Barbara Charlesworth Gelpi
- Published in print:
- 1994
- Published Online:
- October 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780195073843
- eISBN:
- 9780199855179
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195073843.003.0004
- Subject:
- Literature, 19th-century Literature and Romanticism
The chapter begins with an accounting of the three versions of Prometheus’ story from Hesiod, Aeschylus, and finally, Shelley. Shelley’s play, “Prometheus Unbound” is contrasted with Aeschylus own ...
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The chapter begins with an accounting of the three versions of Prometheus’ story from Hesiod, Aeschylus, and finally, Shelley. Shelley’s play, “Prometheus Unbound” is contrasted with Aeschylus own drama, “Prometheus Bound.” The two plays differ in the resolution of the conflict. In the former, Shelley does not allow reconciliation between Prometheus and Zeus, unlike Aeschylus’ version, with its recurring themes of female subjugation and male aggression and seduction. The chapter covers the first act of “Prometheus Unbound” and analyzes the significance of the major and minor characters and their actions, in light of Shelley’s unique philosophy in life. In Shelley’s play, the feminine aspect—represented by Earth and Prometheus’ own mother—plays a major role in the denouement, and parallels are seen with Shelley’s own home life. In Shelley’s mind, goals of self-knowledge and self-respect could only be achieved through “mirroring,” and this is illustrated in his play.Less
The chapter begins with an accounting of the three versions of Prometheus’ story from Hesiod, Aeschylus, and finally, Shelley. Shelley’s play, “Prometheus Unbound” is contrasted with Aeschylus own drama, “Prometheus Bound.” The two plays differ in the resolution of the conflict. In the former, Shelley does not allow reconciliation between Prometheus and Zeus, unlike Aeschylus’ version, with its recurring themes of female subjugation and male aggression and seduction. The chapter covers the first act of “Prometheus Unbound” and analyzes the significance of the major and minor characters and their actions, in light of Shelley’s unique philosophy in life. In Shelley’s play, the feminine aspect—represented by Earth and Prometheus’ own mother—plays a major role in the denouement, and parallels are seen with Shelley’s own home life. In Shelley’s mind, goals of self-knowledge and self-respect could only be achieved through “mirroring,” and this is illustrated in his play.
Gonda Van Steen
- Published in print:
- 2010
- Published Online:
- January 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780199572885
- eISBN:
- 9780191722905
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199572885.003.0002
- Subject:
- Classical Studies, Literary Studies: Classical, Early, and Medieval
The first chapter of this book introduces the practical or organizational framework of classical tragedy staged on the prison islands of the Civil War (Makronisos, Trikeri, Aï Stratis). It also ...
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The first chapter of this book introduces the practical or organizational framework of classical tragedy staged on the prison islands of the Civil War (Makronisos, Trikeri, Aï Stratis). It also points to changes in the conditions of imprisonment in the various locales and over time and to differences in the treatment of men and women. This chapter also builds links forward and backward in time, which is essential for many reasons: the internees' classicizing performances of Sophocles' Antigone and Philoctetes and of Aeschylus' Prometheus Bound and Persians complemented other choices of works, such as the patriotic Greek martyr‐dramas, well‐regarded foreign classics, and many native plays, comedies, and skits.Less
The first chapter of this book introduces the practical or organizational framework of classical tragedy staged on the prison islands of the Civil War (Makronisos, Trikeri, Aï Stratis). It also points to changes in the conditions of imprisonment in the various locales and over time and to differences in the treatment of men and women. This chapter also builds links forward and backward in time, which is essential for many reasons: the internees' classicizing performances of Sophocles' Antigone and Philoctetes and of Aeschylus' Prometheus Bound and Persians complemented other choices of works, such as the patriotic Greek martyr‐dramas, well‐regarded foreign classics, and many native plays, comedies, and skits.
Gonda Van Steen
- Published in print:
- 2010
- Published Online:
- January 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780199572885
- eISBN:
- 9780191722905
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199572885.003.0004
- Subject:
- Classical Studies, Literary Studies: Classical, Early, and Medieval
Chapter 3 features what is clearly a more national but also an increasingly international dialogue and exchange of ideas on tragic heroes like Prometheus, despite the remoteness of the prison ...
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Chapter 3 features what is clearly a more national but also an increasingly international dialogue and exchange of ideas on tragic heroes like Prometheus, despite the remoteness of the prison islands. Chapter 3 focuses on the productions—or attempts at productions—of the female exiles of Trikeri and also on their alternative educational and cultural expressions, which tended to bring gender into the equation. The women's theater on Trikeri contained both licensed and illicit stage activity. It presents an Antigone that was distinctly different from the one staged—and privileged—on Makronisos: it traced liberal and democratic ideals back to antiquity. This chapter also makes tangible, through the Prometheus myth and play, how the Right handled the tool of the notorious “declaration of repentance,” which it tried to wrest from the Left.Less
Chapter 3 features what is clearly a more national but also an increasingly international dialogue and exchange of ideas on tragic heroes like Prometheus, despite the remoteness of the prison islands. Chapter 3 focuses on the productions—or attempts at productions—of the female exiles of Trikeri and also on their alternative educational and cultural expressions, which tended to bring gender into the equation. The women's theater on Trikeri contained both licensed and illicit stage activity. It presents an Antigone that was distinctly different from the one staged—and privileged—on Makronisos: it traced liberal and democratic ideals back to antiquity. This chapter also makes tangible, through the Prometheus myth and play, how the Right handled the tool of the notorious “declaration of repentance,” which it tried to wrest from the Left.
