The_Myth_of_Prometheus

=Introduction=

The Myth of Prometheus was one of the works that influenced Mary Shelley, as she wrote //Frankenstein//. Throughout the novel, there are many connections between the characters of Victor and Prometheus, the creator of the human race. In fact, Mary Shelley even gave //Frankenstein// the subtitle //The Modern Prometheus.// In addition, The God Teacher archetype relates to the novel because the archetype shows the importance of a secondary figure, who is not quite a god, and yet not quite human, in teaching and serving as a mediary between heaven and earth.

Because myths are the collection of stories belonging to the ancient Greeks concerning their gods and goddesses, there is no defined author for //The Myth of Prometheus//. Most myths were told through paintings on vases or orally throughout centuries. The earliest theory of an author of the myths would be a Homer-contemporary, Hesiod. Hesiod is linked with stories about the creation of the Titans and specifc gods like Prometheus. [2]

=//The Myth of Prometheus//=

The Myth of Prometheus, as translated and written by Robert L. Green, is an epic story of a heroic titan who fell from the good graces of Zeus because of his kind nature, especially toward man. Prometheus taught man the ways of survival; he taught men how to protect themselves in the form of houses and tools, he taught them how to get food and survive by themselves without dying from the lack of knowledge of medicine or surgery. He also gave man fire, a gift that Zeus refused to give to the human creations. Unfortunately for Prometheus, this endowment of fire incurred the wrath of Zeus and Prometheus was severely punished; Zeus chained and tortured Prometheus. Prometheus then made a claim that he knew what would prevent Zeus from falling like his brother and this intrigued Zeus. Zeus tried to persuade Prometheus to tell him the secret with his freedom; Prometheus refused and Zeus was still without his secret. Then, Zeus decided to incur his wrath upon the mortal men by persuading them to blame Prometheus for giving them fire. Once they did this, Zeus rewarded the men with a nectar of life that “the Immortals drink”. [3] Unfortunately for man, the donkey upon which the nectar was placed for transportation was tricked by a snake who ended up with the nectar. This part of the myth explains why snakes shed their skin and “renew their youth every year.” [3] Once Zeus discovered that the snake procured the nectar and not the men, Zeus wanted to make a surer way to harm the humans. Therefore, he invented woman: Pandora. Once Pandora was created, she was placed alongside Prometheus’ “thoughtless” brother. [3] Zeus's purpose for Pandora was revealed when her curiosity got the best of her and she opened the "box" that Prometheus had given to his brother containing all the evils of the world. All of these evils were released upon the world of men, but Prometheus had left behind a weapon for man kind should these evils be forced on them. This weapon was Hope, and it was the last thing to escape from the box as Prometheus's last gift to mortal men.


 * //The Modern Prometheus//**

In both //Frankenstein// and //The Myth of Prometheus//, ambitious characters defy the powers that be for the sake of their own aspirations. Victor Frankenstein is a brilliant scientist who gains the secret of life and attempts to play god by creating his own being, while Prometheus ignores the demand of Zeus and brings fire to his creations, the race of men. Both were instilled with a sense of importance in regards to their respective tasks, and at first these lofty goals are presented as noble and justified.

This romantic outlook on Victor’s endeavor mimics the mindset of Prometheus as he stole fire from Apollo’s chariot and brought it down to Earth. However, just as Prometheus defies Zeus to achieve his ends, Victor defies nature to achieve his. The results are catastrophic. Prometheus is not only chained to a mountain and tortured, but Zeus begins to torment his creations. Just as a god created men and another god sought to cause them pain, Victor (a human) created the creature and his fellow men went about inflicting pain upon it. While Prometheus is punished by a superior deity and Victor is punished by his vengeful creation, the parallels between the ambition instigated downfalls of the two cannot be denied.
 * "So much has been done, exclaimed the soul of Frankenstein—more, far more, will I achieve; treading in the steps already marked, I will pioneer a new way, explore unknown powers, and unfold to the world the deepest mysteries of creation" (Shelley 42).**

