Lyrical drama by P.B. Shelley "Prometheus Unchained" and its sources. Percy Bysshe Shelley. Prometheus Unchained action Prometheus Unchained Shelley

26.06.2020

CHARACTERS: Prometheus. Asia. Demogorgon. Panthea. Oceanids. Jupiter. Jonah Earth. Ghost of Jupiter. Ocean. Spirit of the Earth. Apollo. Spirit of the Moon. Mercury. Spirits of the Hours. Hercules. Spirits, Echoes, Fauns, Furies. ACT ONE Scene: Indian Caucasus, a gorge among rocks covered with ice. Prometheus is chained above the abyss. Panthea and Jonah sit at his feet. - Night. As the scene progresses, dawn slowly breaks. Prometheus Monarch of the mighty Gods and Demons, Monarch of all Spirits except One! Before you are brilliant luminaries, Countless flying worlds; Of all those who are alive and breathing, only two look at them with sleepless eyes: Only you and me! Look from the heights at the Earth, Look, there is no number of your slaves. But what do you give them for their prayers, for all the praises, genuflections, for the hecatombs of dying hearts? Contempt, fear, fruitless hope. And in a blind rage you allowed me, the enemy, to reign in endless triumph Over my own bitter misfortune, Over your failed revenge. Three thousand seemingly eternal years, Filled with sleepless hours, Moments of such cruel torture, That every moment seemed longer than a year, - The consciousness that there is no shelter anywhere, And the pain of melancholy, despair, contempt - This is the kingdom where I got to reign. There is more glory in it, eternal and radiant, Than where you reign on a magnificent throne, Which I would not take for myself. Mighty God, you would be Almighty, If only I would share with you The shame of your cruel tyranny, If only I were not hanging here now, Chained to the wall of a giant mountain, Laughing at the insolence of the eagle, Immeasurable, gloomy, deathly cold, Devoid of herbs, animals, insects, and the shapes and sounds of life. Woe is me! Yearning! Always melancholy! Longing forever! No rest, no glimmer of hope, No caress of sleep! And yet I endure. Tell me, Earth, doesn’t it hurt the granite of the mountains? You, Heaven, you, all-seeing Sun, Tell me, are these tortures not visible to you? You, Sea, the region of storms and quiet dreams, The distant heavens are the earthly mirror, Tell me, have you been deaf until now, Have you not heard the groans of agony? Oh, woe is me! Yearning! Longing forever! I am pressed by hostile glaciers, Pierced by the edge of their frosty-lunar crystals; chains, like snakes, eat away, squeeze to the bones with an embrace - both burning and cold. The winged dog of the silent Heavens, with an unclean beak breathing poison, with the fires of the poison given by you, in my chest, my heart is tearing into pieces; And hordes of ugly visions, the fiends of the gloomy sphere of dreams, gather around me with mockery; Earthquakes, fierce demons are entrusted with a cruel sport - From my trembling wounds to pull nails, When behind me the wall of soulless rocks Spreads apart to immediately close again; Meanwhile, the spirits of storms, humming from the abysses, Hasten the fury of the whirlwind with a wild howl, Run, hurry in a discordant crowd, And beat me, and lash me with sharp hail. And yet I desire day and night. Does the fog of the gray morning turn pale, Submissive to the light of the sun's rays, Does it rise across the dim East, Between leaden clouds, The night in starry clothing, Slow and sadly cold, - They attract seven wingless hours, A creeping lazy crowd, And between them there will be an appointed hour, He will overthrow you, furious Tyrant, And force you to wipe with a greedy kiss Streams of blood from these pale feet, Although they will not trample you, Disdaining such a lost slave. Disdaining? No, oh no! I feel sorry for you. How insignificantly defenseless you will be, How doom will powerfully drive the Outcast into the bottomless spheres of Heaven! Your soul, torn apart by fear, will open, gaping like hell! There is no anger in my words, there is a lot of sorrow, I am no longer able to hate: Through the darkness of sorrows I have come to wisdom. Once upon a time I breathed a terrible curse, Now I would like to hear it, To take it back. Hear, O Mountains, Whose Echo of the spell of the bitter curse has scattered and dispelled all around, Thundering with a hundred sounds in the choir of waterfalls! Oh, icy cold Springs, covered with wrinkles of Frost, You trembled when you heard me, And then with trepidation, sliding down the cliffs, Hastily flowed across India! You, clear Air, where the Sun wanders, Blazing without rays! And you, O Whirlwinds, You hung silently between the rocks, With lifeless frozen wings, You froze over the silent abyss, While the thunder, which was stronger than yours, Made the earthly world tremble with a groan! Oh, if those words had power, - Even though the evil in me has now gone out forever, Even though I no longer remember my own hatred, I still ask you, I pray, do not let them perish now! What was that curse? Tell! You listened, you heard then! First voice: from the mountains Many days and nights, three times three hundred centuries We were filled with seething lava, And, like people, under the burden of heavy shackles, We shuddered in a mighty crowd. Second voice: from sources. We were pierced by swift lightning fires, We were defiled by bitter blood. And they listened to the groans of the ferocious massacre, And marveled at human slander. Third voice: from the air From the first days of being young above the earth, I shone along the heights and slopes, And more than once or twice my golden peace Was embarrassed by a reproachful groan. Fourth voice: from the whirlwinds At the foot of the mountains we spun for centuries, We listened to the thunder strikes. And they watched the river of lava flow from the volcanoes on fire. We did not know how to remain silent and, in order to sound forever, We broke the seal of Silence with desire, Surrendering to the jubilant spell. First voice But only once did the glaciers shake to their foundations, When we bent over in horror In response to the cry of your anguish. Second voice Always striving for the desert of the Sea, Only once in the darkness of time We rushed through a lingering groan of Inhuman grief. And so the sailor, lying at the bottom of the boat in a sleepy oblivion, heard the roar of the noisy abyss, jumped up, and, crying out: “Woe is me!” - He threw himself into the Sea, mad, and disappeared into the black depths. Third voice Listening to the terrible spells, The vault of Heaven was so torn, That between the torn curtains Sobs echoed the sobs; When the azure closed again, blood appeared across the sky. Fourth voice And we went to the sleeping heights And there, with a chilling breath, Bound the noisy waterfall; They fled into the icy caves And there they trembled in fear, Looking forward, looking back; Out of amazement and sadness We were all silent, _we_ were silent, Although for us silence is hell. Land of Ragged Rocks, silent Caves Then they cried out: “Woe!” The Vault of Heaven answered them with a drawn-out cry: “Woe!” And the waves of the Sea, covered with purple, climbed to the ground with a loud howl, a crowd of winds whipped them with a whip, and pale trembling peoples listened to the long cry: “Woe! Woe!” Prometheus I hear a vague conversation of voices, But my own voice of distant days is not heard to me. O my mother, why do you mock with the crowd of your creatures At the one without whose all-enduring will You and the family of your children would have disappeared Under the fury of a ferocious Tyrant, Like light smoke invisibly disappearing, Scattered by the breath of the winds. Tell me, you don’t know the Titan, Who, in the bitterness of his burning torment, Found a barrier to your enemy? You, green mountain valleys, Springs fed by snow, Barely visible deep below me, Shadowy forests of vague vastness, Where I once wandered with Asia, Meeting life in her beloved eyes, - Why now does that spirit that lives you Disdain to talk? with me? With me, who alone entered into the struggle And stood face to face with the insidious power of the Ruler of the transcendental heights, mockingly looking at the Earth, Where the boundless deserts are filled with the groans of exhausted slaves. Why are you silent? Brothers! Will you give an answer? Earth They dare not. Prometheus But who will dare then? I want to hear the sounds of the spell again. A! What a terrible whisper ran through. It rises and grows! As if arrows of lightning are trembling, preparing to burst violently. The elemental voice of the Spirit whispers vaguely, It approaches me, I merge with it. Tell me, Spirit, how did I curse him? Earth How can you hear the voice of the dead? Prometheus You are a living Spirit. Tell me as life itself would say, having a conversation with me. Earth I know the speech of the living, but I am afraid that the Cruel King of Heaven will hear me And in a rage he will tie me to the wheel of some fierce new torture, More painful than the one I endure. There is good in you, you can comprehend everything, Your love is bright, - and if the Gods do not hear this voice, - you will hear, You are more than God - you are wise, kind: So listen carefully now. Prometheus Like gloomy shadows, in a quick swarm, thoughts rise and melt in my mind, And again they tremble in a terrible crowd. I feel that everything in me is mixed up, Like someone who has merged with someone in an embrace; But there is no delight in this. Earth No, oh, no, - You cannot hear, you are immortal, And this speech is understandable only to those who must die. Prometheus Sad Voice! But who are you? Earth I am your mother, Earth. She, in whose chest, in whose rocky veins, in all the smallest fibers - down to the leaves trembling on the ghostly tops of the tallest trees - joy beat, like blood in a living and warm body, when from this chest you rose up, like an ebullient spirit living joy, Like a cloud pierced by the sun! And hearing your voice, all my sons Raised their exhausted faces, Covered with the usual dirty dust, And our Tyrant, cruel and omnipotent, In a burning fright, began to tremble and turn pale, Until thunder struck in his defense, And you, Titan, were chained to the rock . And look at these millions of Worlds that rush in a circular dance, Blazing with eternal brilliance on all sides: Their inhabitants, looking at me, Saw that my light was going out in the Sky; And the Sea rose with a prolonged murmur, Raised by the power of a strange storm; And a pillar of fire, unprecedented before, Under the wrath of Heaven rose from the snowy mountains, Shaking its shaggy head; There was a Flood in the plains - and arrows of Lightning, Thistles bloomed among the dead cities; Toads crawled in the palaces, and the Plague fell on man and beasts, and on worms, and with it came Famine; And the black verd looked at the plants; And where bread had previously basked, And where there was a vineyard and herbs, Poisonous flowers flashed, And a crowd of weeds stirred, And they sucked my chest with roots, And my chest dried up from melancholy; My breath - refined air - instantly darkened, tainted by that burning hatred that arose in a mother for the enemy of her children, for the enemy of her beloved child; I heard your curse, And if you don’t remember it now, My seas, caves, hosts of mountains, My streams, and that distant air, And the winds, and countless masses of inaudibly speaking dead Keep it as a treasured talisman. We think in secret joy, We hope for terrible words, But we don’t dare to utter them. Prometheus, my mother! Everything that lives, that struggles and suffers, Finds consolation in you, Flowers, fruits, and joyful sounds, And sweet, even fugitive, love; It is not my destiny to experience this happiness, But I ask you to take back my words, Give them to me, I pray, don’t be cruel. Earth You must hear them. So pay attention! In those days, before Babylon was dust, My wise son, the magician Zoroaster, wandering in the garden, met his image. Of all the people, he alone saw such a Vision. Know that there are two worlds: the world of life and the world of pale death. One of them you see, contemplate, The other is hidden in the depths of the underworld, In the foggy abode of the shadows of All forms that breathe, feel and think, Until death brings them together forever to where there is no return. There are people's dreams, their bright dreams, And everything that the heart stubbornly believes, What hope awaits, love desires; Crowds of visions, images of terrible, sublime, and strange, and concealing the Harmony of calm beauty; In those regions you hang like a ghost, distorted by suffering, between the mountains, where stormy hurricanes nest; All the gods are there, all the royal forces of the ineffable Worlds, hosts of spirits, Huge Shadows, invested with power, Heroes, people, animals; Demogorgon, the embodiment of monstrous darkness; And he, the Supreme Tyrant, is on the fiery-golden throne. Find out, my son, One of these ghosts will utter the Words of a curse, memorable to all, - As soon as you call out with a drawn-out call, Whether your shadow, Jupiter, Hades, Typhon, or those strongest Gods, Rulers of crushing Evil, Who have been breeding abundantly in the world, Since then how you perished, from the day My sons, mocked children, groaned. Ask, they must answer you, Ask, and in these disembodied ghosts the Vengeance of the Almighty will beat, - Like stormy rain, driven by a fast wind, Bursts into an abandoned palace. Prometheus O my mother, I wish that an evil word would not be spoken by me again, or by someone in whom there is a resemblance to me. Likeness of Jupiter, appear! Jonah I hid my eyes with my wings, My ears were shrouded in my wings, - But wow! I hear a thunderstorm, but here it is! Some Spirit rises. Through the soft whiteness of the feathers I see a dark wave, - And the light went out; Oh, if only there would be no harm to You, whose pains hurt us, Whose tortures we always see, With whom we must suffer. Panthea An underground tornado hums around, A range of broken mountains sounds, The Spirit is terrible, like this sound, He wears a purple robe. With His sinewy hand He holds a golden staff. Oh, terrible look! The fire of the deep eyes is fierce, That torch of hatred was lit, He definitely wants to torment us, But he himself does not tolerate evil. Ghost of Jupiter Why did the command of the secret forces that rule over this strange world come here, A fragile empty ghost threw me in the rumble of storms? What sounds are flying around my lips? Not so in the darkness, with pale lips, A crowd of visions whispers among themselves. And you, tell me, proud sufferer, who are you? Prometheus Horrible Image! This is how you are, And he, the ferocious