Gonda Van Steen
- Published in print:
- 2010
- Published Online:
- January 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780199572885
- eISBN:
- 9780191722905
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199572885.003.0009
- Subject:
- Classical Studies, Literary Studies: Classical, Early, and Medieval
The exile stage confronted actors, artists, and audiences with the modernist challenge to rethink the very means and methods of drama. The theater of the prison islands was intensely political for ...
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The exile stage confronted actors, artists, and audiences with the modernist challenge to rethink the very means and methods of drama. The theater of the prison islands was intensely political for reasons of the real‐life ideological perspectives of its practitioners. Performance as a platform for political involvement reached its apogee for becoming performance of and for political beings again. Emphasizing political and material result more than performance style was a way for the inmate cast to present itself as a disciplined group that was still engaged in dissidence. The performers' choices, styles, and techniques helped them to maintain a sense of cultural belonging, professionalism, and integrity. Alexandrou's play delivers the darker side of the radical resistance that inspired most of the cultural activities described in the preceding chapters. This darker side is, however, a necessary complement to Chapters 1‐4 of this book, and it helps this study to strike a more objective balance.Less
The exile stage confronted actors, artists, and audiences with the modernist challenge to rethink the very means and methods of drama. The theater of the prison islands was intensely political for reasons of the real‐life ideological perspectives of its practitioners. Performance as a platform for political involvement reached its apogee for becoming performance of and for political beings again. Emphasizing political and material result more than performance style was a way for the inmate cast to present itself as a disciplined group that was still engaged in dissidence. The performers' choices, styles, and techniques helped them to maintain a sense of cultural belonging, professionalism, and integrity. Alexandrou's play delivers the darker side of the radical resistance that inspired most of the cultural activities described in the preceding chapters. This darker side is, however, a necessary complement to Chapters 1‐4 of this book, and it helps this study to strike a more objective balance.
Emmanuela Bakola
- Published in print:
- 2009
- Published Online:
- February 2010
- ISBN:
- 9780199569359
- eISBN:
- 9780191722332
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199569359.003.0004
- Subject:
- Classical Studies, Poetry and Poets: Classical, Early, and Medieval
Through examination of four of Cratinus' comedies, Ch 3 challenges the generally accepted argument that Aristophanes is unusual in his engagement with tragedy and demonstrates that paratragedy was ...
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Through examination of four of Cratinus' comedies, Ch 3 challenges the generally accepted argument that Aristophanes is unusual in his engagement with tragedy and demonstrates that paratragedy was also a major feature in Cratinus' comedy. It shows that Cratinus' Plutoi had an intertextual relationship with Prometheus Lyomenos and the Prometheus trilogy (which has survived under the name of Aeschylus) more generally, as well as with Aeschylus' Oresteia, especially as far as the characterization of their choruses is concerned. Drapetides is shown to have been a pastiche of suppliant tragedies, with special reference to Aeschylus' Hiketides. Seriphioi is argued to have contained paratragic metatheatre, and Nemesis parody of tragic manner. Finally, Cratinus' Eumenides, like his Plutoi, seems to have engaged with the homonymous tragedy of Aeschylus. Looking back to Ch 1 (fr. 342), the unusually intense interest of Cratinus in the old master of tragedy who had recently acquired canonical status, is argued to have been part of Cratinus' rhetoric of self‐presentation.Less
Through examination of four of Cratinus' comedies, Ch 3 challenges the generally accepted argument that Aristophanes is unusual in his engagement with tragedy and demonstrates that paratragedy was also a major feature in Cratinus' comedy. It shows that Cratinus' Plutoi had an intertextual relationship with Prometheus Lyomenos and the Prometheus trilogy (which has survived under the name of Aeschylus) more generally, as well as with Aeschylus' Oresteia, especially as far as the characterization of their choruses is concerned. Drapetides is shown to have been a pastiche of suppliant tragedies, with special reference to Aeschylus' Hiketides. Seriphioi is argued to have contained paratragic metatheatre, and Nemesis parody of tragic manner. Finally, Cratinus' Eumenides, like his Plutoi, seems to have engaged with the homonymous tragedy of Aeschylus. Looking back to Ch 1 (fr. 342), the unusually intense interest of Cratinus in the old master of tragedy who had recently acquired canonical status, is argued to have been part of Cratinus' rhetoric of self‐presentation.