This moment indicates the turning point in which the romantic triumph of our protagonist sheds its gilded façade and is revealed as a tragedy instead. Its mythical parallel can be found when Zeus discovers Prometheus’s treachery and punishes him accordingly.
 * "...the beauty of the dream vanished, and breathless horror and disgust filled my heart" (Shelley 51).**

Another parallel can be found between the subjects of Victor and Prometheus’s mission. Just as fire was meant to aid and assist the human race, the creature was meant to be symbolic of a major scientific discovery with revolutionary repercussions for man kind. However, Zeus worked to ruin this gift, and the negative aspects of fire came to light (pardon the pun). Fire proved to be a method of destruction as much as a tool for the betterment of humans. Victors creature was born kind and benevolent, and the knowledge behind his creation may have been a powerful tool for men, but instead the savagery of men drove the creature into vengeful rage and a devastating foe was unleashed upon the world of men.

=The God Teacher Archetype=

A God-Teacher is characterized as a "human-lover" or a "mediator" between angry gods and humans. They are a sacrificial figure that are models for humans to follow in regards to behavior (4). The God-Teacher is a "link between the heaven and earth", showing humans what the gods like and dislike; what to or not to do to please the gods; how to be welcomed into heaven (5). God-Teachers know and learn from the past, and know important hints of the future and guide humans on a certain path to a successful and productive future.

Thus, Prometheus can certainly be characterized as a God-Teacher, as he not only created humans (with the help of Zeus), but he also endowed them with fire, an element integral to their survival. Additionally, he even placed Hope in Pandora's Box, as a safety measure should anything go wrong with his beloved creations. Had he obeyed Zeus's orders, humans would have remained inferior, and would have been unable to prosper. Thus, he initially served as a "mediator" between Zeus, who believed humans to be inferior, and mankind. However, he was forced to pay the price, as Zeus condemned him to eternal suffering.

Continuing with this view of a God-Teacher, Victor may also be an example of the God-Teacher archetype, though his actions do not completely suit those of a God-Teacher. Although he was not as devoted to his creation as Prometheus, his devotion to the sciences was, in a sense, his religion. Instead of disobeying Zeus as Prometheus did, Victor went against his own "God," science, by breaking the laws which claimed that one man alone cannot create another human. In this sense, science became angry with Victor, just as Zeus did Prometheus, and created the hardships that Victor was then forced to deal with. Furthermore, Victor could represent a connection to the gods and humans because of his almost immortal power to give life to the Creature.

On the other hand, however, a God-Teacher is supposed to be a "human-lover," a person who cares so much about his creation so as to suffer the consequences for an eternity, without regrets. Contrary to this idea, Frankenstein abandons his own creation! While he exhibits the power of a God in restoring life to a dead person, he is not a true example of a teacher, as Dr. Frankenstein leaves his creature without teaching him anything about life. Without his creator's guidance, the creature becomes a monster, an animal, and a terror, perhaps showing the importance of a God-Teacher in creating loving and good human beings. If Dr. Frankenstein had not abandoned his creature, perhaps he would've remained good, as he was in the beginning, before loneliness and anger turned into hatred and evil.

=**References**=

1. "Frankenstein." __Wikipedia__. 26 Nov 2007. 27 Nov 2007 <[|http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frankenstein>.]

2. "Greek Mythology." __Wikipedia__. 30 November 2007. Wikipedia. 29 Nov 2007 .

3. Green, Robert L.. __The Story of Prometheus__.

4. "The God/Goddess- Archetype." 29 Nov 2007 .

5. Schwartz, E. "Archetypes: Your guide to the patterns in literature." 27 November 2007. http://www.tenafly.k12.nj.us/~eschwartz/ArchetypePPT.ppt 6. Shelley, Mary. __Frankenstein__. New York, NY: Barnes & Noble, 2003.