Tyrant, is the one whose shadow You should be. I am his enemy, Titan. Say the words that I would like to hear, although your dull voice will not be a reflection of your thoughts. Earth Listen, all of you, holding back the voice of the Echo, Gray mountains, ancient forests, Family of streams surrounded by flowers, Prophetic caves, springs running around the lush islands - rejoice, everyone. Listening to the sounds of a terrible spell that you cannot say. Ghost of Jupiter Some spirit, enveloping me with its power, talks in me. He tears at me like a cloud - arrows of lightning. Panthea Look! He looks with a powerful gaze. The sky is darkening above him. Jonah If only I could hide! Where can I hide? He says. Prometheus In his movements, proud and cold, the curse shines through. I see the eyes, fearless challenge and firmness shine in them. Despair and hatred - and everything seems to be written on a scroll. Oh, speak, speak quickly! Ghost Archenemy! Go wild! Be ready to exhaust everything, madness, anger, passions; Tyrant of the Human race and the Gods, - There is one spirit that is higher than wild power. I'm here! Look! Scourge me with frost, the plague of fire, thunder with winds, hail, storms, come as a messenger of horror, pile up pain for pain, quickly drive a crowd of hungry furies towards me! A! Do everything! There is no prohibition for you. You are omnipotent, you just don’t control yourself, Yes, what I want. Source of troubles! You are a burden over the world. Torture Me and everyone dear to me over low heat; Driven by treacherous malice, Reach the brink of death, And I, with my head raised, will watch as you thunder from the dark cloud. But remember, God and King among the Gods, You, whose soul is filled with the world of torment, You, who rules under the loud ringing of shackles And thirsty for kneeling, You, tormentor, I cursed, My hatred is with you, It will poison you with poison, The crown in which will be evil, he will put it on your forehead, he will sit next to you on a golden throne. Damn you! Know: your time will come, You alone will meet the enemy Eternity, And, loving evil, you will know the power of good, You will experience endless torment. Yes it will! Do evil - and wait, Then come to retribution, - Deprived of royal decoration, Having exhausted rage and lies, You will fall as a shameful captive In the vastness of time, in the vastness of space. Prometheus Tell me, O Mother, were those my words? Earth Your words. Prometheus I'm sorry. They are infertile. I don't want anyone to suffer. Earth Oh, where can I find strength for grief! Now Jupiter has won. Roar, thunderous Ocean! Fields, cover yourself with the blood of your wounds! O Spirits of the dead and the living, Weep in the agony of fire, The Earth will answer you with a groan, - Who was your protection is broken and defeated! First Echo Broken and defeated! Second echo And defeated! Jonah Do not be afraid: this is just an impulse, Titan is not yet defeated; But there, look over the cliff, Over the snowy mountain slope: The Airy Ghost is in a hurry, Beneath him the azure of Heaven trembles, A long row of clouds spins; Shining with expensive trim, His sandals are burning; With his raised right hand, as if he were threatening, - and the rod sparkles in it, and around the rod, the light dims, then the darkness flares up, - The rings of snakes play. Panthea is Jupiter's herald, Mercury is in a hurry. Jonah And there behind him? An innumerable crowd, - Visions with iron wings, With the curls of a hydra - here they float, The distant air is disturbed by their cries, And the angry God, frowning, threatens them. Panthea of Jupiter are voracious dogs, In the peals of storms, running dogs, Which he feeds with blood, When he rushes in sulfur clouds, Breaking the limits of the Sky with thunder. Jonah Where are they now rushing in countless crowds? Leaving the dark hell of torture, Feed on new sorrows! Panthea Titan does not look proudly, but calmly. First Fury A! I can smell the smell of life here! Second Fury Let me just look into his face! Third Fury The hope of tormenting Him is sweet to me, like the meat of rotting bodies on a silent battlefield For birds of prey. First Fury You will still hesitate, Herald! Go ahead, be brave, Dogs of Hell! When will Maya’s son give us food? Who can be pleasing to the Almighty for a long time? Mercury Back! To the iron towers! Grind your hungry teeth Near the stream of screams and fire! You, Geryon, arise! Come, Gorgon! The Chimera, the Sphinx, the most cunning of demons, Who gave Thebes heavenly wine, Poisoned with poison, gave ugliness To monstrous love, the most terrible malice: They will complete your task for you. First Fury Oh, have pity, have pity! We will die now From our desire. Don't drive us away. Mercury Then lie still and be silent. - Terrible sufferer, I came to you Without any desire, against my will, I go, driven by the painful command of the Almighty Father, in order to carry out the planned torture of a new revenge. I feel sorry for you, I hate myself for not being able to do more. Alas, as soon as I return from you, Heaven seems to me like Hell, - And day and night your exhausted, tormented image haunts me, With a reproachful smile. You are wise, You are meek, kind, firm, but why in vain do you persist alone in the fight against the Almighty? Or don’t you see that the bright lamps of heaven, measuring slow time, tell you about the futility of the struggle and will tell you the same thing again and again. And here again your tormentor, having decided to subject you to torture, invested with terrible power those evil forces that in Hell invent unheard-of torments. My duty is to lead here your enemies, Unclean, insatiable, refined in ferocity, and leave them here. Why why? After all, you know the secret, hidden from all living beings, capable of wresting power over Heaven from the hands of the one who is invested with it, and giving it to another; of this secret Our supreme Lord fears: Dress it in words, and let it Come to his feet as thy intercessor; Incline your spirit to prayer, and be like the one who prays in a magnificent temple, bending your knees, forgetting your pride: You know that giving and submission humble the wildest, the strongest. Prometheus The evil mind changes the good according to Its nature. Who invested him with Mighty power? I! And in retribution he bound Me for months, for years, For many centuries, - and the Sun burns the withered, wounded skin, - And the cold of the Night throws snow crystals, Laughing, into my hair, While my favorites, people, For the servants became his fun. This is how the Tyrant knows how to pay for good! Well, this is fair: evil souls cannot accept goodness: give them peace, - In response you will see fear, and shame, and anger, But not gratitude. He takes revenge on me for a series of his own base atrocities. For such souls, good is more painful than reproach, It torments, wounds and stings them, And does not allow them to sleep, repeating about Revenge. Does he want submission? She's gone! And what is hidden in that ominous word? Silent death and slavery for people. Submission is a Sicilian sword trembling by a hair's breadth above the royal crown - He could take it, but I won't give it. Let others indulge in Villainy. While it reigns in rampage. They have nothing to fear: Justice, having achieved triumph, will not punish, but will only mourn its torment with compassion. And so I wait. And the hour of retribution is approaching, and even, while we are speaking, it has become closer. But you hear the dogs of Hell roaring, Hurry, don’t delay, The sky has darkened, Your Father has frowned in anger. Mercury Oh, if only we could avoid: For you - suffering, for me - hateful punishment To be the messenger of your sorrows. Answer me, Do you know how long the Dominion of Jupiter will last? Prometheus Only one thing is revealed to me: it must pass. Mercury Alas, you cannot calculate how many more cruel torments will come to you! Prometheus As long as Jupiter reigns, there will be torture - No less, no more. Mercury Pause, Plunge into silent Eternity with a dream. There, where everything that Time has written down, Everything that we can see in our thoughts, Centuries, cluttered with centuries, Only appear as a dot, - where the confused mind can no longer go, - To the limits where, tired of the flight, He falls and spinning in the darkness, Lost, blind, homeless, - Perhaps even there you won’t be able to count The whole abyss of years that will come With a constant series of new and new tortures? Prometheus Perhaps the mind is powerless to count the torments, - And yet they pass. Mercury If only you could live among the Gods, surrounded by bliss! Prometheus It’s better for me to hang here dead in the gorge, not knowing repentance. Mercury Alas! I marvel at you, and yet I feel sorry for you. Prometheus Pity Jupiter's submissive slaves, Consumed by self-contempt, You cannot feel sorry for me, my spirit is calm, A clear world reigns in it, like a flame in the sun. But what words! Call your enemies quickly. Jonah Sister, look, the smokeless white fire has broken the trunk of that thick cedar, Shrouded in snow. What kind of anger Sounds in the peals of furious thunder! Mercury His words, as well as yours, I must obey. How difficult it is for me! Panthea Look, you see, there the child of Heaven Runs, glides with winged feet Along the indirect slope of the East. Jonah My sister, quickly fold your wings, close your eyes: if you see them, you will die: They come, they come, darkening the birth of the day with countless wings, like death, empty from below. The first fury Prometheus! Second fury Titan immortal! Third Fury Friend of the Human Race! Prometheus He who hears this terrible voice here is a captive Titan, Prometheus. And you, Monstrous forms - what are you, who are you? Never before has Hell, always teeming with deformities, sent here such vile nightmares, generated by the Tyrant's Mind, greedy for ugliness; Looking at these disgusting shadows, It’s as if I’m becoming like That which I contemplate, and I laugh, And I don’t take my eyes off, imbued with Monstrous sympathy. First Fury We are the servants of Deceit, torture, fear, crime, clawed and tenacious; always, Like emaciated dogs, That greedily chase a wounded doe, We chase after everything that cries, fights, Lives and is given to us for fun, When the highest King wants it. Prometheus Oh, many most terrible creatures Under the name of one! I know you. And the surface of the lakes and the moaning Echo are familiar with the noise of your dark wings. But still, why did another, who is more terrible than you, call your legions from the abyss? Second Fury We don't know. Sisters, sisters, enjoy! Prometheus What can rejoice in ugliness? Second Fury The lovers, looking at each other, are cheerful from the charm of delight: So are we. And as from bright roses An airy light flows, tender scarlet, On the pale face of a bowed priestess, Weaving a wreath for the celebration, So from our victims, from their dark agony, A shadow flows and falls on us, Giving along with the form a robe, Otherwise We breathed without an image, Like our mother, formless Night. Prometheus I laugh at your power, at the one who sent you here for a low purpose. Despicable! Exhaust all torture! First Fury Don't you think we'll start tearing bone from bone and nerve from nerve? Prometheus My element is pain, yours is ferocity. Torment. What's in it for me! Second Fury Yes, it’s as if you found out that we will just laugh into your eyes, devoid of eyelashes? Prometheus What you are doing, I don’t think about it, But I think that you must suffer, Living with the breath of evil. Oh, how cruel is that imperious command by which you were created, and everything that is just as base! Third Fury Did you think that we are capable of living by You, in You, through You, One, two, three, the whole crowd? And if we cannot darken the soul Burning inside, we will sit next to each other, Like an idle, noisy crowd, That spoils the clarity of spirit of the wisest. In your mind we will be a terrible thought, A dirty desire in an astonished heart, And blood in the labyrinth of your veins, A creeping burning poison of agony. Prometheus You cannot have it any other way. And I am still the ruler over myself And I control the swarm of torture in the same way As your Jupiter controls you. Chorus of Furies From the ends of the earth, from the ends of the earth, Where both Morning and Night intertwined the twilight, - To us here, to us here! You, from whose cries the groan is heard on the hills, At the hour when cities crumble to dust, You, who rush between the clouds, creating destruction, And disturbing the seas with your wingless foot, You, who chase the tornado that flashed in the distance, To destroy and drown with laughter ships, - To us here, to us here! Throw away the sleepy dead, Those who slumber in the sleep of centuries; Give rest to fierce anger, Let it sleep until the time comes, as in a quiet black coffin, - Rise fresh after sleep, - The joy of your return. Come on, young minds, - in them the breath of depravity will feed the fury of the plague. Let the madman not measure the mystery of Hell by the force of his gaze; Confused by his own fear, He will be tormented twice. To us here, to us here! We are running from the dark gates, Noisy Hell howls from behind, We are sailing, Thunder has intensified its clap, We are calling you for help! Jonah Sister, I hear the sound of new wings. Panthea The strongholds of the rocks tremble from these sounds, Like sensitive air. The hosts of their shadows give birth to a darkness darker than the black night. The First Fury A quick call rushed towards us, We were whisked away among the winds, From the red pastures of war; Second Fury Away from crowded cities; Third Fury Where all the streets are full of the moaning of those who want to eat; Fourth Fury Where blood flows all the time, Where the suffering cannot be counted; Fifth Fury Where they burn again and again, In the bright flames of furnaces, White, hot - One of the furies Stop, be silent, We will instantly interrupt the flow of speeches, Don’t whisper: If we keep it a secret, What is the most terrible misfortune, Then we will most likely defeat the disobedient, We We will enslave him, And now, Champion of Thought, he is still indomitable. Fury Tear the veil! Another Fury He's torn, he's torn! Chorus The trouble has risen! A pale star shines on her from the sky in the morning. Have you forgotten your calmness, Titan? You will fall, You will not bear New wounds! Well, will you praise the knowledge that you have awakened in the souls of people? You only managed to give them thirst, but what did you give them to drink? He gave them hope, desires, love, feverish