n\r\nTake care, in case one day that heart of his490<\/span>\r\nvents its rage on you.\r\n\r\nOCEANUS\r\n\r\nWhat you are suffering,\r\nPrometheus, will teach me that.\r\n\r\nPROMETHEUS\r\n\r\nThen go.\r\nBe on your way. Keep to your present plans.\r\n\r\nOCEANUS\r\n\r\nThese words of yours are telling me to leave,\r\nand I am eager to depart. The wings\r\non this four-footed beast will brush the air\r\nand make our pathway smooth. He will rejoice\r\nto rest his limbs back in his stall at home.\r\n\r\n[Exit OCEANUS.]<\/em>\r\n\r\nCHORUS\r\n\r\nI groan for your accursed fate,\r\nPrometheus, and floods of tears500\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0[400]<\/span>\r\nare streaming from my weeping eyes\r\nand moisture wets my tender cheeks.\r\nFor Zeus, who rules by his own laws,\r\nhas set your wretched destiny and shows\r\ntowards the gods of earlier days\r\nan overweening sense of power.\r\n\r\nNow every region cries in one lament.\r\nThey mourn the lost magnificence,\r\nso honoured long ago, the glorious fame\r\nyou and your brothers once possessed.510\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0[410]<\/span>\r\nAnd all those mortal beings who live\r\nin sacred Asia sense your pain,\r\nthose agonies all men find pitiful . . .\r\n\r\n. . . including those young girls who dwell\r\nin Colchis and have no fear of war,\r\nand Scythian hordes who occupy\r\nthe furthest regions of the world\r\nalong the shores of lake Maeotis . . .\r\n\r\n. . . and in Arabian lands the warlike tribes[420]<\/span>\r\nfrom those high rocky fortress towns520<\/span>\r\nin regions near the Caucasus,\r\na horde of warriors who scream\r\nto heft their lethal sharpened spears.\r\n\r\nOnly once before have I beheld\r\nanother Titan god in such distress\r\nbound up in adamantine chains\u2014\r\ngreat Atlas, whose enormous strength\r\nwas unsurpassed and who now groans\r\nto bear the vault of heaven on his back.[430]<\/span>\r\n\r\nThe sea waves, as they fall, cry out,530<\/span>\r\nthe ocean depths lament, while down below\r\nthe deep black pits of Hades growl,\r\nand limpid flowing rivers moan,\r\nto see the dreadful pain you undergo.\r\n\r\nPROMETHEUS\r\n\r\nYou must not think it is my stubbornness\r\nthat keeps me quiet, or a sense of pride,\r\nfor bitter thoughts keep gnawing at my heart\r\nto see how foully I am being abused.\r\nAnd yet who else but I assigned clear\u00a0rights[440]<\/span>\r\nand privileges to these new deities?540<\/span>\r\nBut I make no complaint about such things,\r\nfor if I spoke, I would be telling you\r\nwhat you already know. So listen now\r\nto all the miseries of mortal men\u2014\r\nhow they were simple fools in earlier days,\r\nuntil I gave them sense and intellect.\r\nI will not speak of them to criticize,\r\nbut in a spirit of goodwill to show\r\nI did them many favours.\r\n\r\nFirst of all,\r\nthey noticed things, but did not really see550<\/span>\r\nand listened, too, but did not really hear.\r\nThey spent their lives confusing everything,[450]<\/span>\r\nlike random shapes in dreams. They knew nothing\r\nof brick-built houses turned towards the sun\r\nor making things with wood. Instead, they dug\r\ntheir dwelling places underneath the earth,\r\nlike airy ants in cracks of sunless caves.\r\nThey had no signs on which they could rely\r\nto show when winter came or flowery spring\r\nor fruitful summer. Everything they did560<\/span>\r\nbetrayed their total lack of understanding,\r\nuntil I taught them all about the stars\r\nand pointed out the way they rise and set,\r\nwhich is not something easy to discern.\r\n\r\nThen I invented arithmetic for them,\r\nthe most ingenious acquired skill,[460]<\/span>\r\nand joining letters to write down words,\r\nso they could store all things in Memory,\r\nthe working mother of the Muses\u2019 arts.\r\nI was the first to set wild animals570<\/span>\r\nbeneath the yoke, and I made them submit\r\nto collars and to packs, so mortal men\r\nwould find relief from bearing heavy loads.\r\nI took horses trained to obey the reins\r\nand harnessed them to chariots, a sign\r\nof luxurious wealth and opulence.\r\nAnd I was the one who designed their ships,\r\nthose mariners\u2019 vessels which sail on wings\r\nacross the open sea.\r\n\r\nYes, those are the things\r\nwhich I produced for mortal men, and yet,580\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0[470]<\/span>\r\nas I now suffer here, I cannot find\r\na way to free myself from this distress.\r\n\r\nCHORUS\r\n\r\nYou have had to bear appalling pain.\r\nYou lost your wits and now are at a loss.\r\nLike some bad doctor who has fallen ill,\r\nyou are now desperate and cannot find\r\nthe medicine to cure your own disease.\r\n\r\nPROMETHEUS\r\n\r\nJust listen to what else I have to say,\r\nand you will be astonished even more\r\nby the ideas and skills I came up with.590<\/span>\r\nThe greatest one was this: if anyone\r\nwas sick, they had no remedies at all,\r\nno healing potions, food, or liniments.[480]<\/span>\r\nWithout such things, they simply withered up.\r\nBut then I showed them how to mix mild cures,\r\nwhich they now use to fight off all disease.\r\nI set up many forms of prophecy\r\nand was the first to organize their dreams,\r\nto say which ones were fated to come true.\r\nI taught them about omens\u2014vocal sounds600<\/span>\r\nhard to understand, as well as random signs\r\nencountered on the road. The flights of birds\r\nwith crooked talons I classified for them\u2014\r\nboth those which by their nature are auspicious\r\nand those whose prophecies are ominous\u2014[490]<\/span>\r\nobserving each bird\u2019s different way of life,\r\nits enemies, its friends, and its companions,\r\nas well as the smooth texture of its entrails,\r\nwhat colour the gall bladder ought to have\r\nto please the gods, and the\u00a0best symmetry610<\/span>\r\nfor speckled lobes on livers.