Alan H. Sommerstein
- Published in print:
- 2010
- Published Online:
- September 2010
- ISBN:
- 9780199568314
- eISBN:
- 9780191723018
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199568314.003.0003
- Subject:
- Classical Studies, Literary Studies: Classical, Early, and Medieval
This chapter seeks to identify and explain the constraints on the onstage presentation of violence in Greek drama. It finds that there were two conventions: that the audience must never witness any ...
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This chapter seeks to identify and explain the constraints on the onstage presentation of violence in Greek drama. It finds that there were two conventions: that the audience must never witness any act or occurrence that impinged on a human or animal body so as to be the proximate cause of a death, and that in tragedy, the audience must not witness any person inflicting a blow on any other person. The first convention was based on religious considerations, and was unbreakable; the second was based on artistic considerations (or perhaps just on generic tradition), and is broken in one play, Prometheus Bound, for the special purpose of emphasizing the unimaginable agonies that Prometheus is suffering.Less
This chapter seeks to identify and explain the constraints on the onstage presentation of violence in Greek drama. It finds that there were two conventions: that the audience must never witness any act or occurrence that impinged on a human or animal body so as to be the proximate cause of a death, and that in tragedy, the audience must not witness any person inflicting a blow on any other person. The first convention was based on religious considerations, and was unbreakable; the second was based on artistic considerations (or perhaps just on generic tradition), and is broken in one play, Prometheus Bound, for the special purpose of emphasizing the unimaginable agonies that Prometheus is suffering.
Mary Shelley
David H. Guston, Ed Finn, and Jason Scott Robert (eds)
- Published in print:
- 2017
- Published Online:
- January 2018
- ISBN:
- 9780262533287
- eISBN:
- 9780262340267
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- The MIT Press
- DOI:
- 10.7551/mitpress/9780262533287.001.0001
- Subject:
- Literature, 19th-century and Victorian Literature
Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein has endured in the popular imagination for two hundred years. Begun as a ghost story by an intellectually and socially precocious eighteen-year-old author during a cold ...
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Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein has endured in the popular imagination for two hundred years. Begun as a ghost story by an intellectually and socially precocious eighteen-year-old author during a cold and rainy summer on the shores of Lake Geneva, the dramatic tale of Victor Frankenstein and his stitched-together creature can be read as the ultimate parable of scientific hubris. Victor, “the modern Prometheus,” tried to do what he perhaps should have left to Nature: create life. Although the novel is most often discussed in literary-historical terms—as a seminal example of romanticism or as a groundbreaking early work of science fiction—Mary Shelley was keenly aware of contemporary scientific developments and incorporated them into her story. In our era of synthetic biology, artificial intelligence, robotics, and climate engineering, this edition of Frankenstein will resonate forcefully for readers with a background or interest in science and engineering, and anyone intrigued by the fundamental questions of creativity and responsibility. This edition of Frankenstein pairs the original 1818 version of the manuscript—meticulously line-edited and amended by Charles E. Robinson, one of the world’s preeminent authorities on the text—with annotations and essays by leading scholars exploring the social and ethical aspects of scientific creativity raised by this remarkable story. The result is a unique and accessible edition of one of the most thought-provoking and influential novels ever written. Essays by Elizabeth Bear, Cory Doctorow, Heather E. Douglas, Josephine Johnston, Kate MacCord, Jane Maienschein, Anne K. Mellor, Alfred NordmannLess
Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein has endured in the popular imagination for two hundred years. Begun as a ghost story by an intellectually and socially precocious eighteen-year-old author during a cold and rainy summer on the shores of Lake Geneva, the dramatic tale of Victor Frankenstein and his stitched-together creature can be read as the ultimate parable of scientific hubris. Victor, “the modern Prometheus,” tried to do what he perhaps should have left to Nature: create life. Although the novel is most often discussed in literary-historical terms—as a seminal example of romanticism or as a groundbreaking early work of science fiction—Mary Shelley was keenly aware of contemporary scientific developments and incorporated them into her story. In our era of synthetic biology, artificial intelligence, robotics, and climate engineering, this edition of Frankenstein will resonate forcefully for readers with a background or interest in science and engineering, and anyone intrigued by the fundamental questions of creativity and responsibility. This edition of Frankenstein pairs the original 1818 version of the manuscript—meticulously line-edited and amended by Charles E. Robinson, one of the world’s preeminent authorities on the text—with annotations and essays by leading scholars exploring the social and ethical aspects of scientific creativity raised by this remarkable story. The result is a unique and accessible edition of one of the most thought-provoking and influential novels ever written. Essays by Elizabeth Bear, Cory Doctorow, Heather E. Douglas, Josephine Johnston, Kate MacCord, Jane Maienschein, Anne K. Mellor, Alfred Nordmann
Ory Amitay
- Published in print:
- 2010
- Published Online:
- March 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780520266360
- eISBN:
- 9780520948174
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- University of California Press
- DOI:
- 10.1525/california/9780520266360.003.0010
- Subject:
- Classical Studies, Archaeology: Classical
This book has shown how Alexander the Great framed his life after the venerable precedents of Greek Myth, which were often, at the same time, his family traditions. Emulating Dionysus, Perseus, ...