delirium, The waters of shallow springs - a fruitless question - no answer. You see the dead fields, You see, you see, the whole Earth is covered in Blood. Here he came alone, with a soul Tender, meek and holy, The lips uttered Those words that will live After the death of these lips, They will choke the truth, The world will be gloomy and empty. You see, the distant sky is confused by furious smoke: In crowded cities there is a cry of despair and fear. The gentle spirit of the one who suffered from human tears cries: Thousands of others are destroyed by his meek name. Look again, look: Where are the brilliant lights? Like a firefly sparkling, slightly confusing the summer darkness. The coals are smoldering, and around the coals there are a host of frightened shadows. Everyone is stroking from side to side. Joy, joy, joy to us! All centuries of past times are piled up around you, Darkness in the future, all centuries are remembered only to themselves, The present is spread out like a pillow of thorns, For you, sleepless Titan, for your arrogant dreams. First half-chorus Agony has taken over: He trembles, he trembles, Blood of torment runs from his pale brow. Let him rest a little: Here the deceived people have risen from despair, Shined bright in the afternoon, Wants the truth, Waits for the truth, The spirit guides him - Everyone has become like brothers again, Love calls them children - Second half-chorus Stop, look, there are still people, Brother against brother, all for all, A lush harvest will be reaped Together with death, black sin: Blood, like new wine, wanders noisily, at the same time With bitter fear - the world is perishing, smoldering, extinguishing, - calling both tyrants and slaves to a feast. (All the Furies disappear, except one.) Jonah Sister, do you hear how the good Titan groans in torment, quietly but terribly, as if his chest were about to burst: So a stormy tornado explodes the depths of the seas, And they groan along the shore of the cave. Perhaps you dare to look at how his fierce enemies are tormenting him? Panthea I watched it twice, I can’t do it anymore. Jonah What did you see? Panthea Horrible! A sad young man nailed to the cross, with a gaze filled with patience. Jonah What else? Panthea All around - the whole sky, from below - the whole earth, Dotted with a crowd of terrible shadows, Silent visions of human death, Intertwined by a human hand; Others seem to be the creation of human hearts: crowds of people die from one movement of their lips and eyes; Other ghosts still roam, Look at them - and then you can’t live, Let’s not tempt the strongest horror, Why look when we hear groans? Fury Notice the emblem: whoever endures evil For a person, who rattles chains, Goes into exile - he only piles up suffering on himself and on him More and more. Prometheus Soften the excruciating pain of burning eyes; Let the distorted lips close; Let no blood flow from your forehead, covered with thorns; let it interfere with the dew of your eyes! Oh, let the orbits, Which revolve in fear, Know the stillness of death and peace; And let your gloomy agony not shake this cross! And the fingers of pale hands will not play with dried blood. I don't want to call you by name. Terrible! It has become a curse. I see, I see the Exalted, and the wise, and the truthful; Your slaves persecute them with hatred; Others were scared away by unclean lies From the hearth of their own hearts, Mourned after - it was too late; Others are chained with bodies Rotting in the prisons of the sick; Others - wow! - the crowd laughs wildly! - Chained over a slow fire. And many mighty kingdoms pass by, Floating at my feet like islands, uprooted from the depths; Their inhabitants are all together, in pools of blood, In the mud, drenched in the glow of fires. Fury You see blood, fire; you hear moans; But the worst, unheard, unseen, is hidden behind. Prometheus Say! Fury In the soul of everyone who has experienced death, fear is born: the high in spirit is afraid to see that what he would not even want to think about is true; Custom arises along with hypocrisy, Like a temple where they pray to that which is worn out by conscience. Not daring to think about what people need, They don’t realize what they don’t dare. The good has no power except that which allows you to cry hopelessly. The strong do not have what they need more than anything else - kindness. The sage is deprived of love, and the one who loves does not know the light of wisdom - and in the world, all the best lives in the arms of evil. For many who are rich and have power, Justice is a dream, And yet among the mourning brothers They live as if no one felt: they do not know what they are doing. Prometheus Your words are like a cloud of winged snakes, And yet I feel sorry for those whom they do not torment. Fury Do you feel sorry for them? No more words! (Disappears.) Prometheus Oh, woe is me! Oh, woe! Always melancholy! Forever the horror of torture! My eyes, without tears, are closed - in vain: In my soul, illuminated by burning torment, I only see more clearly all your deeds, Refined tyrant! There is peace in the grave. Everything good and beautiful is hidden in the grave, but I, like God, am immortal and I don’t want to look for death. Oh, may you, Fierce King, be terrible at taking revenge. There is no victory in revenge. Those visions with which you torment me add patience to my soul, and the hour will come, and ghosts will not be a prototype of real things. Panthea Alas! What did you see? Prometheus There are two torments: One is to look, the other is to speak; Spare me one thing. And listen: Treasured words are brought into the sanctuaries of Nature - then a silent cry, calling to the high and bright. To that call, as one man, the nations came together, loudly exclaiming: “Love, freedom, truth!” Suddenly from heaven Fury, like lightning, fell into the crowd of people - struggle, deception and fear - And the tyrants invaded, dividing the Prey among themselves. Thus I saw the Shadow of Truth. Earth My beloved son, I felt all your torment, With that mixed joy that rises in the heart from a feeling of valor and sorrow. To let you breathe, I called the Beautiful light spirits, whose home is in the caves of human minds; As birds flutter their wings in the wind, So these spirits float in the ether; Behind our kingdom of twilight they, As in a mirror, foresee the future; They will come to please you. Panthea Oh sister, look, the spirits are gathering there in a crowd, Like flakes of playing clouds on the morning of spring, Filling the blue expanse. Jonah Look, there, like the fogs in the midst of silence, That rise from the spring, if the tired winds sleep, And they rise and hurry along the ravine faster and faster. Do you hear? What is this? Music of the pine trees? Are the peaks noisy? Or is the lake splashing? Or is the stream whispering? Panthea This is something much sadder, much more tender. Choir of spirits Since time immemorial, We do not sleep over the crowd of Human tribes, Oppressed by fate. We are the delight of all sorrows, We are the defenders of people, We grieve for them, We breathe in human thoughts, - In our native air; If darkness thickens there, If a stormy winter arises behind the summer day; Or is everything light again, As if at an hour when the river is like motionless glass, Where the clouds do not melt; Lighter than free fish of the sea, Lighter than birds in the breath of storms, Lighter than human thoughts, Eternally rushing into the azure, - In our native air We are like clouds on a spring day; We are looking for lightning and lightning, We hesitate where there are no borders. We are for everyone who is steadfast in the fight. We carry that covenant, loving, That ends in you, Starting from you. Jonah More and more come one after another, And the air surrounding the visions is as brilliant as the air around a star. First spirit Away from the furious struggle, Where the indignant slaves came together at the call of the trumpet, I flew among the swells, Faster, faster, faster. Everything mixed up there, like a dream, The shadow of torn banners, There a dull, drawn-out groan rushes into the fading firmament: “Death! To battle! Freedom! Death!” But one victorious sound, Above darkness and graves, Above convulsive hands, Moved and lived everywhere, - Gently in a fierce struggle That covenant sounded, loving, That ends in you, Starting from you. The Second Spirit The Rainbow Castle stood, A shaft beat in the sea below; Victoriously powerful, the ghost of the storm fled away, between the prisoners, between the clouds, a bright beam of burning lightning, dividing them in half. I looked down - and now I see a powerful fleet perishing, ships like splinters, fighting, rushing in the distance, their waves buried them - as if hell had risen all around, shining with white foam. As if in a fragile shuttle, A rescued man floated on a board, His enemy not far away, Exhausted, walked into the darkness - He gave him the board, He himself drowned in humility, But before his death he sighed, That sigh was more airy than dreams, He brought me here. Third Spirit At the bedside of the sage I, invisible, waited silently; The red light of the fire shone near the pale face: That sage was reading a book. Suddenly, on fiery wings, a light Dream began to flutter, I learned that it was he, the same one that in the hearts many years ago kindled Inspiration and sadness, a dazzling hint, a shadow of fire that beckons into the distance. He drew me here - Quickly, quickly, like a glance. Before the day comes, he must fly back, otherwise a shadow will thicken in the sleepy thoughts of the sage, and, waking up, he will not drive this shadow away from his darkened face all day long. The fourth spirit is on the poet's lips, Like a lover, I dozed in rapturous dreams; He could barely breathe. He does not seek earthly pleasures, Knows the caresses of other lips, The kisses of beauty, That lives in the wilderness of dreams; He loves to cherish his gaze, - Without worrying, without searching, - With the sparkle of dormant lakes, With the sight of bees in ivy flowers; He does not know what is in front of him, He is occupied with one thought: From everything he creates The harmony of breathing shadows, Gives them reality, Which is more beautiful and fuller than a living person, Longer than pale days And lives from century to century. Of those visions, one Dream destroyed the link, - I quickly rushed away, I want to help you. Jonah You see, two visions are flying here from the west and from the east, Creatures of the airy higher spheres, Like twins, like doves that rush to their birthplace - floating, gliding, You hear the sounds of gentle chants, Captivatingly sad voices, With love in Despair mixed them up! Panthea You speak! The words went out in me. Jonah Their beauty gives me a voice. Do you see how the changeable wings glow, now cloudy purple, then again azure and soft gold; With their smile the surrounding air breathes and glows like in the flame of a star. Chorus of Spirits Have you seen the tender face of Love? Fifth spirit I flew over the desert, Like a cloud, I hurried, glided through the space of the blue firmament; And this ghost fled away on sparkling wings, a star in his brow, living delight in carefree movements; Wherever you step, the airy flowers instantly shine, But I walk, they follow me, turning pale, withering away. Death gaped behind: headless heroes, Crowds of mad sages, swarms of young sufferers Sparkled in the darkness of the night. I wandered in an unsteady abyss, Until your gaze, O King of Sorrows, brightened everything with a smile. Sixth spirit O dear spirit! Despair lives in unearthly darkness, It does not rush through the air, does not walk on the ground, It will come without a rustle and with the breath of a wing. It will inspire hope in hearts that are higher than evil, And the false calm from those silent wings In the hearts that breathe tenderness, it humbles passionate ardor, And airy music cherishes them then, Lulls them and whispers to them about happiness forever, They call Self-Love, the monster of the earth, They will awaken and find Sorrow in rags and dust. Chorus Let Sorrow with Love be like a shadow, Let behind it both night and day, Let death rush on its heels, A white-winged horse gallops, The messenger of Death, all fire, Death to everything, flowers, fruits, The embodiment of beauty And ugly features. Let be! But the hour will strike, and you will tame the mad rush. Prometheus Is it clear to you what will come? Choir If the spring snow melts, If the spring ice melts, An old leaf falls, A soft wind soothes the ear, The air is gentle and fragrant, And the wandering shepherd, Celebrating the death of winter, Already anticipates and expects That the rosehip will bloom; So, where we breathe, Truth, Wisdom and Love, Awakening to life again, We, who do not sleep in the struggle, carry that covenant, loving, That ends in you, Starting from you. Jonah Where have the Spirits gone? Panthea Only a feeling remains in the heart from them, like a spell From the music, in those bright moments, When the lute subsides, the voice falls silent, But the echoes of the silent melody In the deep, sensitive, labyrinthine soul Still live and awaken a long hum. Prometheus The aerial visions are captivating, But I feel that all hopes are in vain. One love is true; and how far are You, Asia, whose heart is before me, In the old days, open, burned, Like a sparkling cup, receiving Fragrant and bright wine. Everything is quiet, everything is dead. The gloomy morning hangs like a heavy oppression over the heart; I would sleep now, although with anxiety, Whenever I could fall asleep. Oh, how I would like to quickly fulfill My destiny - to be a support, a Savior of a suffering person; Otherwise - fall asleep, silently drown in the primary abyss of all things - in the abyss, where there are neither sweet bliss nor agony, where there are no pleasures of the Earth and tortures of the Sky. Panthea And you forgot that all night long, in the cold darkness, One is breathing anxiously around you, whose eyes will only close when the shadow of your spirit bends over her with tender care. Prometheus I said that all hopes are in vain, Only love is true: you love. Panthea Truth! I love you deeply. But the star of dawn grows pale in the east. I'm coming. Asia is waiting - there, in distant India, Among the valleys of its exile, - Where once there were wild cliffs, Like a frosty gorge, Witnesses of your constant torture, But now delicate flowers breathe, Herbs sigh, forest responses, And the sounds of wind, air and water, By the presence of those transformed, - All the wonderful creatures of the ether, Who live in close fusion With your creative breath. Goodbye!