\u00a0I roasted\r\nthigh bones wrapped in fat and massive cuts of meat\r\nand showed those mortal beings the right way\r\nto read the omens which are hard to trace.\r\nI opened up their eyes to fiery symbols\r\nwhich previously they could not understand.\r\nYes, I did all that. And then I helped them[500]<\/span>\r\nwith what lay hidden in the earth\u2014copper,\r\niron, silver, gold. Who could ever claim\r\nhe had discovered these before I did?620<\/span>\r\nNo one. I am quite confident of that,\r\nunless he wished to waste his time in chat.\r\nTo sum up everything in one brief word,\r\nknow this\u2014all the artistic skills men have\r\ncome from Prometheus.\r\n\r\nCHORUS\r\n\r\nBut you should not\r\nbe giving help like that to human beings\r\nbeyond the proper limits, ignoring\r\nyour own troubles, for I have every hope[510]<\/span>\r\nyou will be liberated from these chains\r\nand be as powerful as Zeus himself.630<\/span>\r\n\r\nPROMETHEUS\r\n\r\nIt is not destined that almighty Fate\r\nwill ever end these matters in that way.\r\nI will lose these chains, but only after\r\nI have been left twisting here in agony,\r\nbowed down by countless pains. Artistic skill\r\nhas far less strength than sheer Necessity.\r\n\r\nCHORUS\r\n\r\nThen who is the one who steers Necessity?\r\n\r\nPROMETHEUS\r\n\r\nThe three-formed Fates and unforgetting Furies.\r\n\r\nCHORUS\r\n\r\nAre they more powerful than Zeus?\r\n\r\nPROMETHEUS\r\n\r\nWell, Zeus\r\nwill not at any rate escape his destiny.640<\/span>\r\n\r\nCHORUS\r\n\r\nBut what has destiny foretold for Zeus,\r\nexcept to rule eternally?\r\n\r\nPROMETHEUS\r\n\r\nThat point\r\nyou must not know quite yet. Do not pursue it.[520]<\/span>\r\n\r\nCHORUS\r\n\r\nIt is some holy secret you conceal.\r\n\r\nPROMETHEUS\r\n\r\nThink of something else. It is not yet time\r\nto talk of this. The matter must remain\r\ncompletely hidden, for if I can keep\r\nthe secret safe, then I shall be released\r\nfrom torment and lose these shameful fetters.\r\n\r\nCHORUS\r\n\r\nMay Zeus, who governs everything,650<\/span>\r\nnever direct his power at me\r\nand fight against my purposes.\r\nAnd may I never ease my efforts[530]<\/span>\r\nto approach the gods with offerings\r\nof oxen slain in sacrifice\r\nbeside my father\u2019s restless stream,\r\nthe ceaseless flow of Oceanus.\r\nMay I not speak a profane word.\r\nInstead let this resolve remain\r\nand never melt away from me.660<\/span>\r\n\r\nIt is sweet to spend a lengthy life\r\nwith hope about what lies in store,\r\nfeeding one\u2019s heart with happy thoughts.\r\nBut when I look at you, Prometheus,\r\ntormented by these countless pains,\r\nI shiver in fear\u2014with your self-will[540]<\/span>\r\nyou show no reverence for Zeus\r\nand honour mortal beings too much.\r\n\r\nCome, my friend, those gifts you gave\u2014\r\nwhat gifts did you get in return?670<\/span>\r\nTell me how they could offer help?\r\nWhat can such creatures of a day provide?\r\nDo you not see how weak they are,\r\nthe impotent and dream-like state,\r\nin which the sightless human race\r\nis bound, with chains around their feet?[550]<\/span>\r\nWhatever mortal beings decide to do,\r\nthey cannot overstep what Zeus has planned.\r\n\r\nI learned these things, Prometheus,\r\nby watching your destructive fate.680<\/span>\r\nThe song which now steals over me\r\nis different from that nuptial chant\r\nI sang around your couch and bath\r\nto celebrate your wedding day,\r\nwhen with your dowry gifts you won\r\nHesione, my sister, as your wife,[560]<\/span>\r\nand led her to your bridal bed.\r\n\r\n[Enter IO]\r\n\r\nIO\r\n\r\nWhat land is this? What race of living beings?\r\nWho shall I say I see here bound in chains,\r\nexposed and suffering on these cold rocks?690<\/span>\r\nWhat crime has led to such a punishment\r\nand your destruction? Tell me where I am.\r\nWhere has my wretched wandering brought me?\r\nTo what part of the world?\r\n\r\n[Io is suddenly in great pain.]<\/em>\r\n\r\nAaaaiiii! The pain!!!\r\nThat gadfly stings me once again, the ghost\r\nof earth-born Argus! Get him away from me,\r\nO Earth, that herdsman with a thousand eyes\u2014\r\nthe very sight of him fills me with terror!\r\nThose crafty eyes of his keep following me.\r\nThough dead, he is not hidden underground,700\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0[570]<\/span>\r\nbut moves out from the shades beneath the earth\r\nand hunts me down and, in my wretched state,\r\ndrives me to wander without nourishment\r\nalong the sandy shore beside the sea.\r\nA pipe made out of reeds and wax sings out\r\na clear relaxing strain. Alas for me!\r\nWhere is this path of roaming far and wide\r\nnow leading me? What did I ever do,\r\nO son of Cronos, how did I go wrong,\r\nthat you should yoke me to such agonies . . .710\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0[580]<\/span>\r\n\r\n[Io reacts to another attack.]<\/em>\r\n\r\nAaaaiii!! . . . and by oppressing me like this,\r\nsetting a fearful stinging fly to chase\r\na helpless girl, drive me to this madness?\r\nBurn me with fire, or bury me in earth,\r\nor feed me to the monsters of the sea.\r\nDo not refuse these prayers of mine, my lord!\r\nI have had my fill of all this wandering,\r\nthis roaming far and wide\u2014and all this pain!\r\nI do not know how to escape the pain!\r\nDo you not hear the ox-horned maiden call?720<\/span>\r\n\r\nPROMETHEUS\r\n\r\nHow could I not hear that young girl\u2019s voice,\r\nthe child of Inachus, in a frantic state\r\nfrom the gadfly\u2019s sting? She fires Zeus\u2019s heart[590]<\/span>\r\nwith sexual lust, and now, worn down\r\nby Hera\u2019s hate, is forced to roam around\r\non paths that never end.