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This book has shown how Alexander the Great framed his life after the venerable precedents of Greek Myth, which were often, at the same time, his family traditions. Emulating Dionysus, Perseus, Achilles and, not least, Herakles, Alexander lived his life as a character of myth. In hindsight, the mythologization of Alexander, by himself and by others, appears a natural response to changing circumstances, rather than the result of a well-executed master plan. Alexander may perhaps have suborned the priests of Siwah to acknowledge his status as the Divine Son, but he cannot have planned in advance such circumstances as the discovery of Prometheus's cave, the strange yet familiar legends told at Aornos, or his special reception as the third Son of Zeus by the Indian kings. Through his myth, Alexander also provided Christianity with a theological framework, including Divine Sonship, dual paternity, and deification, which helped to strike a delicate balance between the polytheistic and monotheistic worlds. But the inherent difficulties posed by the Jesus Christ myth to any true-hearted monotheist are obvious.Less
This book has shown how Alexander the Great framed his life after the venerable precedents of Greek Myth, which were often, at the same time, his family traditions. Emulating Dionysus, Perseus, Achilles and, not least, Herakles, Alexander lived his life as a character of myth. In hindsight, the mythologization of Alexander, by himself and by others, appears a natural response to changing circumstances, rather than the result of a well-executed master plan. Alexander may perhaps have suborned the priests of Siwah to acknowledge his status as the Divine Son, but he cannot have planned in advance such circumstances as the discovery of Prometheus's cave, the strange yet familiar legends told at Aornos, or his special reception as the third Son of Zeus by the Indian kings. Through his myth, Alexander also provided Christianity with a theological framework, including Divine Sonship, dual paternity, and deification, which helped to strike a delicate balance between the polytheistic and monotheistic worlds. But the inherent difficulties posed by the Jesus Christ myth to any true-hearted monotheist are obvious.
Barbara Charlesworth Gelpi
- Published in print:
- 1994
- Published Online:
- October 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780195073843
- eISBN:
- 9780199855179
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195073843.003.0005
- Subject:
- Literature, 19th-century Literature and Romanticism
The chapter analyzes the second act of Shelley’s play, “Prometheus Unbound.” In this section, the actions and experiences of the act’s two female protagonists, Asia and Panthea, are recounted and ...
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The chapter analyzes the second act of Shelley’s play, “Prometheus Unbound.” In this section, the actions and experiences of the act’s two female protagonists, Asia and Panthea, are recounted and examined. The second act echoes the universal theme of the Mother Goddess descending to save her beloved and this is reflected in Shelley’s creation of Asia, who is the instrument of the story’s denouement. The chapter discusses the acts’ five scenes in sequence, starting from the initial meeting of Asia and Panthea, in that crucial moment when their eyes met and they shared a vision of future renewal. The next two scenes detail the dream-like conversation between the two and their descent into the caverns of Demogorgon. In the final section, Shelley relates Asia and Panthea with the concept of the nurturing mother and also juxtaposes Prometheus’ travails with that of Apollo.Less
The chapter analyzes the second act of Shelley’s play, “Prometheus Unbound.” In this section, the actions and experiences of the act’s two female protagonists, Asia and Panthea, are recounted and examined. The second act echoes the universal theme of the Mother Goddess descending to save her beloved and this is reflected in Shelley’s creation of Asia, who is the instrument of the story’s denouement. The chapter discusses the acts’ five scenes in sequence, starting from the initial meeting of Asia and Panthea, in that crucial moment when their eyes met and they shared a vision of future renewal. The next two scenes detail the dream-like conversation between the two and their descent into the caverns of Demogorgon. In the final section, Shelley relates Asia and Panthea with the concept of the nurturing mother and also juxtaposes Prometheus’ travails with that of Apollo.
Barbara Charlesworth Gelpi
- Published in print:
- 1994
- Published Online:
- October 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780195073843
- eISBN:
- 9780199855179
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195073843.003.0006
- Subject:
- Literature, 19th-century Literature and Romanticism
The chapter analyzes the third act of Shelley’s play, “Prometheus Unbound,” and follows the sequence of events from the fall of Jupiter to the release of Prometheus and his union with Asia. In this ...
