Prometheus

PROMETHIUS

Prometheus

By Nicolas Sebastien Adam

Made of Marbel, this sculpture was painstakingly carved and finnaly finished after 70 years. It depicts the greek myth of the god prometheus, who gave men the power to create fire, after Zeus finds out, he casts him out, ties him to a rock and has a vulture eat his liver out every morning, which regenerates because of his magical powers, leaving him stranded in endless pain until his eventual escape far later on.

liver: the liver represents the passion of prometheus, in greek mythology, the liver represents strong emotions such as passion, anger or wrath, The vulture eating his liver represents his passion being ripped from him, and it growing back could represent passions persistence.

The fire, which is falling from the torch in the bottom of the statue, represents the living matter and the living soul inside of Prometheus, which is being wanted by the vulture, but it also represents the spark of human intellect. In theory, Prometheus, in order to create humanity, stole the fire to make that spark of intellect and life, and he stole it from Hephasitos, so she was forced to chain him up, and he betrayed the gods from stealing the fire.

The vulture, which stands for cruelty and greed, may have a very powerful significance. People who are extremely avaricious and strive to take advantage of others for their own benefit are said to be like vultures. If we connect it with the sculpture of Prometheus, the vulture represents cruelty and a lot of evil. With the punishment that Zeus gave to Prometheus, the only thing Zeus wanted to see was to see him suffer. Then the vulture represents the pain and the richness that comes from seeing Prometheus suffer.

The expression represents the agony of being hurt by the Vulture trying to take his liver out, but also the pain in which he is going through because of him being tied up by a god, and the regret he probably is feeling, he also looks like he is afraid, taken by surprise by the vulture.

Chains have many symbolic meanings but in the context of the play the meaning of imprisonment or perhaps even slavery seems the most appropriate definition. Protheus is with chains; by sealing the fire of Zeus, he is angry with him. The imprisonment comes from Hephestus chaining Prometheus up due to him stealing the fire.