\r\n\r\nIO\r\n\r\nWhy do you shout\r\nmy father\u2019s name? Tell this unhappy girl\r\njust who you are, you wretched sufferer,\r\nand how, in my distress, you call to me,\r\nknowing who I am and naming my disease,730<\/span>\r\nthe heaven-sent sickness which consumes me\r\nas it whips my skin with maddening stings . . .\r\n\r\n[Io is attacked again by the gadfly. She moves spasmodically as she wrestles with the pain.]<\/em>\r\n\r\n. . . Aaaiii! . . . I have come rushing here, wracked\r\nwith driving pangs of hunger, overwhelmed[600]<\/span>\r\nby Hera\u2019s plans for her revenge. Of those\r\nwho are in misery . . . Aaaiiii! . . . which ones\r\ngo through the sufferings I face? Give me\r\nsome clear sign how much more agony\r\nI have to bear! Is there no remedy?\r\nTell me the medicines for this disease,740<\/span>\r\nif you know any. Say something to me!\r\nSpeak to a wretched wandering young girl!\r\n\r\nPROMETHEUS\r\n\r\nI will clarify for you all those things\r\nyou wish to know\u2014not by weaving riddles,[610]<\/span>\r\nbut by using simple speech. For with friends\r\nour mouths should tell the truth quite openly.\r\nYou are looking at the one who offered men\r\nthe gift of fire. I am Prometheus.\r\n\r\nIO\r\n\r\nO you who have shown to mortal beings\r\nso many benefits they all can share,750<\/span>\r\npoor suffering Prometheus! What act\r\nhas led you to be punished in this way?\r\n\r\nPROMETHEUS\r\n\r\nI have just finished mourning my own pain.\r\n\r\nIO\r\n\r\nWill you not grant this favour to me, then?\r\n\r\nPROMETHEUS\r\n\r\nAsk what you wish to know. For you will learn\r\nthe details of it all from me.\r\n\r\nIO\r\n\r\nTell me\r\nwho chained you here against this rocky cleft.\r\n\r\nPROMETHEUS\r\n\r\nThe will of Zeus and Hephaestus\u2019s hands.\r\n\r\nIO\r\n\r\nFor what offence are you being punished?[620]<\/span>\r\n\r\nPROMETHEUS\r\n\r\nI have said enough. I will not tell you760<\/span>\r\nany more than that.\r\n\r\nIO\r\n\r\nBut I need more.\r\nAt least inform me when my wandering ends.\r\nHow long will I be in this wretched state?\r\n\r\nPROMETHEUS\r\n\r\nFor you it would be better not to know\r\nthan to have me answer.\r\n\r\nIO\r\n\r\nI\u2019m begging you\u2014\r\ndo not conceal from me what I must bear.\r\n\r\nPROMETHEUS\r\n\r\nIt is not that I begrudge that gift to you.\r\n\r\nIO\r\n\r\nThen why do you appear so hesitant\r\nto tell me everything?\r\n\r\nPROMETHEUS\r\n\r\nI am not unwilling,\r\nbut I do not wish to break your spirit.770<\/span>\r\n\r\nIO\r\n\r\nDo not be more concerned for how I feel\r\nthan I wish you to be.\r\n\r\nPROMETHEUS\r\n\r\nSince you insist,[630]<\/span>\r\nI am obliged to speak. So listen to me.\r\n\r\nCHORUS\r\n\r\nNo, not yet. Give us a share in this, as well,\r\nso we may be content with what you say.\r\nWe should first learn how she became diseased.\r\nSo let the girl herself explain to us\r\nthe things that led to her destructive fate.\r\nThen you can teach her what still lies in store.\r\n\r\nPROMETHEUS\r\n\r\nWell then, Io, it is now up to you780<\/span>\r\nto grace them with this favour\u2014above all,\r\nbecause they are your father\u2019s sisters.\r\nAnd whenever one is likely to draw tears\r\nfrom those who listen, it is well worthwhile\r\nto weep aloud, lamenting one\u2019s own fate.\r\n\r\nIO\r\n\r\nI do not know how I could now refuse you.[640]<\/span>\r\nFrom the plain tale I tell you will find out\r\nall things you wish to know, although to talk\r\nabout the brutal storm sent by the gods,\r\nthe cruel transformation of my shape,790<\/span>\r\nand where the trouble came from, as it swept\r\ndown on a miserable wretch like me\u2014\r\nthat makes me feel ashamed.\r\n\r\nDuring the night\r\nvisions were always strolling through my rooms\r\ncalling me with smooth, seductive words:\r\n\r\n\u201cYou are a very fortunate young girl,\r\nso why remain a virgin all this time,\r\nwhen you could have the finest match of all?\r\nFor Zeus, smitten by the shaft of passion,\r\nnow burns for you and wishes to make love.800\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0[650]<\/span>\r\nMy child, do not reject the bed of Zeus,\r\nbut go to Lerna\u2019s fertile meadowlands,\r\nto your father\u2019s flocks and stalls of oxen,\r\nso Zeus\u2019s eyes can ease his fierce desire.\u201d\r\n\r\nVisions like that upset me every night,\r\ntill I got brave enough to tell my father\r\nabout what I was seeing in my dreams.\r\nHe sent many messengers to Delphi\r\nand Dodona, to see if he could learn\r\nwhat he might do or say to please the gods.810\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0[660]<\/span>\r\nBut his men all came back bringing reports\r\nof cryptic and confusing oracles,\r\nwith wording difficult to comprehend.\r\nInachus at last received a clear response,\r\na simple order which he must obey\u2014\r\nto drive me from my home and native land,\r\nto turn me out and force me into exile,\r\nroaming the remotest regions of the earth\u2014\r\nand if he was unwilling, Zeus would send\r\na flaming thunderbolt which would destroy820<\/span>\r\nhis entire race, not leaving one alive.\r\nSo he obeyed Apollo\u2019s oracles\r\nby forcing me away against my will[670]<\/span>\r\nand denying me entry to his home.\r\nHe did not want to do it but was forced\r\nby the controlling majesty of Zeus.\r\nImmediately my mind and shape were changed.\r\nMy head acquired these horns, as you can see,\r\nand a vicious fly began tormenting me\r\nwith such ferocious stings I ran away,830<\/span>\r\nmadly bounding off to the flowing stream\r\nof sweet Cherchneia and then to Lerna\u2019s springs.\r\nBut the herdsman Argus, a child of Earth,\r\nwhose rage is violent, came after me,\r\nwith all those close-packed eyes of his, searching\r\nfor my tracks. But an unexpected fate[680]<\/span>\r\nwhich no one could foresee robbed him of his life.