Philology

Bulletin of Nizhny Novgorod University named after. N.I. Lobachevsky, 2012, No. 1 (2), p. 83-86

Volga State Social and Humanitarian Academy, Samara

Received by the editor 09.12.2011

The lyrical drama of P.B. is analyzed. Shelley "Prometheus Unbound". Particular attention is paid to the poet’s views on the problem of changes in space life and in the history of mankind.

Keywords: P.B. Shelley, Prometheus Unbound, English literature, romanticism.

The image of the titan Prometheus is one of the most popular in the literature and art of antiquity and modern times. Traditionally, it is interpreted as the image of a demiurge - the creator of people - or a cultural hero - their benefactor, and also as an image of a fighter against God who rebelled against unjust rule olympian gods. However, in the history of literature there is an example of a different approach to the interpretation of this image: the English romantic P.B. Shelley, in his lyrical drama Prometheus Unbound (1819), examines the history of this hero not so much in a social or anthropological aspect, but in a cosmological one. The events of Shelley's myth about the captive titan affect the life of the universe as a whole, and not just the relationship between gods and people. To understand how the English poet interprets the relationship between the universe and the fate of this hero, and, in general, how he understands the laws of the existence of the universe, let us turn to his lyrical drama.

Researchers of Shelley’s work sometimes see in “Prometheus Unbound” a completely finished ancient, and more specifically, a Neoplatonic, picture of the world (this is the position of L. Winstanley or D. Kin-Heli). It seems, however, that the myth created by the English poet only partially coincides with the ancient concept of being, diverging from it in significant points.

One of the main problems of drama is the question of the nature of the confrontation between good and evil in the universe. The earth in the drama says to Prometheus: Know that there are / Two worlds: the world of life and the world of pale death. / One of them you see, contemplate, / The other is hidden in the depths of the underworld, / In the foggy abode of shadows / All forms that breathe, feel and think, / Until death

will not bring them together / Forever to a place from where there is no return (Translated by K. Balmont).

The source of these ideas is directly indicated in the monologue of the Earth, which claims that among people this truth was first revealed to the wise Zoroaster. In Zoroastrianism - the religion of Ancient Iran - the concept of good is synonymous with the concept of life, including natural life, and evil is the decay of life, death and non-existence. In Shelley's drama, nature, due to the imprisonment of Prometheus and the establishment of an unjust order by Jupiter, is in a decadent state. Asia, for example, speaks about the Earth in the following way: And if / You are only a shadow of the most beautiful spirit, / And if the ulcer of evil has stained / A beautiful and weak creature, - / I am still ready to fall on my face / And pray before him and before you.

Only after the liberation of Prometheus does nature acquire perfection, which is clear from the monologue of the Earth: From now on in my affectionate bosom / All my offspring, plants, fish, / Animals, and birds, and a family / of creeping forms and flowery butterflies, / Flying on rainbow wings, / And human ghosts, who found poison / In my withered chest, - / Now, instead of the poison of bitter torment, / They will find other sweet food... .

Events of such a cosmic scale, affecting the quality of natural life as a whole, were not provided for in ancient cosmology, in which the sensory cosmos, despite the material component, is a complete and perfect work. The movement of this cosmos is not historical, but circular; it is “in a state of eternal rotation, which gives it the opportunity to move forever, and to remain forever in the same place, and to be eternally self-sufficient,

rotating in its eternal movement towards itself."

The transformation of nature described by Shelley is a transition from one era to another, an irreversible transition. “Prometheus Unbound” ends with the advent of the Golden Age, a completely new era for the universe and humanity. Absolutely everything changes, from small to great; Here, for example, is the observation of the Spirit of the Earth: Suddenly snakes, salamanders and frogs, / Having slightly changed their appearance and color, / Became beautiful; everything was transformed; / The bad in things has been smoothed out.... . And the Spirit of the Hour declares: The omnipresent light of the sun, the thin air / Mysteriously transformed everywhere, / As if the spirit of love melted in them / And merged them with the world in a sweet embrace.

L. Winstanley sees the influence of Plato in these descriptions of changes in nature, namely, the influence of the concept of alternation of different periods in the existence of the cosmos set forth in the dialogue “Politician”. However, it seems that Plato’s story that “God either directs the movement of the Universe, giving it a rotation himself, then gives it freedom,” after which “this movement spontaneously reverses,” does not agree much with Shelley’s drama about the decline of unjust rule and the beginning of harmonious rule. era. In Plato’s dialogue, good and harmony come into the world thanks to the influence of God, and evil arises during periods of inertia: “When the cosmos separated from the Helmsman, then in the near future after this separation he did everything perfectly; after the lapse of time and the arrival of oblivion, a state of ancient disorder takes possession of him, so that in the end he degenerates...” Then the Helmsman takes control again, and the cosmos comes into order again. In Shelley's drama, on the contrary, the decline of the cosmos arises not from the absence of a manager, but from the tyrannical power of Jupiter, while the beginning of a new era is marked by the beginning of the process of self-organization of the universe based on the universal principle of love. The earth says in the finale: Oh, happiness! By destroying evil / Exhausted; melted; passed; / Everything is drunk, like a herd of springs in the desert; / And the heavens are no longer the same, / And in the boundless emptiness / Love - love burns from now on.

In general, in “Prometheus Unbound” one cannot find much similarity either with Neoplatonic teaching or with the cosmological myth from Plato’s “Politician”. Zoroastrianism, which influenced the concept of good and evil presented in the drama, was also reflected in

other significant aspects of the work. The main thing that brings Shelley’s drama closer to the doctrine of Zoroastrianism is the depiction of nature as a participant in the universal struggle of light and darkness, life and death, a struggle that must go through several historical stages and end with the complete overcoming of evil, and therefore the triumph of life. The Age of Separation - that's what this one is called last period in the history of the world - there will be a time when the material cosmos will be freed from all the shortcomings associated with the mortality of living beings. Something similar can be seen in the finale of Prometheus Unbound, where sensual nature, in collaboration with humanity, forms a unity, free from any flaws (although Shelley leaves death in this world, trying, however, to make its effect on living beings completely painless). The Earth in the drama says: Now the soul of people has merged into one / Love and thought, a powerful link / And it rules over the host of natural forces, / Like the sun in the blue abyss / Shines like a king over the crowd / Planets and all the free luminaries.