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The chapter analyzes the third act of Shelley’s play, “Prometheus Unbound,” and follows the sequence of events from the fall of Jupiter to the release of Prometheus and his union with Asia. In this act, the tyrannical “Father” is overthrown indirectly through Prometheus and his foreknowledge, in union with the feminine—Mother Earth and his lover. Jupiter is replaced by his son Demogorgon, who is seen as a creative and unifying force, instead of destructive and oppressive. The influence of William Godwin’s philosophies are present in the play, which mirrors Shelley’s vision of an ideal society free from the power of tyrannical institutions and thus enabling its inhabitants to become reformed as well. Through his work, Shelley had intended to support and possibly effect this reformation. The act’s conclusion in the Spirit of the Hour’s speech expands Shelley’s vision for mankind to include a renewal of the cosmos as well.Less
The chapter analyzes the third act of Shelley’s play, “Prometheus Unbound,” and follows the sequence of events from the fall of Jupiter to the release of Prometheus and his union with Asia. In this act, the tyrannical “Father” is overthrown indirectly through Prometheus and his foreknowledge, in union with the feminine—Mother Earth and his lover. Jupiter is replaced by his son Demogorgon, who is seen as a creative and unifying force, instead of destructive and oppressive. The influence of William Godwin’s philosophies are present in the play, which mirrors Shelley’s vision of an ideal society free from the power of tyrannical institutions and thus enabling its inhabitants to become reformed as well. Through his work, Shelley had intended to support and possibly effect this reformation. The act’s conclusion in the Spirit of the Hour’s speech expands Shelley’s vision for mankind to include a renewal of the cosmos as well.
Barbara Charlesworth Gelpi
- Published in print:
- 1994
- Published Online:
- October 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780195073843
- eISBN:
- 9780199855179
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195073843.003.0007
- Subject:
- Literature, 19th-century Literature and Romanticism
The final chapter summarizes how Shelley’s upbringing influenced his outlook in life in his adulthood. The chapter recounts the social system in place for rearing and training children in the 18th ...
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The final chapter summarizes how Shelley’s upbringing influenced his outlook in life in his adulthood. The chapter recounts the social system in place for rearing and training children in the 18th century which, despite its strictures and imperfections, seemed to have succeeded in its purpose of enforcing and propagating a male-dominated society. The chapter then theorizes on the possible instances of deviations in Shelley’s case—notably his complex relationship with his mother and his experience of maternal nurturing—to account for his failure to conform to the system. Shelley’s desire to reform society through his work stemmed from his rebellion against the deeply embedded patriarchal authority in his country. With “Prometheus Unbound,” Shelley dared to create a utopian paradigm for society. In the end, he circled back to the concept of maternal nurture, the “goddess of relationship,” for the healing balm to renew his flawed society.Less
The final chapter summarizes how Shelley’s upbringing influenced his outlook in life in his adulthood. The chapter recounts the social system in place for rearing and training children in the 18th century which, despite its strictures and imperfections, seemed to have succeeded in its purpose of enforcing and propagating a male-dominated society. The chapter then theorizes on the possible instances of deviations in Shelley’s case—notably his complex relationship with his mother and his experience of maternal nurturing—to account for his failure to conform to the system. Shelley’s desire to reform society through his work stemmed from his rebellion against the deeply embedded patriarchal authority in his country. With “Prometheus Unbound,” Shelley dared to create a utopian paradigm for society. In the end, he circled back to the concept of maternal nurture, the “goddess of relationship,” for the healing balm to renew his flawed society.
Bryan Shelley
- Published in print:
- 1994
- Published Online:
- October 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780198122845
- eISBN:
- 9780191671562
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198122845.003.0006
- Subject:
- Literature, 19th-century Literature and Romanticism
Even before Shelley, Francis Bacon had observed that the name Prometheus meant Providence. While Bacon was able to identify distinctions between divine and human providence, he presented a fusion of ...
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Even before Shelley, Francis Bacon had observed that the name Prometheus meant Providence. While Bacon was able to identify distinctions between divine and human providence, he presented a fusion of the two aspects since character is seen as the epitome of the quality of human life. Although Shelley had thought much about Milton's concepts wherein divine Providence attempts to ‘justify the ways of God to men’, he had not appropriated his notion of Providence. In The Cenci, Providence represents the sovereignty of the Christian God — which he believed to be merely something invented by humans. This chapter explores how Providence has contributed in a way to understanding history in the Judaeo-Christian context.Less
Even before Shelley, Francis Bacon had observed that the name Prometheus meant Providence. While Bacon was able to identify distinctions between divine and human providence, he presented a fusion of the two aspects since character is seen as the epitome of the quality of human life. Although Shelley had thought much about Milton's concepts wherein divine Providence attempts to ‘justify the ways of God to men’, he had not appropriated his notion of Providence. In The Cenci, Providence represents the sovereignty of the Christian God — which he believed to be merely something invented by humans. This chapter explores how Providence has contributed in a way to understanding history in the Judaeo-Christian context.
Harold Fisch
- Published in print:
- 1999
- Published Online:
- October 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780198184898
- eISBN:
- 9780191674372
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198184898.003.0004
- Subject:
- Literature, Poetry, Shakespeare Studies
This chapter explores the view that King Lear is to a certain degree incoherent. It argues that the play is both strongly Christian and strongly Pagan, and that the two are not harmonized. However, ...