\r\nAnd now, tormented by this stinging gadfly,\r\na scourge from god, I am being driven\r\nfrom place to place.\r\n\r\nSo now you understand840<\/span>\r\nthe story of what I have had to suffer.\r\nIf you can talk about my future troubles,\r\nthen let me know. But do not pity me\r\nand speak false words of reassurance,\r\nfor, in my view, to use deceitful speech\r\nis the most shameful sickness of them all.\r\n\r\nCHORUS\r\n\r\nAlas, alas! Tell me no more! Alas!\r\nI never, never thought my ears\r\nwould hear a story strange as this\r\nor suffering so hard to contemplate850\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0[690]<\/span>\r\nand terrible to bear, the outrage\r\nand the horror of that two-edged goad\r\nwould pierce me to my soul. Alas!\r\nO Fate, Fate, how I shake with fear\r\nto see what has been done to Io.\r\n\r\nPROMETHEUS\r\n\r\nThese cries and fears of yours are premature.\r\nWait until you learn what lies in store for her.\r\n\r\nCHORUS\r\n\r\nThen speak, and tell us everything. The sick\r\nfind solace when they clearly understand\r\nthe pain they have to face before it comes.860<\/span>\r\n\r\nPROMETHEUS\r\n\r\nWhat you desired to learn about before[700]<\/span>\r\nyou now have readily obtained from me,\r\nfor you were eager first of all to hear\r\nIo herself tell you what she suffered.\r\nNow listen to what she has yet to face,\r\nthe ordeals this girl must still experience\r\nat Hera\u2019s hands. You, too, child of Inachus,\r\nset what I have to say inside your heart,\r\nso you will find out how your roaming ends.\r\n\r\nFirst, turn from here towards the rising sun,870<\/span>\r\nthen move across those lands as yet unploughed,\r\nand you will reach the Scythian nomads,\r\nwho live in wicker dwellings which they raise[710]<\/span>\r\non strong-wheeled wagons. These men possess\r\nfar-shooting bows, so stay away from them.\r\nKeep moving on along the rocky shoreline\r\nbeside the roaring sea, and pass their lands.\r\nThe Chalybes, men who work with iron,\r\nlive to your left.\u00a0You must beware of them,\r\nfor they are wild and are not kind to strangers.880<\/span>\r\nThen you will reach the river Hubristes,\r\ncorrectly named for its great turbulence.\r\nDo not cross it, for that is dangerous,\r\nuntil you reach the Caucasus itself,\r\nthe very highest of the mountains there,[720]<\/span>\r\nwhere the power of that flowing river\r\ncomes gushing from the slopes. Then cross those peaks,\r\nwhich stretch up to the stars, and take the path\r\ngoing south, until you reach the Amazons,\r\na tribe which hates all men. In days to come,890<\/span>\r\nthey will found settlements in Themiscyra,\r\nbeside the Thermodon, where the jagged rocks\r\nof Salmydessus face the sea and offer\r\nsailors and their ships a savage welcome.\r\nThey will be pleased to guide you on your way.\r\nNext, you will reach the Cimmerian isthmus,\r\nbeside the narrow entrance to a lake.\r\nYou must be resolute and leave this place[730]<\/span>\r\nand at Maeotis move across the stream,\r\na trip that will win you eternal fame900<\/span>\r\namong all mortal men, for they will name\r\nthat place the Bosporus in praise of you.\r\nOnce you leave behind the plains of Europe\r\nyou will arrive in Asian lands.\r\n\r\nAnd now,\r\ndoes it not strike you that this tyrant god\r\nis violent in everything he does?\r\nBecause this maiden was a mortal being\r\nand he was eager to have sex with her,\r\nhe threw her out to wander the whole world.\r\nYoung girl, the one you found to seek your hand910<\/span>\r\nis vicious. As for the story you just heard,\r\nyou should know this\u2014I am not even past[740]<\/span>\r\nthe opening prelude.\r\n\r\nIO\r\n\r\nO no, no, no! Alas!\r\n\r\nPROMETHEUS\r\n\r\nAre you crying and moaning once again?\r\nHow will you act once you have learned from me\r\nthe agonies that still remain?\r\n\r\nCHORUS\r\n\r\nYou mean\r\nyou have still more to say about her woes?\r\n\r\nPROMETHEUS\r\n\r\nI do\u2014a wintry sea of dreadful pain.\r\n\r\nIO\r\n\r\nWhat point is there for me in living then?\r\nWhy do I not hurl myself this instant920<\/span>\r\nfrom these rough rocks, fall to the plain below,\r\nand put an end to all my misery?\r\nI would prefer to die once and for all,[750]<\/span>\r\nthan suffer such afflictions every day.\r\n\r\nPROMETHEUS\r\n\r\nThen you would find it difficult to face\r\nthe torments I endure, for I am one\r\nwho cannot die, and death would offer me\r\nrelief from pain. But now no end is set\r\nto tortures I must bear, until the day\r\nwhen Zeus is toppled from his tyrant\u2019s throne.930<\/span>\r\n\r\nIO\r\n\r\nWhat\u2019s that? Will Zeus\u2019s power be overthrown?\r\n\r\nPROMETHEUS\r\n\r\nIt seems to me that if that came about\r\nyou would be pleased.\r\n\r\nIO\r\n\r\nWhy not? Because of him\r\nI suffer horribly.\r\n\r\nPROMETHEUS\r\n\r\nThen rest assured\u2014[760]<\/span>\r\nthese things are true.\r\n\r\nIO\r\n\r\nBut who will strip away\r\nhis tyrant\u2019s sceptre?\r\n\r\nPROMETHEUS\r\n\r\nHe will do that himself\r\nwith all those brainless purposes of his.\r\n\r\nIO\r\n\r\nBut how? If it will do no harm, tell me.\r\n\r\nPROMETHEUS\r\n\r\nHe will get married\u2014a match he will regret.\r\n\r\nIO\r\n\r\nTo someone mortal or divine? Tell me\u2014940<\/span>\r\nif that is something you may talk about.\r\n\r\nPROMETHEUS\r\n\r\nWhy ask me that? I cannot speak of it.\r\n\r\nIO\r\n\r\nHis wife will force him from his throne?\r\n\r\nPROMETHEUS\r\n\r\nShe will.\r\nFor she will bear a child whose power\r\nis greater than his father\u2019s.\r\n\r\nIO\r\n\r\nIs there some way\r\nZeus can avert this fate?\r\n\r\nPROMETHEUS\r\n\r\nNo, none at all\u2014[770]<\/span>\r\nexcept through me, once I lose these chains.\r\n\r\nIO\r\n\r\nWho will free you if Zeus does not consent?