Prometheus

A central theme of “Prometheus” is the poem’s romanticization and glorification of rebellion against tyranny. The narrative of Prometheus and his opposition to Zeus exemplifies what the speaker believes is a noble struggle by an admirable hero against an overzealous and unfair power.

The speaker establishes Prometheus as a martyr for humanity early in the poem in a few ways. First, he opens the poem with the exclamation “Titan!” (Line 1), which he will repeat at the beginning of the next stanza as well. This direct address and use of Prometheus’s godly title establishes the poem as a kind of ode, with Prometheus being the subject the speaker is speaking to and glorifying. Immediately, then, the poem positions Prometheus as the hero. Second, the speaker ascribes a motive to Prometheus’s rebellion against Zeus, calling it pity for “the sufferings of mortality” (Line 2). Immediately, Prometheus becomes the hero to mankind and an empathetic and selfless character. This is directly contrasted with the poem’s portrayal of Zeus, who is literally called “the deaf tyranny of Fate” (Line 19). The speaker portrays Zeus as a vengeful, selfish, and careless god who creates life just to make it suffer.

This contrast between Prometheus and Zeus exemplifies the struggle between the noble hero and the tyrannical oppressor, and it mirrors the Romantic notion of rebellion.