The unity acquired by the universe must put an end to history, since any forward movement now becomes unnecessary - after all, perfection has been achieved. Time is now indistinguishable from eternity, love has united all disparate lives, and it would seem that this universe has become an earthly reflection of the Platonic and Neoplatonic world of ideas, but such a comparison seems justified only with serious reservations. The cosmos in Platonic philosophy has all its excellent qualities, since there is also an intelligible sphere that endows it with them, while in Prometheus Unbound the cosmos is depicted as self-sufficient. The ideal principle present in it does not point to higher spheres of existence, but is confined within its limits. It is no coincidence that the life of the gods in this drama not only determines the processes occurring in nature (which from the ancient point of view is fully consistent with the role of the gods in the universe), but also, on the other hand, occurs exclusively within the boundaries of nature and changes with it. In other words, the gods in Prometheus Unbound are inside the cosmos as forces that animate it (and perhaps are animated by it), but do not reside outside its boundaries as formative principles - Platonic ideas. Prometheus, Asia, Panthea, Jonah, not to mention the Earth or Ocean, are so closely connected with the life of nature that

come together with her. Drawing his future and his friends in a wonderful cave, Prometheus says: ...We will / By the persistence of words of love and greedy glances / Search for hidden thoughts, ascending / From the light to that in which there is more light, / And, like lutes touched in a storm / With an air kiss, let’s create / Harmony of ever-new sounds... .

These plans of the hero indicate that greater or lesser perfection is possible for the gods in this world, that they can still achieve complete harmony, which they were deprived of, which once again confirms the idea that the universe in “Prometheus Unbound” is not built according to the Neoplatonic models. The underlying dualism of good and evil, which fight each other within the same world, is not identical to the Neoplatonic dualism of the ideal and material principles, which coexist harmoniously.

Positive changes in nature in Shelley's drama occur in parallel with beneficial changes in human society. After the liberation of Prometheus - the defender of people - not only nature, but also society become ideal: ... From now on / Everywhere there will be a free person, / Brother will be equal to brother, all barriers / Disappeared between people; tribes, peoples, / Estates are no more; They all merged into one, / And everyone has full power over themselves; / Wisdom, meekness, justice have come... .

Shelley realizes his desire to unite the life of nature with the human world by proclaiming common goals for humanity and the natural universe and including nature in history. At first glance, this is directly opposite to the ancient understanding, according to which human life, although also conceived outside of separation from nature, but this union rests on other foundations. Here human existence is not considered as something different from natural life with all its laws. A.F. Losev writes about this: “A striking indicator<...>natural, completely astronomical idea of human personality and its fate is the general Orphic-Pythagorean, Platonic-Neoplatonic teaching about the world cycle of souls and their reincarnations, a teaching that is also quite similar to the general ancient teaching<...>about the cycle of matter in nature." So, for antiquity, the history of man (and therefore humanity) is “the ahistorical history of the soul, the essence of which lies only in the cycle of natural processes.” , Shelley, on the contrary, wants to give nature a linear dynamics, similar linear movement human life and history. But this desire of the poet contradicts his favorite idea about the advent of an era of perfection for humanity and nature. When the ideal is achieved, any further linear movement will lose meaning and people's lives will begin to flow only in accordance with natural processes. Thus, a paradoxical situation arises in Shelley’s work: in an effort to integrate nature into the history of mankind, he instead, in his Prometheus, ultimately frees humanity from history and, therefore, turns it into a semblance of nature.

Thus, the universe presented here resembles both the ancient and Zoroastrian picture of the world. The poet does not explain in this drama the reasons for the origin of evil, but it is obvious that, unlike Neoplatonism, in which there is no idea of the moment of the emergence of evil (just as there is no starting point for the emergence of the universe), in a world similar to that depicted in “Prometheus Unbound”, such the moment must be present. As mentioned, he is not in this drama, but in another work of Shelley there is a story about the beginning of the struggle between good and evil: we are talking about an earlier poem, “The Outrage of Islam” (1817). In general, this poem almost does not touch on natural philosophical issues, but concerns issues of social structure, but, as is typical for Shelley, the imperfections of society here are due to the imperfections of the cosmos, in which two forces initially collided, generated by some indefinite source of being - Nothing (“Nothing gave birth to them, Nothing is empty"). At the very beginning of time, good and evil collided in the sky - the Predawn Star and the fiery Comet, and evil won in this collision. Shelley writes: So evil rejoiced; the many-faced, / multi-shift, powerful genius of evil / took over; incomprehensibly complex, wild / Reigned over the world; there was darkness everywhere; / The tribe of people born yesterday / Wandered, cursing pain and darkness, / And the burden of hatred dragged, / Blaspheming good... (Translated by K. Balmont).

This fragment also confirms that for the poet the fate of humanity, nature and the entire universe is one, which means that transformations in nature will entail changes in society (as happens in “Prometheus Unbound”), or the improvement of society should lead to the harmonization of nature (as this is suggested in "The Outrage of Islam"

ma"). To connect humanity and nature in such a close way, Shelley finds for them some General characteristics, and the main one is love, which becomes the only law in the transformed world. For the poet, this means the transition of nature into an ethical state, since morality for him is love. Thus, in the finale of Prometheus Unbound, the universe, having submitted to the law of love, becomes moral.

Even the most cursory analysis of the philosophical issues of Prometheus Unbound shows how original the interpretation of the Greek myth is in this drama. Using the story of Prometheus, Shelley created a work that reflected his views on the universe, man, history, and his ethical ideas. This is another confirmation of how big

possibility contains the myth of Prometheus to express specifically new European content.

Bibliography

1. Winstanley L. Platonism in Shelley // Essays and studies by members of the English Association. Vol. 4 / Collected by C.H. Hereford. Oxford, 1913. P. 72-100.

2. King-Hele D. Shelley: his thought and work. London, 1962. 390 p.

3. Shelley P.B. Selected works: Poems. Poems. Dramas. Philosophical studies. M.: RIPOL CLASSIC, 1998. 800 p.

4. Losev A.F. History of ancient aesthetics: Late Hellenism. Kharkov: Folio; M.: AST, 2000. 960 p.

5. Plato. Politician / Transl. S.Ya. Sheinman-Topshtein // Plato. Collection cit.: In 4 vols. T. 4. M.: Mysl, 1994. P. 3-70.

THE MYTH OF PROMETHEUS IN P.B. SHELLEY'S INTERPRETATION

The article presents an analysis of the lyrical drama “Prometheus Unbound” by P.B. Shelley. Particular attention is paid to the poet's views regarding the problem of changes in the cosmic life and in human history.

Keywords: P.B. Shelley, “Prometheus Unbound”, English literature, romanticism.

Shelley's romantic utopian drama is written in white iambic pentameter.
The action begins in the Caucasus Mountains, where the titan Prometheus languishes in chains in a gorge among ice-covered rocks. At his feet, the Oceanids Panthea and Jonah listen sympathetically to his reproaches addressed to the supreme god, Jupiter. Prometheus reminds the autocrat that he once helped him take power over the gods, for which Jupiter repaid him with black ingratitude. He chained the titan to a rock, doomed him to torment: his body was tormented by a bloodthirsty eagle at the will of Jupiter.

But it seemed to him

Few. He also hated the people to whom Prometheus gave fire and the torch of knowledge, and now he is sending misfortune to all of humanity. However, Prometheus refuses to submit to the tyrant. He believes that “love, freedom, truth” will triumph, he remembers his terrible curse tyrant and has no doubt that the despot will fall and retribution - the endless torment of eternal loneliness - will befall him.

Prometheus is not afraid of either physical torment or the furies tormenting his mind and soul. He firmly believes in his destiny: “to be a support, a savior of a suffering person.” The only consolation for the titan is his memories

About the beloved, the beautiful oceanid of Asia.

Panthea informs him that Asia, who loves him, is always waiting for him in India.
Appearing to Asia, Panthea speaks of Prometheus’s love for her. Asia indulges in memories of past loves and dreams of reuniting with her beloved.
Together with Panthea, Asia goes to the cave where Demogorgon sits - “powerful darkness”, which has “no clear features, no image, no members.” Asia asks Demogorgon about who created the world, thought, feelings, crime, hatred and everything inherent in earthly life, and Demogorgon answers all questions the same way: the autocratic God. But who is Master Jupiter then, asks Asia, and Demogorgon says: “All spirits, if they serve evil, are slaves.

Whether Jupiter is like this or not, you can see.”
Feeling hope of liberation from the tyrannical power of Jupiter, Asia asks when Prometheus's shackles will fall. However, Demogorgon again answers unclearly, and foggy visions flash before Asia.
Meanwhile, on the heavenly throne, Jupiter enjoys his power. The only thing that irritates him is the disobedience of a person who undermines his autocratic power.
On the chariot of the Hour the gloomy Demogorgon appears to him. "Who are you?" - asks Jupiter and hears in response: “Eternity.” The Demogorgon invites Jupiter to follow him into eternal darkness. The indignant Jupiter showers him with curses, but the Hour has come - he is overthrown from the throne, the elements to which he calls no longer obey him, and he falls down into darkness.
Joy covers the gods at the news of the fall of the tyrant. On the chariot of the Spirit of the Hour, Asia and Panthea descend into the Caucasus Mountains. Hercules frees Prometheus from his chains, Prometheus is incredibly happy to see his beautiful beloved Asia, and makes plans for a new joyful life for himself and the people he saved.

The earth tells him and Asia about its torment, when the spirit of hostility reigned everywhere on it.
To everyone's joy, the Spirit of the Hour reports that after the fall of the tyrant-autocrat, there were big changes: “contempt, and horror, and hatred, and self-humiliation in the eyes of men have gone out”, “jealousy, envy, treachery have disappeared”... Having descended to earth, Prometheus and Asia hear the Spirits of the Human Mind singing the triumph of freedom and love. Wonderful visions flash before them, and among them is the beautiful Spirit of the Earth, the child of Asia.

The Earth describes the incredible transformation of the world: “...The swamp of thought, dormant for centuries, is outraged by the Fire of love... ...From many souls a single spirit arose.”
And finally, the Demogorgon, the embodiment of eternal darkness, who appears before them, announces that thanks to the Son of the Earth, the kingdom of Patience, Wisdom, Tenderness, and Kindness has come. And in this kingdom Beauty will rule.