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This chapter explores the view that King Lear is to a certain degree incoherent. It argues that the play is both strongly Christian and strongly Pagan, and that the two are not harmonized. However, having found himself and his play thus impaled on the horns of a dilemma, Shakespeare exploited that very situation for all it was worth, lighting up for us the discontinuities to which the dilemma gave rise and creating a super-agon which overshadows the agon enacted between the characters on the stage. This super-agon may be expressed in shorthand form as a contest between Job and Prometheus.Less
This chapter explores the view that King Lear is to a certain degree incoherent. It argues that the play is both strongly Christian and strongly Pagan, and that the two are not harmonized. However, having found himself and his play thus impaled on the horns of a dilemma, Shakespeare exploited that very situation for all it was worth, lighting up for us the discontinuities to which the dilemma gave rise and creating a super-agon which overshadows the agon enacted between the characters on the stage. This super-agon may be expressed in shorthand form as a contest between Job and Prometheus.
Robert Horton
- Published in print:
- 2014
- Published Online:
- November 2015
- ISBN:
- 9780231167437
- eISBN:
- 9780231850568
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Columbia University Press
- DOI:
- 10.7312/columbia/9780231167437.001.0001
- Subject:
- Film, Television and Radio, Film
James Whale's Frankenstein (1931) spawned a phenomenon that has been rooted in world culture for decades. This cinematic Prometheus has generated countless sequels, remakes, rip-offs, and parodies in ...
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James Whale's Frankenstein (1931) spawned a phenomenon that has been rooted in world culture for decades. This cinematic Prometheus has generated countless sequels, remakes, rip-offs, and parodies in every media, and this granddaddy of cult movies constantly renews its followers in each generation. Along with an in-depth critical reading of the original 1931 film, this book tracks Frankenstein the monster's heavy cultural tread from Mary Shelley's source novel to today's Internet chat rooms.Less
James Whale's Frankenstein (1931) spawned a phenomenon that has been rooted in world culture for decades. This cinematic Prometheus has generated countless sequels, remakes, rip-offs, and parodies in every media, and this granddaddy of cult movies constantly renews its followers in each generation. Along with an in-depth critical reading of the original 1931 film, this book tracks Frankenstein the monster's heavy cultural tread from Mary Shelley's source novel to today's Internet chat rooms.
Hugh Lloyd-Jones
- Published in print:
- 2005
- Published Online:
- January 2010
- ISBN:
- 9780199279326
- eISBN:
- 9780191706882
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199279326.001.0001
- Subject:
- Classical Studies, Literary Studies: Classical, Early, and Medieval
This collection of papers completes the published Academic Papers of Sir Hugh Lloyd-Jones, who has a worldwide reputation as one of the foremost classical scholars of his generation. It follows on ...
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This collection of papers completes the published Academic Papers of Sir Hugh Lloyd-Jones, who has a worldwide reputation as one of the foremost classical scholars of his generation. It follows on from the two volumes published in 1990, reflecting his exceptionally wide interests in the fields of Greek epic, lyric, tragedy, comedy, Hellenistic literature, religion, and intellectual history. It contains important and thought-provoking recent articles on Prometheus Bound, ritual and tragedy, Greek religion and modern ethics.Less
This collection of papers completes the published Academic Papers of Sir Hugh Lloyd-Jones, who has a worldwide reputation as one of the foremost classical scholars of his generation. It follows on from the two volumes published in 1990, reflecting his exceptionally wide interests in the fields of Greek epic, lyric, tragedy, comedy, Hellenistic literature, religion, and intellectual history. It contains important and thought-provoking recent articles on Prometheus Bound, ritual and tragedy, Greek religion and modern ethics.
Malcolm Davies
- Published in print:
- 2007
- Published Online:
- February 2010
- ISBN:
- 9780199285686
- eISBN:
- 9780191713958
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199285686.003.0005
- Subject:
- Classical Studies, Literary Studies: Classical, Early, and Medieval, Poetry and Poets: Classical, Early, and Medieval
It is well known that Hesiod's Theogony contains a number of folk tale motifs. West's 1966 commentary specifies Prometheus and Epimetheus, ‘the pair of brothers, one clever and one stupid, or one ...