\r\n\r\nPROMETHEUS\r\n\r\nOne of your grandchildren. So Fate decrees.\r\n\r\nIO\r\n\r\nWhat are you saying? Will a child of mine950<\/span>\r\nbring your afflictions to an end?\r\n\r\nPROMETHEUS\r\n\r\nHe will\u2014\r\nwhen thirteen generations have gone by.\r\n\r\nIO\r\n\r\nI find it difficult to understand\r\nwhat you foresee.\r\n\r\nPROMETHEUS\r\n\r\nYou should not seek to know\r\nthe details of the pain you still must bear.\r\n\r\nIO\r\n\r\nDo not say you will do me a favour\r\nand then withdraw it.\r\n\r\nPROMETHEUS\r\n\r\nI will offer you\r\ntwo possibilities, and you may choose.\r\n\r\nIO\r\n\r\nWhat are they? Tell me what the choices are.\r\nThen let me pick which one.\r\n\r\nPROMETHEUS\r\n\r\nAll right, I will.960<\/span>\r\nChoose whether I should clarify for you[780]<\/span>\r\nthe ordeals you still must face in days to come,\r\nor else reveal the one who will release me.\r\n\r\nCHORUS\r\n\r\nDo her a favour by disclosing one\r\nand me by telling us about the other.\r\nDo not refuse to tell us all the story.\r\nDescribe her future wanderings to her,\r\nand speak to me of who will set you free.\r\nI long to hear that.\r\n\r\nPROMETHEUS\r\n\r\nWell, since you insist,\r\nI will not refuse to tell you everything970<\/span>\r\nyou wish to know. First, Io, I will speak\r\nabout the grievous wandering you face.\r\nInscribe this on the tablets of your mind,[790]<\/span>\r\ndeep in your memory.\r\n\r\nOnce you have crossed\r\nthe stream that separates two continents,\r\n[select the route that] leads towards the east,\r\nthe flaming pathway of the rising son,\r\n[and you will come, at first, to northern lands\r\nwhere cold winds blow, and here you must beware\r\nof gusting storms, in case a winter\u00a0blast980<\/span>\r\nsurprises you and snatches you away.]\r\nThen cross the roaring sea until you reach\r\nthe Gorgons\u2019 plains of Cisthene, the home\r\nof Phorcys\u2019 daughters, three ancient women\r\nshaped like swans, who possess a single eye\r\nand just one tooth to share among themselves.\r\nRays from the sun do not look down on them,\r\nnor does the moon at night. Beside them live\r\ntheir sisters, three snake-haired, winged Gorgons,\r\nwhom human beings despise. No mortal\u00a0man990<\/span>\r\ncan gaze at them and still continue breathing.[800]<\/span>\r\nI tell you this to warn you to take care.\r\nNow hear about another fearful sight.\r\nKeep watching out for gryphons, hounds of Zeus,\r\nwho have sharp beaks and never bark out loud,\r\nand for that one-eyed Arimaspian horde\r\non horseback, who live\u00a0beside the flow\r\nof Pluto\u2019s gold-rich stream.\u00a0Do not go near them.\r\nAnd later you will reach a distant land\r\nof people with dark skins who live beside1000<\/span>\r\nthe fountains of the\u00a0sun, where you will find\r\nthe river Aethiop.\u00a0Follow its banks,[810]<\/span>\r\nuntil you move down to the cataract\r\nwhere from the Bybline mountains the sweet Nile\r\nsends out his sacred flow. He will guide you\r\non your journey to the three-cornered land\r\nof Nilotis, where destiny proclaims\r\nyou, Io, and your children will set up\r\na distant settlement.\r\n\r\nIf any of this\r\nremains obscure and hard to understand,1010<\/span>\r\nquestion me again, and I will tell you.\r\nFor I have more leisure time than I desire.\r\n\r\nCHORUS\r\n\r\nIf you have left out any incidents\r\nor can say more about what lies ahead[820]<\/span>\r\nin Io\u2019s cruel journeying, go on.\r\nBut if that story has now reached an end,\r\nthen favour us, in turn, with what we asked,\r\nif you by chance remember our request.\r\n\r\nPROMETHEUS\r\n\r\nIo has now heard about her travels,\r\na full account up to the very end.1020<\/span>\r\nBut so she learns that what she heard from me\r\nwas no mere empty tale, I will go through\r\nthe troubles she endured before she came here,\r\nand thus provide a certain guarantee\r\nof what I have just said. I will omit\r\nmost of the details and describe for you\r\nthe final stages of your journey here.\r\n\r\nOnce you came to the Molossian plains\r\nand the steep mountain ridge beside Dodona,[830]<\/span>\r\nthe home of the prophetic oracle1030<\/span>\r\nof Thesprotian Zeus, that miracle\r\nwhich defies belief, the talking oak trees,\r\nclearly and quite unambiguously\r\nsaluted you as one who\u00a0would become\r\na celebrated bride of Zeus.\u00a0Is this\r\na memory that gives you some delight?\r\nFrom there, chased by the gadfly\u2019s sting, you rushed\r\nalong the path beside the sea and reached\r\nthe mighty gulf of Rhea and from there\r\nwere driven back by storms. And you should know1040<\/span>\r\nan inner region of that sea will now,\r\nin days to come, be called Ionian,[840]<\/span>\r\na name to make all mortal\u00a0men recall\r\nhow Io moved across it.\r\n\r\nThese details\r\nare tokens of how much I understand\u2014\r\nthey show how my intelligence can see\r\nmore things than what has been revealed.\r\n\r\nThe rest\r\nI will describe for you and her to share,\r\npursuing the same track I traced before.\r\nOn the very edges of the mainland,1050<\/span>\r\nwhere at its mouth the Nile deposits soil,\r\nthere is a city\u2014Canopus. There Zeus\r\nwill finally restore you to your senses\r\nby merely stroking and caressing you\r\nwith his non-threatening hand. After that,\r\nyou will give birth to dark-skinned Epaphus,\r\nnamed from the way he was conceived by Zeus,[850]<\/span>\r\nand he will harvest all the fruit that\u00a0grows\r\nin regions watered by the flowing Nile.\r\nFive generations after Epaphus,1060<\/span>\r\nfifty young girls will return to Argos,\r\nnot of their own free will, but to escape\r\na marriage with their cousins, while the men,\r\nwith passionate hearts, race after them,\r\nlike hawks in close pursuit of doves, seeking\r\nmarriages they should not rightfully pursue.