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Shelley's romantic utopian drama is written in white iambic pentameter. The action begins in the Caucasus Mountains, where the titan Prometheus languishes in chains in a gorge among ice-covered rocks. At his feet, the Oceanids Panthea and Jonah listen sympathetically to his reproaches addressed to the supreme god, Jupiter. Prometheus reminds the autocrat that he once helped him take power over the gods, for which [...]
P. B. Shelley Prometheus Unbound Shelley's romantic utopian drama is written in white iambic pentameter. The action begins in the Caucasus Mountains, where the titan Prometheus languishes in chains in a gorge among ice-covered rocks. At his feet, the Oceanids Panthea and Jonah listen sympathetically to his reproaches addressed to the supreme god, Jupiter. Prometheus reminds the autocrat that he once helped him take power […]...
ENGLISH LITERATURE Percy Bisshe Shelley Prometheus Unbound Lyrical drama (1818-1819) Shelley's romantic utopian drama is written in white iambic pentameter. The action begins in the Caucasus Mountains, where the titan Prometheus languishes in chains in a gorge among ice-covered rocks. At his feet, the Oceanids Panthea and Jonah sympathetically listen to his reproaches addressed to the supreme god, […]...
Shelley's romantic utopian drama is written in white iambic pentameter. The action begins in the Caucasus Mountains, where the titan Prometheus languishes in chains in a gorge among ice-covered rocks. At his feet, the Oceanids Panthea and Jonah listen sympathetically to his reproaches addressed to the supreme god, Jupiter. Prometheus reminds the autocrat that he once helped him take power over the gods, for which Jupiter […]...
PROMETHEUS The plot of the work is based on the ancient Greek myth of the rebellious titan, reinterpreted by Shelley in the spirit of his revolutionary time. The main pathos of the work is the pathos of a struggle ending in the defeat of the forces of evil and tyranny. Prometheus enters into a one-on-one fight with the tyrant Zeus: And he stood face to face with the insidious power of the Ruler of the transcendental heights. Looking mockingly at the ground, [...]
The protector of people, the titan Prometheus, was found in the work “Theogony” written by Hesiod. In the poem, Prometheus has intelligence and cunning. The hero arranges for the meat of the bull that was sacrificed to be divided among all people and gods. According to Prometheus, more meat should go to people, not gods. God Zeus was furious that people had the opportunity [...]
PROMETHEUS Servants of Zeus Strength and Power brought the titan Prometheus to the desert country of the Scythians at the edge of the earth and, by order of the supreme god, Hephaestus chained him to a rock as punishment for stealing fire from the gods and giving it to people. Prometheus did not say a word while Hephaestus chained him to the rock, and left alone, […]...
Aeschylus Prometheus Chained We have already met the titan Prometheus, the benefactor of humanity, in Hesiod’s poem “Theogony”. There he is a clever cunning man who arranges the division of sacrificial bull meat between people and gods so that best part went to people's food. And then, when the angry Zeus does not want people to be able to boil and fry the meat they get, and […]...
I would not exchange my sorrows for slave service. Aeschylus He really was a hero, a titan in the original meaning of these words. Just think, he has been sung for more than twenty-five centuries! This is only in the drama of Aeschylus, but how long before that? And the actors spoke about him at the buskins, perhaps so that the lofty words would be even loftier, in the open [...]
Prometheus is a rebel, challenging both the tyranny of Zeus and the weakness of all human race which turns out to be the support of despotism. Unlike the tragedy of Aeschylus, which served as a model for Shelley, oppression is conceptualized not as a curse, but as people’s retribution for their own fear of existence, which commands them to give preference to unfreedom, drowning out the creative impulse within themselves. P., who did not accept violence […]...
Written under the direct influence of the English Gothic novel of the late 18th – early 19th centuries, M. Shelley’s novel in many ways surpasses the works of H. Walpole, A. Radcliffe and others in the scale of the humanistic ideas presented in it and the psychological development of characters. Victor F., a young Swiss scientist, endowed with remarkable talent and an insatiable thirst for enlightenment, masters the secret of reproducing living matter. […]...
Prometheus (from Greek seer) is in Greek mythology the son of the Titan Iapetus and the nymph Clymene. He helped Zeus defeat the Titans and gain power over the world. During a dispute about reducing sacrifices to the gods, Prometheus took the side of the people who suffered from hunger and were powerless against the mighty Olympians, dividing the slaughtered bull into two parts. In one pile […]...
The surviving tragedies allow us to outline 3 stages in Aeschylus’ TV. The middle period includes such works as “Seven against Thebes” and “Prometheus Bound”. Here a central image of the hero appears, characterized by several main features; dialogue is greatly developed, prologues are created; The images of episodic figures also become clearer. Traits of a humanist artist. Prometheus, one of the titans, representatives of the “older generation”. IN […]...
Prometheus is a mythical hero. It was created back in Ancient Greece. The world around was cruel, there were constant wars. The rulers of some states tried to conquer other peoples. And in countries, tyrants abused their people. People needed a protector. And Prometheus became this hero. Prometheus wanted to help people. He decided to give them the fire that burned on Olympus. […]...
Know well that I would not exchange my sorrows for slavish service. Aeschylus Literature of Ancient Greece played a huge role in cultural development humanity. Many years separate us from the heyday of ancient Greek art, but we still continue to read its best works. These include the tragedies of the great playwright of antiquity Aeschylus. Aeschylus's most famous work was [...]
The tragedy “Prometheus the Chained” is the most famous tragedy of the Greek playwright Aeschylus, who lived on the border of the 6th-5th centuries AD in Athens, whom the ancient Greeks called “father Greek tragedy" Aeschylus, like other artists in Ancient Greece, always used mythical subjects in his works. This is explained by the fact that myth played a very important role in life […]...
Explain the essence of the concept of “Prometheism”. The tragedy of Aeschylus “Prometheus the Chained” is based on the ancient Greek myths about the Titan, who stole fire from the gods, gave it to people and was severely punished by Zeus for this. The play clearly defined the uncompromising behavior of the main character, his irreconcilable conflict with Zeus. The tension of the stage action is enhanced by monologues, dialogues, and choir performances. Main character he tells […]...
We have already met the titan Prometheus, the benefactor of humanity, in Hesiod’s poem “Theogony”. There he is a clever cunning man who arranges the division of sacrificial bull meat between people and gods so that the best part goes to people for food. And then, when the angry Zeus does not want people to be able to boil and fry the meat they have received, and refuses to give them […]...
How much the Ukrainian people had to endure, how much ordeal and bullying befell them! But it turns out that all nations were in this situation. Russian tsarism deprived them of their freedom. And then the peoples were like the chained Prometheus, who, being physically in the dans, never submitted in soul, knowing nothing better than freedom, than the happiness of people. Behind the mountains are mountains, [...]
ARTISTIC ORIGINALITY OF AESCHYLUS' PLAY “PROMETHEUS CHAINED” Existed ancient legend, according to which Aeschylus, having fallen asleep in his father’s vineyard as a child, saw the god Dionysus in a dream. God warned the boy that he should become tragic poet. At the behest of the gods, Aeschylus became the author of many dozens of plays, of which, unfortunately, only seven have survived to this day. Among these […]...
We have already met the titan Prometheus, the benefactor of humanity, in Hesiod’s poem “Theogony”. There he is a clever cunning man who arranges the division of sacrificial bull meat between people and gods so that the best part goes to people for food. And then, when the angry Zeus does not want people to be able to boil and fry the meat they have received, and refuses to give them […]...
In the poem “Prometheus,” Byron used the ancient legend of Prometheus, a fighter against the tyranny of the gods, for the happiness of mankind. The image of this titan was one of the favorite images of Byron and his friend Shelley. Prometheus “always occupied my thoughts,” Byron admitted. He turned to his image in his youthful translations from Greek and in such mature works as “The Bronze Age” […]...
Protest against evil and injustice, against despotism and cruelty of kings, the struggle of the Greek people for freedom and independence, for human rights to mental and physical work, on discoveries and achievements in various fields of culture - these are the main questions that the famous ancient Greek playwright Aeschylus raised in his works. In his work he reflected a whole stage in the formation of the Athenian [...]
Having created many beautiful works, Aeschylus is rightfully considered the “father of tragedy.” His work amazes with the breadth of his life, the depth of his ideological content, the richness and monumentality of the created images, the originality and artistic originality of his works. The playwright acted in one person as a poet, a director of his tragedies, a musician, and an actor. Therefore, his works are not intended for reading, but specifically for viewing, […]...
...The wisdom of numbers, the most important of the sciences, I invented for people the addition of letters, the essence of all arts, the basis of all memory. I am the first who accustomed animals to the yoke, and to the collar, and to the pack, so that They would save people from the most exhausting Work. And I harnessed the horses, obedient to the lead, The beauty and shine of wealth, to the carts, None other than [...]
Torquato Tasso Liberated Jerusalem The Lord Almighty from his heavenly throne turned his all-seeing gaze to Syria, where the crusader army was encamped. For the sixth year already, the soldiers of Christ fought in the East, many cities and kingdoms submitted to them, but the Holy City of Jerusalem was still a stronghold of the infidels. Reading in human hearts as in an open book, He saw that from [...]
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Byron is one of the most famous representatives of the romantic movement in poetry of the 19th century. The life of this extraordinary person is, as it were, an interlinear reference to his work and poetry. If a noble Englishman, a lord, a prince, from an impoverished family, dies in a foreign land, tired of fighting for the happiness of a foreign people, this already means something. Despite the fact that Byron is considered a typical representative [...]
Byron is one of the most famous representatives of the romantic movement in poetry of the 19th century. The life of this extraordinary person is, as it were, an interlinear reference to his work and poetry. If a noble Englishman, a lord, albeit from an impoverished family, dies in a foreign land, tired of fighting for the happiness of a foreign people, this already means something. Despite the fact that Byron is considered a typical representative [...]
ITALIAN LITERATURE Torquato Tasso (torquato tasso) 1544-1595 Liberated Jerusalem (La gerusalemme liberata) - Poem (1575) The Lord Almighty from his heavenly throne turned his all-seeing gaze to Syria, where the crusading army was encamped. For the sixth year already, the soldiers of Christ fought in the East, many cities and kingdoms submitted to them, but the Holy City of Jerusalem was still a stronghold of the infidels. Reading […]...
(1792-1822) One significant pattern is observed in the history of world literature. Often, almost at the same time, two writers write, equal in talent, but different, “polar” in their artistic manner. They form unique “pairs”: these are Sophocles and Euripides, Goethe and Schiller, Dickens and Thackeray, Tolstoy and Dostoevsky, Blok and Bryusov, Hemingway and Faulkner, Arthur Miller and […]...
The action takes place in Italy in the 16th century, when Pope Clement VIII sits on the papal throne. Count Cenci, a wealthy Roman nobleman, the head of a large family, became famous for his dissipation and vile atrocities, which he does not even consider necessary to hide. He is confident in his impunity, because even the pope, condemning his sins, is ready to forgive them to the count for his generous offerings. IN […]...
Shelley dedicated his romantic poem in twelve cantos to “the cause of broad and liberating morality,” the ideas of freedom and justice. The poem is written in the so-called Spencerian stanza. During a thunderstorm raging over the earth, the poet suddenly sees a gap of heavenly azure among the clouds, and against this background his eyes see the struggle of the Eagle and the Snake over the depths of the sea; The Eagle torments the Snake, which [...]
The Lord Almighty from his heavenly throne turned his all-seeing gaze to Syria, where the crusader army was encamped. For the sixth year already, the soldiers of Christ fought in the East, many cities and kingdoms submitted to them, but the Holy City of Jerusalem was still a stronghold of the infidels. Reading in human hearts as in an open book, He saw that out of many glorious leaders only [...]
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The main character of the tragedy of the ancient playwright Aeschylus “Prometheus Chained” is the titan Prometheus. The plot of the tragedy “Prometheus Bound” is based on ancient greek mythology. The plot is based on the conflict between Prometheus and the supreme god Zeus. Prometheus, contrary to the will of Zeus, came to the aid of people. He taught them to use fire, tame animals, build ships, and find minerals. Prometheus gave people [...]

Preface

Audisne haec, Amphiarae, sub terram abdite?

Do you hear　this, Amphiareus, hidden underground?

Greek tragedians, borrowing their ideas from　 national history or mythology, when developing them, they observed a certain conscious arbitrariness. They did not at all consider themselves obliged to adhere to the generally accepted interpretation or to imitate, in the narrative and in the title, their rivals and predecessors. Such a technique would lead them to renounce the very goals that served as the motivation for creativity, the desire to achieve superiority over their rivals. The story of Agamemnon was reproduced on the Athenian stage with as many modifications as there were dramas.