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It is well known that Hesiod's Theogony contains a number of folk tale motifs. West's 1966 commentary specifies Prometheus and Epimetheus, ‘the pair of brothers, one clever and one stupid, or one good and the other bad’ and the succession myth of lines 453-506, with ‘the father who tries to dispose of his children in order to prevent the fulfilment of a prophecy that one of them will overthrow him; the child who is exposed, but who grows up in safety nevertheless and returns to claim his inheritance; and the man who is swallowed by a monster or demon and afterwards rescued alive and whole from his belly. This chapter suggests that a further folk tale motif is lurking in the aetiological account of how Prometheus tricked Zeus over sacrificial portions (555-616).Less
It is well known that Hesiod's Theogony contains a number of folk tale motifs. West's 1966 commentary specifies Prometheus and Epimetheus, ‘the pair of brothers, one clever and one stupid, or one good and the other bad’ and the succession myth of lines 453-506, with ‘the father who tries to dispose of his children in order to prevent the fulfilment of a prophecy that one of them will overthrow him; the child who is exposed, but who grows up in safety nevertheless and returns to claim his inheritance; and the man who is swallowed by a monster or demon and afterwards rescued alive and whole from his belly. This chapter suggests that a further folk tale motif is lurking in the aetiological account of how Prometheus tricked Zeus over sacrificial portions (555-616).
Hallie Rebecca Marshall
- Published in print:
- 2013
- Published Online:
- January 2014
- ISBN:
- 9780199678921
- eISBN:
- 9780191760259
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199678921.003.0011
- Subject:
- Classical Studies, Literary Studies: Classical, Early, and Medieval, Plays and Playwrights: Classical, Early, and Medieval
This chapter discusses the depiction and narrative function of female characters in Tony Harrison's film/poem Prometheus, which uses the Aeschylean Prometheus Bound as its primary literary model. The ...
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This chapter discusses the depiction and narrative function of female characters in Tony Harrison's film/poem Prometheus, which uses the Aeschylean Prometheus Bound as its primary literary model. The socio-historical framework of the 1984 strike by the National Union of Mineworkers is outlined, alongside the pervasive issues of social decay experienced within mining communities impacted by industrial contraction. The chapter places the female characters within this context, exploring the ways in which their depiction is representative of the traditional role of women in working class communities, and how Harrison uses them, even as largely silent characters, to depict the destruction of community and familial structures. It is argued that while the miners' strike has been an almost exclusively discussed in the public realm in terms of its male participants, Harrison insists on also depicting the private female suffering caused by the mine closures.Less
This chapter discusses the depiction and narrative function of female characters in Tony Harrison's film/poem Prometheus, which uses the Aeschylean Prometheus Bound as its primary literary model. The socio-historical framework of the 1984 strike by the National Union of Mineworkers is outlined, alongside the pervasive issues of social decay experienced within mining communities impacted by industrial contraction. The chapter places the female characters within this context, exploring the ways in which their depiction is representative of the traditional role of women in working class communities, and how Harrison uses them, even as largely silent characters, to depict the destruction of community and familial structures. It is argued that while the miners' strike has been an almost exclusively discussed in the public realm in terms of its male participants, Harrison insists on also depicting the private female suffering caused by the mine closures.
Jared Hickman
- Published in print:
- 2016
- Published Online:
- November 2016
- ISBN:
- 9780190272586
- eISBN:
- 9780190272609
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780190272586.001.0001
- Subject:
- Literature, African-American Literature, American, 19th Century Literature
This book addresses the specific conditions under and the pointed implications with which an ancient story about different orders of gods dueling over the fate of humanity became such a prominent ...
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This book addresses the specific conditions under and the pointed implications with which an ancient story about different orders of gods dueling over the fate of humanity became such a prominent fixture of Atlantic modernity. The Prometheus myth, for several reasons—its fortuitous geographical associations with both Africa and the Caucasus; its resonant iconography of bodily suffering; and its longue-duree function as a limit case for a Platonic-cum-Christian political theology of the Absolute, became a crucial site for conceptualizing human liberation in the immanent space of a finite globe structured by white domination and black slavery. The titan’s defiant theft of fire from the regnant gods was translated through a high-stakes racial coding either as an “African” revolt against the cosmic status quo that augured a pure autonomy—a black revolutionary immanence against which idealist philosophers like Hegel defined their projects and slaveholders defended their lives and positions—or as a “Caucasian” reflection of the divine power evidently working in favor of Euro-Christian civilization that transmuted the naked egoism of conquest into a righteous heteronomy—Euro-Christian civilization’s mobilization by the Absolute or its internalization of a transcendent principle of universal Reason. The Prometheus myth was available and attractive to its eighteenth- and nineteenth-century revivalists and reinventors—from canonical figures like Voltaire, Percy Shelley, Frederick Douglass, and Karl Marx to anonymous contributors of ephemera to abolitionist periodicals—not so much as a handy emblem of an abstract humanism but as the potential linchpin of a racialist philosophy of history.Less
This book addresses the specific conditions under and the pointed implications with which an ancient story about different orders of gods dueling over the fate of humanity became such a prominent fixture of Atlantic modernity. The Prometheus myth, for several reasons—its fortuitous geographical associations with both Africa and the Caucasus; its resonant iconography of bodily suffering; and its longue-duree function as a limit case for a Platonic-cum-Christian political theology of the Absolute, became a crucial site for conceptualizing human liberation in the immanent space of a finite globe structured by white domination and black slavery. The titan’s defiant theft of fire from the regnant gods was translated through a high-stakes racial coding either as an “African” revolt against the cosmic status quo that augured a pure autonomy—a black revolutionary immanence against which idealist philosophers like Hegel defined their projects and slaveholders defended their lives and positions—or as a “Caucasian” reflection of the divine power evidently working in favor of Euro-Christian civilization that transmuted the naked egoism of conquest into a righteous heteronomy—Euro-Christian civilization’s mobilization by the Absolute or its internalization of a transcendent principle of universal Reason. The Prometheus myth was available and attractive to its eighteenth- and nineteenth-century revivalists and reinventors—from canonical figures like Voltaire, Percy Shelley, Frederick Douglass, and Karl Marx to anonymous contributors of ephemera to abolitionist periodicals—not so much as a handy emblem of an abstract humanism but as the potential linchpin of a racialist philosophy of history.