\r\nBut the gods will not allow them to enjoy\r\nthe young girls\u2019 bodies. They will be buried\r\nin Pelasgian earth, for their new brides[860]<\/span>\r\nkeeping watch at night, will overpower1070<\/span>\r\nand kill them all, in a daring murder,\r\nand each young bride will take her husband\u2019s life,\r\nbathing a two-edged sword in her man\u2019s blood.\r\nI hope my enemies find love like that!\r\nBut passion will bewitch one of those wives\r\nto spare her husband\u2019s life, and her resolve\r\nwill fade. She will prefer to hear herself\r\nproclaimed a coward than the alternative,\r\na murderess. And she will then give birth\r\nin Argos to a royal line.\r\n\r\nTo describe1080<\/span>\r\nall these events in detail would require[870]<\/span>\r\na lengthy story. However, from her seed\r\na bold man will be born, who will become\r\na famous archer, and he is the one\r\nwho will deliver me from these afflictions.\r\nMy primeval Titan mother, Themis,\r\nrevealed this prophecy to me in full,\r\nbut to describe how and when it happens\r\nwould take up too much time. And learning that\r\nwould bring no benefit to you at all.1090<\/span>\r\n\r\nIO\r\n\r\nAlas, alas for me! These spasms of pain,\r\nthese agonizing fits which drive me mad\r\nare turning me to fire. That gadfly\u2019s string\u2014\r\nnot forged in any flame\u2014is piercing me.[880]<\/span>\r\nMy fearful heart is beating in my chest,\r\nmy eyes are rolling in a frantic whirl,\r\nand raging blasts of sheer insanity\r\nare sweeping me away. This tongue of mine\r\nis now beyond control\u2014delirious words\r\nbeat aimlessly against the surging flood1100<\/span>\r\nof my abhorred destruction.\r\n\r\n[Exit IO.]<\/em>\r\n\r\nCHORUS\r\n\r\nThat wise man was truly wise who first\r\ndevised that saying in his mind and then\r\nwhose tongue expressed the words aloud\u2014\r\nthe finest marriages by far are those[890]<\/span>\r\nwhen both the parties have an equal rank.\r\nThe poor should never yearn to match themselves\r\nwith those whose wealth has made them indolent\r\nor those who always praise their noble birth.\r\n\r\nO you Fates, may you never, never see1110<\/span>\r\nme going as Zeus\u2019s partner to his bed,\r\nand may I never be the wedded bride\r\nof anyone from heaven. I shake with fear\r\nto look on this unmarried girl, young Io,\r\nso devastated by the cruel journey,\r\nher punishment from goddess Hera.[900]<\/span>\r\n\r\nFor me, when a married couple stands\r\non equal footing, there is no cause to fear\r\nand I am not afraid. So may the love\r\nof mightier gods never cast on me1120<\/span>\r\nthat glance which no one can withstand.\r\nThat is a battle where there is no fight,\r\nwhere what cannot be done is possible.\r\nI do not know what would become of me,\r\nfor I can see no way I could escape\r\nthe skilled resourcefulness of Zeus.\r\n\r\nPROMETHEUS\r\n\r\nAnd yet Zeus, for all his obdurate heart,\r\nwill be brought down, when he prepares a match\r\nwhich will remove him from his tyrant\u2019s throne[910]<\/span>\r\nand hurl him into deep obscurity.1130<\/span>\r\nAnd then the curse his father, Cronos, spoke,\r\nthe one he uttered when he was deposed\r\nand lost his ancient throne, will all come true.\r\nNone of the gods can clearly offer him\r\na certain way to stave off this defeat,\r\nexcept for me. I know what is involved\r\nand how to save him. So for the moment\r\nlet him sit full of confidence, trusting\r\nthe rumbling he can make high in the sky\r\nand waving in his hands that lightning bolt1140<\/span>\r\nwhich breathes out fire. None of these will help.\r\nThey will not stop him falling in disgrace,\r\na setback he cannot withstand. For now\r\nhe is himself preparing the very one[920]<\/span>\r\nwho will oppose him, someone marvellous\r\nand irresistible, who will produce\r\na fiercer fire than Zeus\u2019s lightning flash,\r\nand a roar to drown out Zeus\u2019s thunder.\r\nPoseidon\u2019s trident he will split apart,\r\nthe spear which whips the sea and shakes the earth.1150<\/span>\r\nAnd when Zeus stumbles on this evil fate,\r\nhe will find out how great the difference is\r\nbetween a sovereign king and abject slave.\r\n\r\nCHORUS\r\n\r\nYou keep maligning Zeus because these things\r\nfit in with your desires.\r\n\r\nPROMETHEUS\r\n\r\nThey may be what I want,\r\nbut they will come to pass.\r\n\r\nCHORUS\r\n\r\nSo must we then\r\nexpect someone to lord it over Zeus?[930]<\/span>\r\n\r\nPROMETHEUS\r\n\r\nYes. His neck will be weighed down with chains\r\nmore onerous than mine.\r\n\r\nCHORUS\r\n\r\nWhy are you not afraid\r\nto shout out taunts like this?\r\n\r\nPROMETHEUS\r\n\r\nWhy should I fear1160<\/span>\r\nwhen I am destined not to die?\r\n\r\nCHORUS\r\n\r\nBut Zeus\r\ncould load you with afflictions worse than these.\r\n\r\nPROMETHEUS\r\n\r\nThen let him do it. I am quite prepared\r\nfor anything he may inflict.\r\n\r\nCHORUS\r\n\r\nBut it is wise\r\nto pay due homage to Necessity.\r\n\r\nPROMETHEUS\r\n\r\nWell then, pay homage. Bow your heads in awe.\r\nFlatter the one who has the power to rule,\r\nat least for now. But as for me, I think\r\nof Zeus as less than nothing. Let him act\r\nhowever he wants and reign for a brief while.1170<\/span>\r\nHe will not rule the gods for very long.[940]<\/span>\r\nBut wait! I see the messenger of Zeus,\r\na servant of our brand-new tyrant lord.\r\nNo doubt he has come here to give us news.\r\n\r\n[Enter Hermes.]<\/em>\r\n\r\nHERMES\r\n\r\nYou devious, hot-tempered schemer, who sinned\r\nagainst the gods by giving their honours\r\nto creatures of a day, you thief of fire,\r\nI am here to speak to you. Father Zeus\r\nis ordering you to make known this marriage\r\nyou keep boasting of and to provide the name1180<\/span>\r\nof who will bring on Zeus\u2019s fall from power.