I allowed myself a similar liberty. The liberated Prometheus of Aeschylus assumed the reconciliation of Jupiter with his victim as payment for exposing the danger that threatened his power from his marriage with Thetis. According to this consideration of the plan, Thetis was given as a wife to Peleus, and Prometheus, with the permission of Jupiter, was freed from captivity by Hercules. If I had constructed my story according to this plan, I would have done nothing else than to attempt to recover the lost drama of Aeschylus, and even if my preference for this form of plot development had induced me to cherish such an ambitious project, the mere thought of the impertinent comparison which aroused such an attempt could have stopped her. But, to tell the truth, I felt disgust at such a weak solution as the reconciliation of the Champion of mankind with his Oppressor. The moral interest of fiction, so powerfully supported by the suffering and inflexibility of Prometheus, would disappear if we could imagine that he had abandoned his proud tongue and bowed timidly before a triumphant and treacherous enemy. The only creature of the imagination that bears any resemblance to　Prometheus is Satan, and, in my opinion, Prometheus is　of a more poetic character than Satan, since—not to mention　bravery, majesty, and　firm resistance to almighty force—he can be imagined himself deprived of those shortcomings of ambition, envy, vindictiveness and thirst for exaltation that are in the Hero Paradise Lost enter into 　enmity with　interest. The character of Satan gives rise to harmful casuistry in the mind, forcing us to compare his mistakes with his misfortunes and to excuse the former because the latter exceed all measure. In the minds of those who view this magnificent design with religious feeling, it gives birth to something even worse. Meanwhile, Prometheus is a type of the highest moral and mental perfection, obeying the purest, unselfish motives that lead to the most beautiful and noble goals.

This poem was almost entirely written in the mountainous ruins of the Baths of Caracalla, among the flowering clearings and dense bushes covered with fragrant flowers that spread in more and more intimidating labyrinths along huge terraces and dizzying arches hanging in the air. The bright blue sky of Rome, the influence of the awakening spring, so powerful in this divine climate, and the new life with which it intoxicates the soul, were the inspiration of this drama.

The images I have developed here are in many cases drawn from the realm of the movements of the human mind or from the external actions by which they are expressed. In　modern poetry this is an unusual technique, although Dante and　Shakespeare are full of similar examples, and　Dante more than anyone else, and with　the greatest success, resorted to to this technique. But the Greek poets, as writers who knew absolutely about all the means of awakening sympathy in the hearts of their contemporaries, often used this powerful lever. Let my readers attribute this feature to the study of the creatures of Hellas, because any other, higher merit will probably be denied to me.

I must say a few candid words regarding the extent to which the study of modern works may have influenced my work, for this is precisely the reproach that has been made regarding poems much better known than mine, and undoubtedly deserving of much greater fame. It is impossible that a man living in the same era with such writers as those who stand in the forefront of our literature could honestly assert that his language and the direction of his thoughts could not have undergone changes from the study of the creations of these exceptional minds.

It is certain that if not the character of their genius, then the forms in which it manifested itself are due not so much to their personal characteristics as to the peculiarities of the moral and intellectual state of those minds among which they were created. A certain number of writers, therefore, have the external form, but they lack the spirit of those whom they supposedly imitate; indeed, the form is, as it were, an accessory to the era in which they live, and the spirit must be a spontaneous flash of their own mind.

A special style that distinguishes modern English literature- intense and expressive fantasticality - if considered as a general force, was not the result of imitation of any individual writer.

The mass of abilities in　every period remains, in　essence, the same; the circumstances that awaken her to activity are constantly changing. If England were divided into forty republics, each equal in size and population to Athens, there is no reason to doubt that, under institutions no more perfect than those of Athens, each of these republics would produce philosophers and poets equal to those who never have not been surpassed, unless we exclude Shakespeare. To the great writers of the golden age of our literature we owe the fiery awakening of public opinion that overthrew the oldest and most oppressive forms of orthodox prejudice. To Milton we owe the growth and development of the same spirit: let it be ever remembered that the sacred Milton was a republican and a bold student of morals and religion. The great writers of our own age, we have reason to suppose, are the creators and forerunners of some unexpected change in the conditions of our social life or in the opinions that are the cement for them. Minds have formed into a cloud, it is discharged with its complex lightning, and the balance between institutions and opinions is now restored or close to being restored.

As for imitation, poetry is the art of mimicry. She creates, but she creates through combinations and images. Poetic abstractions are beautiful and　new　not because their constituent parts had no prior existence in　the mind of man or in　nature, but　because the whole　whole, being created by their　combination, gives some conceivable and　beautiful analogy with these sources of thought and　feeling and with modern conditions of their development: great poet is　an exemplary creation of nature, and　another poet not only should study him, but also　certainly studies him. If he decided to exclude from his contemplation everything that is beautiful that exists in the works of some great contemporary, it would be as unreasonable and as difficult as ordering his mind not to be a mirror of everything beautiful that exists in nature. Such a task would be an empty ambition for anyone except the greatest, and even for him the result would be tension, unnaturalness and impotence. The poet is a combination of certain internal abilities that change the nature of others, and certain external influences that excite and support these abilities; he　is, therefore, the personification not　of one indivisible, but　of two. In this respect, every human mind is changed by the influence of all objects of nature and art, by every word, by every suggestion which it has allowed to influence its consciousness; he is like a mirror where all forms are reflected, combining into one. Poets, as well as philosophers, painters, sculptors and musicians, are in one respect the creators of their era, in another – its creations. Even the highest minds cannot evade such subordination. There are certain similarities between Homer and Hesiod, Aeschylus and Euripides, Virgil and Horace, Dante and Petrarch, Shakespeare and Fletcher, Dryden and Pope; Each of them has a common generic trait, under the dominance of which their personal characteristics are formed. If such similarity is a consequence of imitation, I readily admit that I imitated.

I take this opportunity to testify that I was guided by a feeling that the Scottish philosopher very aptly defined as “a passionate desire to transform the world.” What passion prompted him to write and publish his book, he does not explain. For my part, I would rather be condemned with Plato and Lord Bacon than be in Heaven with Paley and Malthus. However, it would be a mistake to assume that I devote my poetic works to the sole task of strengthening directly the spirit of transformation, or that I look at them as works that, to one degree or another, contain some kind of rationally created scheme of human life. Didactic poetry is disgusting to me; what can be equally well expressed in　prose, in verse is pretentious and　disgusting. My task hitherto has been to enable the most select class of readers with poetic taste to enrich their refined imagination with the ideal beauties of moral excellence; I know that until the mind learns to love, adore, believe, hope, achieve, the rational foundations of moral behavior will be seeds thrown on the path of life, and the carefree traveler will trample them, although they should have brought a harvest for him happiness. If I were destined to live to compile a systematic narrative about what seems to me to be the genuine elements of human society, the defenders of injustice and superstition could not flatter themselves with the thought that I take Aeschylus as my model more readily than Plato.

Introduction

Like any major phenomenon of social life, the aesthetics of revolutionary romanticism is rooted in the distant past of European literature. Assessing the value artistic traditions for the progressive literature of his time, Shelley wrote: "We are all Greeks. Our laws, our literature, our religion, our arts have their roots in Greece."

So, the author of the lyrical drama “Prometheus Unchained” himself admits that new works are built on the basis of ancient literature. Shelley turns in his work to the ancient folk legend about Prometheus, which received its classical embodiment in Aeschylus' tragedy "Prometheus Bound".

The image of Prometheus is the image of a rebel-savior. No wonder Marx called Prometheus the noblest saint and martyr in the philosophical calendar.

Prometheus is indeed a very convenient hero in order to convey certain revolutionary motives, which is why Shelley chooses him. But should he storyline legends about Prometheus? Is his Prometheus the same as in the ancient myth?

The hero Prometheus, his features, his character - Shelley likes all this. The myth of Prometheus itself is a kind of mask behind which Shelley hides his ideas. At the same time, these ideas are quite easy to read precisely because this is the myth of Prometheus - a hero who personifies struggle and nobility.

Main part

Prometheus Unchained begins with a foreword by Shelley explaining why his Prometheus is exactly like that.

“Greek tragedians, borrowing their ideas from Russian history and mythology, observed a certain conscious arbitrariness when developing them. They did not at all consider themselves obliged to adhere to the generally accepted interpretation, or to imitate, in narration and title, their rivals and predecessors.”

So, Shelley himself emphasizes that the Greeks were quite free in their interpretation of events, and he evaluates this positively.

Aeschylus's "Prometheus" suggested the reconciliation of Zeus with his sacrifice, as gratitude for the discovery of a secret - the danger that threatened his power from marrying Thetis. Thetis was given as a wife to Peleus, and Prometheus was freed by Hercules with the permission of Zeus. Why doesn’t Shelley like this particular plot?

P.B. From the very beginning, Shelley rejects the possibility of reconciliation between Prometheus and Zeus, which Aeschylus counted on.

"If I had constructed my story according to this plan, I would have done nothing more than attempt to recover the lost drama of Aeschylus, and even if my preference for this form of plot development had induced me to cherish such an ambitious project, the very thought of the daring comparison which aroused such an attempt could have stopped it.” So, Shelley is not satisfied with empty imitation, it is not creative and not “Greek”. He is also not satisfied with the fact that the work will be compared with the previously created one and most likely will find the first version of the retold myth more successful.

However, this is still not the main reason. The point is that Shelley cannot agree with such the denouement of the myth that Aeschylus offers: “the reconciliation of this Champion of mankind with the Oppressor.” The image of Prometheus is a type of moral superiority and mental perfection, obeying the purest and most unselfish motives that lead to the most beautiful and noble goals. For Shelley, it is illogical that Prometheus could abandon his proud tongue and timidly bow before a triumphant and treacherous rival. After all, the moral interest of fiction, so powerfully supported by the suffering and inflexibility of Prometheus, would disappear.

At the same time, Shelley denies the didacticism of his work, because his “task hitherto has been to enable the most select class of readers with poetic taste to enrich their refined imagination with the ideal beauties of moral superiority.”

The conflict between Titan and Zeus is in P.B. Shelley has an unapologetic character. We see Shelley's Prometheus already chained to a rock. He reminds Zeus that he helped him win the throne. And he answered him by sending torment on him and on people. The titan does not intend to submit to Zeus, although his body is tormented by the will of Zeus by a bloodthirsty eagle, and his mind and soul are tormented by furies. He believes and hopes, sees his destiny “to be a support, a savior of a suffering person.” He intends to go to the end.

Initially, Prometheus, both in the plot concept of the myth and in Shelley, is adamant in the face of fate. However, in the myth, the Titan agrees to tell Zeus the secret in order to free himself. Those. actually makes a deal with Evil for his own benefit. Prometheus Shelley will not do this. Prometheus refuses to submit to the tyrant. He believes that “love, freedom, truth” will triumph, he remembers his terrible curse on the tyrant and has no doubt that the despot will fall and retribution - the endless torment of eternal loneliness - will befall him.

Zeus as depicted by P. B. Shelley appears as the embodiment of social evil, oppression - he tries to convince himself that everything is still calm in his kingdom, but the spirit of popular indignation undermines his power and disturbs his peace.

Everything is subject to my immeasurable power,

Still burning, soaring to the skies,

With reproaches, soaring to the skies,

With reproaches, with doubts, with a riot of complaints,

With prayer reluctant - piling up

An uprising that could undermine

Under the very foundations of our ancient

Monarchy based on faith

And fear, born along with hell.