Peter Symes
- Published in print:
- 2019
- Published Online:
- September 2019
- ISBN:
- 9780197266519
- eISBN:
- 9780191884238
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- British Academy
- DOI:
- 10.5871/bacad/9780197266519.003.0015
- Subject:
- Literature, Poetry
In this chapter Peter Symes explores Tony Harrison’s film-poems, describing how over the last four decades the poet has constantly experimented and learned from discovery, hard graft, trial and ...
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In this chapter Peter Symes explores Tony Harrison’s film-poems, describing how over the last four decades the poet has constantly experimented and learned from discovery, hard graft, trial and error. Taking three detailed examples, he outlines how Harrison has developed the form, and how the use of verse can intensify and illuminate the visual in ways not possible with prose. Harrison prefaced his major feature film, Prometheus, with Pasolini’s words: ‘to make films is to be a poet’. He has managed to invert that. He is a poet who makes filmLess
In this chapter Peter Symes explores Tony Harrison’s film-poems, describing how over the last four decades the poet has constantly experimented and learned from discovery, hard graft, trial and error. Taking three detailed examples, he outlines how Harrison has developed the form, and how the use of verse can intensify and illuminate the visual in ways not possible with prose. Harrison prefaced his major feature film, Prometheus, with Pasolini’s words: ‘to make films is to be a poet’. He has managed to invert that. He is a poet who makes film
Seth T. Reno
- Published in print:
- 2019
- Published Online:
- May 2020
- ISBN:
- 9781786940834
- eISBN:
- 9781789623185
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Liverpool University Press
- DOI:
- 10.3828/liverpool/9781786940834.003.0004
- Subject:
- Literature, Criticism/Theory
In this chapter, I show that Percy Shelley picks up on the waning of intellectual love in Wordsworth, continuing to develop this Romantic tradition after Wordsworth moves on to a more religious ...
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In this chapter, I show that Percy Shelley picks up on the waning of intellectual love in Wordsworth, continuing to develop this Romantic tradition after Wordsworth moves on to a more religious sensibility. The chapter outlines the development of Percy Shelley’s treatment of love over the entire course of his career. I examine five ‘clusters’ of writings that reveal his adoption, adaption, and revision of Wordsworthian, Godwinian, and Classical notions of love: (1) his essay ‘On Love’ (1819) and its related texts; (2) Queen Mab (1813) and the Alastorvolume (1815); (3) a sequence of lyrics from 1816-1818; (4) the Prometheus Unbound volume (1820); and (5) Epipsychidion (1821) and later poems. Shelleyan love has received the most scholarly attention in studies of Romanticism, yet it is almost always within the contexts of sex, sexuality, and metaphor; instead, I argue that Shelleyan love can also be understood as an aesthetic model of interconnectedness proposing a nascent negative dialectics, a concept developed by Theodor Adorno that both defers and affirms the reconciliation of subject and object at the heart of critical theory and love.Less
In this chapter, I show that Percy Shelley picks up on the waning of intellectual love in Wordsworth, continuing to develop this Romantic tradition after Wordsworth moves on to a more religious sensibility. The chapter outlines the development of Percy Shelley’s treatment of love over the entire course of his career. I examine five ‘clusters’ of writings that reveal his adoption, adaption, and revision of Wordsworthian, Godwinian, and Classical notions of love: (1) his essay ‘On Love’ (1819) and its related texts; (2) Queen Mab (1813) and the Alastorvolume (1815); (3) a sequence of lyrics from 1816-1818; (4) the Prometheus Unbound volume (1820); and (5) Epipsychidion (1821) and later poems. Shelleyan love has received the most scholarly attention in studies of Romanticism, yet it is almost always within the contexts of sex, sexuality, and metaphor; instead, I argue that Shelleyan love can also be understood as an aesthetic model of interconnectedness proposing a nascent negative dialectics, a concept developed by Theodor Adorno that both defers and affirms the reconciliation of subject and object at the heart of critical theory and love.