\r\nDo not speak in enigmatic riddles,\r\nbut set down clearly each and every fact.[950]<\/span>\r\nAnd do not make me come a second time,\r\nPrometheus. What you are doing here,\r\nas you well know, will not make Zeus relent.\r\n\r\nPROMETHEUS\r\n\r\nYour speech is crammed with pride and arrogance,\r\nquite fitting for a servant of the gods.\r\nYou all are young\u2014so is your ruling power\u2014\r\nand you believe the fortress where you live1190<\/span>\r\nlies far beyond all grief. But I have seen\r\ntwo tyrant rulers cast out from that place,\r\nand I will see a third, the present king,\r\nabruptly tossed from there in great disgrace.\r\nDo you think I am afraid and cower down[960]<\/span>\r\nbefore you upstart gods? The way I feel\r\nis far removed from any sense of fear.\r\nSo you should hurry back the way you came,\r\nfor you will not learn anything at all\r\nin answer to what you demand of me.1200<\/span>\r\n\r\nHERMES\r\n\r\nBut earlier with this wilfulness of yours\r\nyou brought these torments on yourself.\r\n\r\nPROMETHEUS\r\n\r\nKnow this\u2014\r\nI would not trade these harsh conditions of mine\r\nfor the life you lead as Zeus\u2019s slave.\r\n\r\nHERMES\r\n\r\nI suppose\r\nyou find it preferable to serve this rock\r\nthan be a trusted messenger of Father Zeus.\r\n\r\nPROMETHEUS\r\n\r\nInsolence like yours deserves such insults.[970]<\/span>\r\n\r\nHERMES\r\n\r\nIt sounds as if you find your present state\r\na source of pleasure.\r\n\r\nPROMETHEUS\r\n\r\nOf pleasure? How I wish\r\nI could see my foes enjoying themselves1210<\/span>\r\nthe way I do. And I count you among them.\r\n\r\nHERMES\r\n\r\nYou think I am to blame for your misfortune?\r\n\r\nPROMETHEUS\r\n\r\nTo put it bluntly\u2014I hate all the gods\r\nwho received my help and then abused me,\r\nperverting justice.\r\n\r\nHERMES\r\n\r\nFrom the words you speak\r\nI see your madness is no mild disease.\r\n\r\nPROMETHEUS\r\n\r\nI may well be insane, if madness means\r\none hates one\u2019s enemies.\r\n\r\nHERMES\r\n\r\nIf you were well,\r\nyou would be unendurable.\r\n\r\nPROMETHEUS\r\n\r\nAlas for me!\r\n\r\nHERMES\r\n\r\nAlas? That word is one1220\u00a0 \u00a0[980]<\/span>\r\nZeus does not recognize.\r\n\r\nPROMETHEUS\r\n\r\nBut time grows old\r\nand teaches everything.\r\n\r\nHERMES\r\n\r\nThat well may be,\r\nand yet you have not learned to demonstrate\r\na sense of self-control in how you think.\r\n\r\nPROMETHEUS\r\n\r\nIf I had that, I would not talk to you\u2014\r\nto such a subservient slave.\r\n\r\nHERMES\r\n\r\nSo then\r\nit seems, as far as what my father wants,\r\nyou will say nothing.\r\n\r\nPROMETHEUS\r\n\r\nWell, obviously\r\nI owe him and should repay the favour.\r\n\r\nHERMES\r\n\r\nYou taunt me now, as if I were a child.1220<\/span>\r\n\r\nPROMETHEUS\r\n\r\nWell, are you not a child, or even stupider,\r\nto think you will learn anything from me?\r\nThere is no torture, no form of punishment,\r\nthat Zeus can use to force my mouth to speak[990]<\/span>\r\nbefore these vicious chains are taken off.\r\nSo let him throw his fiery lightning bolt,\r\nand with his white-winged snow and thunderclaps\r\nand earthquakes underground shake everything,\r\nand hurl the world into complete disorder\u2014\r\nfor none of that will force me to submit1230<\/span>\r\nor even name the one who Fate decrees\r\nwill cast him from his sovereignty.\r\n\r\nHERMES\r\n\r\nBut now\r\nyou should consider if this stance of yours\r\nwill help your cause.\r\n\r\nPROMETHEUS\r\n\r\nWhat I am doing now\r\nhas been foretold, determined long ago.\r\n\r\nHERMES\r\n\r\nYou self-willed fool, for once you should submit,\r\ngiven the present torments facing you.[1000]<\/span>\r\nLet your mind be ruled by what is right.\r\n\r\nPROMETHEUS\r\n\r\nIt is pointless to pester me this way\u2014\r\nas if you were advising ocean waves.1240<\/span>\r\nFor you should never entertain the thought\r\nthat I will be afraid of Zeus\u2019s schemes,\r\nturn into a woman, and raise my hands,\r\nthe way that supplicating females do,\r\nand beg an enemy I hate so much\r\nto free me from these chains. To act like that\r\nis far beneath me.\r\n\r\nHERMES\r\n\r\nWell, it seems to me\r\nif I keep talking to you at great length\r\nmy words will all be wasted\u2014my appeals\r\ndo not improve your mood or calm you down.1250<\/span>\r\nLike a young colt newly yoked, you bite the bit\r\nand use your strength to fight against the reins.[1010]<\/span>\r\nBut the vehement resistance you display\r\nrests on a feeble scheme, for on its own\r\nmere stubbornness in those with foolish minds\r\nis less than useless. If these words of mine\r\ndo not convince you, think about the storm,\r\nthe triple wave of torment which will fall\r\nand you cannot escape. First, Father Zeus\r\nwill rip this mountain crag with thunder claps1260<\/span>\r\nand bolts of flaming lightning, burying\r\nyour body in the rock, and yet this cleft\r\nwill hold you in its arms. When you have spent[1020]<\/span>\r\na long time underground, you will return\r\ninto the light, and Zeus\u2019s winged hound,\r\nhis ravenous eagle, will cruelly rip\r\nyour mutilated body into shreds\r\nand, like an uninvited banqueter,\r\nwill feast upon your liver all day long,\r\nuntil its chewing turns the organ black.1270<\/span>\r\nDo not expect your suffering to end\r\nuntil some god appears who will take on\r\nyour troubles and be willing to descend\r\nto sunless Hades and the deep black pit[1030]<\/span>\r\nof Tartarus. And so you should think hard.\r\nWhat I have said is no fictitious boast,\r\nbut plain and simple truth. For Zeus\u2019s mouth\r\ndoes not know how to utter something false.\r\nNo. Everything he says will be fulfilled.\r\nLook around you and reflect. And never think1280<\/span>\r\nself-will is preferable to prudent thought.