Shelley Prometheus Unchained drama

Zeus is the enemy of Prometheus, the same tyrant who literally prevents people from living. Prometheus goes to the end - and he was able to suffer the overthrow of Zeus, his hour of reckoning for what he had done had come.

Researchers of the work of the English romantic argued that “the world of Zeus in Prometheus, torn by contradictions, is a universal “archetypal” image of a world living according to the laws of violence.” .

This is how I understand this statement. Zeus, the god of the sky, is the kingdom of will and power.

Armed with a formidable weapon - lightning - he was the ruler of the Sky, the god of Rain, the ruler of the Clouds. He was more powerful than all the other gods combined. Zeus ruled everything. He was the main god and had personal qualities characteristic of powerful fathers and kings.

And yet he was neither omnipotent nor omniscient.

Divine Zeus in all his glory appears to us as light and brings light and awareness to people. In his dark manifestation he acts as an enemy vitality, - ossified in rules and laws, resisting any change, afraid of any change in the status quo.

The torment endured by Prometheus did not break his will and helped him overcome his feeling of hatred towards his tormentor. He believes that “love, freedom, truth” will triumph, he remembers his terrible curse on the tyrant and has no doubt that the despot will fall and retribution - the endless torment of eternal loneliness - will befall him. Prometheus is not afraid of either physical torment or the furies tormenting his mind and soul. He firmly believes in his destiny: “to be a support, a savior of a suffering person.”

Rejecting the omnipotence of Zeus, Shelley's Prometheus also takes up arms against humanity. Seized by a thirst for retribution for his weaknesses and sins, the hero himself must experience spiritual catharsis, cured of hatred. Only then will his dream of a community of people who no longer know self-centeredness, submission to oppression and thirst for compromise come true.

The human race is destined for eternal spring, but for this it is necessary that people recognize love as their supreme deity, ending the spiritual slavery that causes bitterness and contempt in the titan who stole fire.

The rebellion of Prometheus, endowed with the true power of the spirit, which allowed him to withstand all the tests sent down by Zeus (an eagle tormenting a hero chained to a rock, furies with iron wings, incinerating lightning), is, however, tragic and doomed in nature. He is driven only by the thought of confrontation, which justifies both violence and evil, since there is no other way to influence the inert and cowardly human nature. By overthrowing the tyrant, Prometheus is partly like him in his efforts to radically change the order of things.

Only after the titan begins to realize his own involvement in the human family and is ready to shoulder the suffering of everyone on his mighty shoulders does Prometheus acquire the characteristics true hero. Thereby, Freed from hatred, Prometheus (according to the author) is freed from the power of Zeus.

Indeed, the folk legend undergoes serious changes in Shelley’s interpretation. He imbues it with new historical content. As an outstanding work of its time, Shelley's Prometheus Unbound was an expression of not only the national - English or Italian - but also the pan-European experience of the liberation struggle against feudal reaction and capitalist oppression. Hence the wide scope of phenomena in Prometheus Unbound, where the action unfolds against the vast backdrop of the entire universe. Shelley, as if from the cliff where his hero is chained, sees in full view the diverse sufferings of man. “Look from the heights at the Earth, look, there is no number of your slaves,” he exclaims through the lips of Prometheus.

The universal human significance of this dramatic collision lies in the fact that that the reasons for the torment of Shelley's Prometheus are historically explainable: they are rooted in the position of oppressed peoples. The spectacle of popular disasters, enslavement and exploitation, ruin, hunger, poverty of the broad working masses - this is what torments Prometheus.

You see dead fields.

You see, you see the whole earth

Drenched in blood...

Shelley created Prometheus Unbound in the context of the rise of the national liberation and labor movements in Europe, which grew despite the opposing forces of reaction. This determined the pathos of Prometheus Unbound. Shelley's pathos is not the pathos of suffering, like Aeschylus, but the pathos of struggle and victory.

Shelley's image of Prometheus carries the idea that only the fight against political tyranny and oppression of all kinds can save the people from savagery and death. The courageous character of Prometheus contains real heroic traits inherent in the most advanced people era - features of republican revolutionaries.

Like these best and only representatives of the people at that time, who fought alone against the oppression of reaction, the hero of Shelley’s drama, one on one, fearlessly

...entered the fight

And stood face to face with the insidious force

Ruler of sky-high heights,

Looking mockingly at the Earth,

Where the groans of exhausted slaves

The vast deserts are filled.

He laughs at the tortures and torments to which Jupiter subjects him. Prometheus draws his strength from the struggle of peoples. And the drama develops in an atmosphere of intense struggle, in which all the forces of the universe are drawn:

Here are the deceived people

I rose from despair,

The afternoon shone brightly,

He wants the truth, he waits for the truth,

The spirit of his will guides him.

Of course, the deeply religious Aeschylus, in the conditions of an early slave-owning society, could not fully reveal the revolutionary and atheistic problems that he himself had outlined.

Thus, Shelley continues the “revolutionary theme” in his “Prometheus”, only now a purely tyrant-fighting theme is being developed, and in Shelley it is clearly expressed.

Overthrowing Zeus from the throne, Demogorgon utters wonderful words expressing the most cherished thoughts of the best minds of that time: “There will be no successor for you in heaven.” This phrase has an allegorical meaning. Under the conditions of severe censorship of that time, the poet could not write about the fact that violence would disappear on earth, but this is exactly the meaning he put into this phrase and this is exactly how his contemporaries understood it. It is not for nothing that in the preface to the drama Shelley wrote: “... the author could express his thoughts with the phrase: “We must change the whole world.”

To reveal P.B. Shelley's plan, the drama involves such characters as Demogorgon, Asia, Hercules, Earth, and the Spirit of the Hour.

Image Asia, as the embodiment of the image of earthly beauty, is quite important in Prometheus Unchained. Prometheus is supported not only by his belief in his own rightness and faith in people, but also by his love for his beloved Asia. She supports Prometheus; the only consolation for the titan is his memories of her, his beloved, the beautiful oceanid. Also, it is she who the author entrusts with an important meeting with a certain Demogorgon. It is Asia that goes to Demogorgon, who makes quite an interesting judgment about the world and Zeus.

Demogorgon- This is also another symbolic image in Shelley’s drama. Interestingly, Demogorgon is the Greek name for the devil, which should not be known to mortals. Demogorgon is a “powerful darkness” that has “no clear features, no image, no members.” This is something that apparently expresses Evil. When he comes to Zeus, he calls himself "eternity." What is this? Eternal evil? Is his existence eternal? It is he who invites Zeus to descend with him into eternal darkness, thus freeing Prometheus and people from the oppression of the tyrant, because the hour has come for this. Those. the image of Demogorgon is an image of a just punishing Evil (which, of course, could not exist in mythology), this is not the god of the underworld Hades, this is something higher that can punish Zeus.

The hour for the overthrow of Zeus has come, Demogorgon appears behind him - and Zeus falls down into the darkness. Joy covers the gods at the news of the fall of the tyrant. On the chariot of the Spirit of the Hour, Asia and Panthea. Hercules frees Prometheus from his chains, Prometheus is incredibly happy to see his beautiful beloved Asia, makes plans for a new joyful life for himself and the people he saved. Earth tells him and Asia about her torment, when the spirit of hostility dominated her everywhere.

To everyone's joy Spirit of the Hour reports that after the fall of the tyrant-autocrat, great changes took place among people: “contempt, horror, hatred, and self-humiliation in the eyes of men went out”, “jealousy, envy, treachery disappeared”...

The finale of "Prometheus Unbound" is written in the spirit of Shelley's social-utopian views. The essence of the poetic utopia with which the drama ends- a picture of the liberation of humanity.

Having suffered one failure after another in his attempts to create a utopia, Prometheus only in the final acts of the drama understands that violence is unable to transform the world created by despotism into a beautiful kingdom of justice and freedom.

Finding this kingdom, in which classes and nations will disappear and each person will become a full-fledged individual endowed with creative aspirations, requires a moral feat. Prometheus set an example that will remain attractive forever.

The new thing that Shelley brings to the theme of Prometheus is closely connected with one of the strongest aspects of his social thought: his belief in progress, in the triumph of retribution on tyrants for all the torments of mankind. More fully than in any other work of his, the poet’s ideological closeness to utopian socialism is reflected here, with which he is connected not only by a sharp criticism of bourgeois relations, but also by a view of the historical process itself.

The poet embodies dreams of the future in wonderful poetic images:

I saw that there was no more violence,

Everywhere there will be a free man,

Brother will be equal to brother, all obstacles

Disappeared among people; tribes, peoples,

There are no more classes, they have all merged into one,

And everyone has complete power over themselves...

Conclusion

In the lyrical drama “Prometheus Unbound”, a problem that was important for democracy in the 20s of the 19th century was again resolved. the problem of uprising and overthrowing the reactionary authorities with the help of physical force: Hercules, the personification of the power of the revolutionary people, frees the prisoner of Jupiter - Prometheus, breaking his chains.

The terrible events of 1819 in Spain, Italy and distant England, the extreme aggravation of the class struggle, expressed in a number of bloody conflicts (Peterloo, Tyne and Wear) - all this forced the artist to look at nature public relations more soberly, more realistically depict the struggle between the forces of progress and the forces of despotism guarding “feudal savagery.”

The concept of Shelley’s work proposed by I. G. Neupokoeva deserves attention. Based on the well-known idea that “the integrity and innovation of Prometheus Unbound,” inner meaning which was “deeply revolutionary” (Lunacharsky), were determined by the historical optimism of the poet’s ideas about the future society,” the researcher believes that it was in “Prometheus Unbound” that the ideas of utopian socialism and radical democratic thoughts about the possibility of social struggle were most fully and poetically refracted.

“Prometheus Liberated” is a utopia of a happy future, the path to which, according to the poet, is long and difficult, full of torment and upheaval, requires heroic patience and courageous resistance to evil, and lies through the spiritual elevation of humanity. The cosmic grandeur of the drama's plot and the nobility of the ideals professed in it correspond to the sublime structure of poetic speech. The language of "Prometheus" is elevated above the ordinary level thanks to intense emotionality and concentrated, sometimes even excessive imagery. Shelley's poetic speech is impetuous and rapid; it reflects the dynamism and dialectical nature of his perception of the world.

Literature

1. All masterpieces of world literature in summary. Plots and characters. Foreign literature XIX century: Encyclopedic edition. / Ed. and comp. IN AND. Novikov - M.: "Olympus"; LLC "ACT Publishing", 1996.
2. Dyakonova N.Ya., Chameev A.A. Shelley. - St. Petersburg, 1994.

Shelley's lyrics. Introductory article by B. Kolesnikov. - M.: Goslitizdat, 1957.

Marx K., Engels F. From early works. - M.: Higher School, 1956.

Marx K., Engels F. Soch. Vol.I. - M., 1974.

Neupokoeva I. G. Revolutionary-romantic poem of the first third of the 19th century.

Solovyova N.A., Kolesnikov B.I. History of foreign literature of the 19th century / Ed. N.A. Solovyova. - M.: Higher School, 1991.

Shelley P. B. Masquerade of Anarchy. Prometheus Liberated. / Translation: Balmont K. D - M.: Direct-Media, 2010.

Lyrical drama by P.B. Shelley "Prometheus Unchained" and its sources. Percy Bysshe Shelley. Prometheus Unchained action Prometheus Unchained Shelley

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