\r\n\r\nCHORUS\r\n\r\nTo us it seems that what Hermes has said\r\nis not unreasonable. His orders\r\ntell you to set aside your stubbornness\r\nand seek out wise advice. Do what he says.\r\nIt is dishonourable for someone wise\r\nto persevere in doing something wrong.\r\n\r\nPROMETHEUS\r\n\r\nWell, I already know about the news[1040]<\/span>\r\nthis fellow has announced with so much fuss.\r\nThere is no shame in painful suffering1290<\/span>\r\ninflicted by one enemy on another.\r\nSo let him hurl his twin-forked lightning bolts\r\ndown on my head, convulse the air with thunder\r\nand frantic gusts of howling wind, and shake\r\nthe earth with hurricanes until they shift\r\nthe very roots of its foundations. Let him\r\nmake the wildly surging sea waves mingle\r\nwith the pathways of the heavenly stars,[1050]<\/span>\r\nthen lift my body up and fling it down\r\nto pitch black Tartarus, into the whirl1300<\/span>\r\nof harsh Necessity. Let him do all that\u2014\r\nhe cannot make me die.\r\n\r\nHERMES\u00a0[to the Chorus]<\/em>\r\n\r\nIdeas like these,\r\nexpressed the way he does, are what we hear\r\nfrom those who are quite mad. This prayer of his\u2014\r\nhow is that not delusion? When does it stop,\r\nthis senseless raving? Well, in any case,\r\nyou who sympathize with his afflictions\r\nshould move off with all speed to somewhere else,[1060]<\/span>\r\nin case the roaring force of Zeus\u2019s thunder\r\naffects your minds and drives you all insane.1310<\/span>\r\n\r\nCHORUS\r\n\r\nYou will have to give me different advice\r\nand try to urge me in some other way\r\nin order to convince me. For I believe\r\nyour stream of words is unendurable.\r\nHow can you order me to act so badly?\r\nI wish to share with him whatever pain\r\nFate has in store, for I have learned to hate\r\nthose who betray\u2014of all the sicknesses\r\nthat is most despicable to me.[1070]<\/span>\r\n\r\nHERMES\r\n\r\nAs you wish\u2014but remember what I said.1320<\/span>\r\nDo not blame your luck when you are trapped\r\nin Ruin\u2019s nets, and never claim that Zeus\r\nflung you into torments without warning.\r\nNo\u2014you can blame yourselves. For now you know\r\nby your own folly you will be caught up\r\nin Ruin\u2019s web, not by a secret ruse\r\nor unexpectedly. And from that net\r\nthere will be no escape.\r\n\r\n[Exit Hermes.]<\/em>\r\n\r\nPROMETHEUS\r\n\r\nAnd now things are already being transformed[1080]<\/span>\r\nfrom words to deeds\u2014the earth is shuddering,1330<\/span>\r\nthe roaring thunder from beneath the sea\r\nis rumbling past me, while bolts of lightning\r\nflash their twisting fire, whirlwinds toss the dust,\r\nand blasting winds rush out to launch a war\r\nof howling storms, one against another.\r\nThe sky is now confounded with the sea.\r\nThis turmoil is quite clearly aimed at me\r\nand comes from Zeus to make me feel afraid.[1090]<\/span>\r\nO sacred mother Earth and heavenly Sky,\r\nwho rolls around the light that all things share,1340<\/span>\r\nyou see these unjust wrongs I must endure!","rendered":" TRANSLATOR\u2019S NOTE<\/p>\n In the following text, the numbers without brackets refer to the English text, and those in square brackets refer to the Greek text. Indented partial lines in the English text are included with the line above in the reckoning. Stage directions and endnotes have been provided by the translator.<\/p>\n BACKGROUND NOTE<\/p>\n Aeschylus (c.525 BC to c.456 BC) was one of the three great Greek tragic dramatists whose works have survived. Of his many plays, seven still remain. Aeschylus may have fought against the Persians at Marathon (490 BC), and he did so again at Salamis (480 BC). According to tradition, he died from being hit with a tortoise dropped by an eagle. After his death, the Athenians, as a mark of respect, permitted his works to be restaged in their annual competitions.<\/p>\n Prometheus Bound\u00a0was apparently the first play in a trilogy (the other two plays, now lost except for some fragments, were\u00a0Prometheus Unbound\u00a0and\u00a0Prometheus the Fire-Bringer). Although a number of modern scholars have questioned whether Aeschylus was truly the author of the play, it has always been included among his works.<\/p>\n In Greek mythology, Prometheus was a Titan, a descendant of the original gods, Gaia and Ouranos (Earth and Heaven). The Titans were defeated in a battle with Zeus, who fought against his own father, Cronos, imprisoned him deep in the earth, and became the new ruling power in heaven. Although he was a Titan, Prometheus assisted Zeus in this conflict, but later offended him by stealing fire from heaven and giving it to human beings, for whom he had a special affection. Aeschylus\u2019s play begins after Zeus has assumed control of heaven and learned about the theft.<\/p>\n PROMETHEUS BOUND<\/p>\n DRAMATIS PERSONAE<\/p>\n POWER: divine agent of Zeus. [In a remote mountainous region of Scythia. HEPHAESTUS enters with POWER and FORCE dragging PROMETHEUS with them in chains.]<\/em><\/p>\n POWER<\/p>\n We have just reached the land of Scythia,
\nFORCE: divine agent of Zeus.
\nHEPHAESTUS: divine son of Zeus, the artisan god.
\nPROMETHEUS: a Titan.
\nCHORUS: daughters of Oceanus.
\nOCEANUS: a god of the sea.
\nIO: daughter of Inachus.
\nHERMES: divine son of Zeus.<\/p>\n
\nat the most distant limits of the world,
\nremote and inaccessible. Hephaestus,
\nnow it is your duty to carry out
\nthose orders you received from Father Zeus\u2014
\nto nail this troublemaker firmly down
\nagainst these high, steep cliffs, shackling\u00a0him
\nin adamantine chains that will not break.
\nFor he in secret stole your pride and joy
\nand handed it to men\u2014the sacred fire10<\/span>
\nwhich fosters all the arts. For such a crime,
\nhe must pay retribution to the gods,
\nso he will learn to bear the rule of Zeus[10]<\/span>