Previous
Mood
Definition of Motif
A motif is an element or idea that recurs throughout a work of literature. Motifs, which are often collections of related symbols, help develop the central themes of a book... read full definition
A motif is an element or idea that recurs throughout a work of literature. Motifs, which are often collections of related symbols, help develop the... read full definition
A motif is an element or idea that recurs throughout a work of literature. Motifs, which are often collections of... read full definition
Motifs
Explanation and Analysis—Prometheus as Satan:
Curiously, just as Prometheus is likened to Jesus Christ—sacrificing himself for humanity—so is he compared, throughout the poem, to Satan. The duality of this comparison is interesting, given that the two could not be more opposed to one another. Yet Satan, in Shelley's view, also defied the wishes of the God in charge to bring something to humanity. Where Prometheus provided fire, Satan gifted (or cursed, depending on one's perspective) humanity with the "knowledge of good and evil." This interpretation of Satan, as an occult figure acting with the best interests of humanity in mind, would have been fairly unorthodox for Shelley's time. The idea that human beings should be allowed access to all knowledge, instead of simply having faith in an omniscient God, departs from the traditional Christian teachings still prevalent throughout Europe in the early 1800s.
While exploring a more sympathetic view of Satan by relating his actions to Prometheus's might not be traditional, there is certainly literary precedent for such an exploration. Centuries earlier, Milton's 1667 epic Paradise Lost explored themes similar to those in Prometheus Unbound. In Paradise Lost, Satan is framed as aggrieved, legitimately challenging the religious authority of a God who seems to have wronged him. Both Shelley and Milton use the framework of religion, then, to question the authority of the monarchical state over its citizens.
Related Themes:
Act 1
Explanation and Analysis—Prometheus as Christ:
Throughout the poem, various references are made likening Prometheus to Jesus Christ, a man who, like Prometheus, suffered for the sins of humanity and took them upon himself. Prometheus is also central to a prophecy of hope that predicts the future freedom of humanity, just like Jesus Christ.
Take the following scene from Act 1, for instance, in which Panthea and Ione discuss the image of Jesus Christ shown by the Furies to Prometheus:
Panthea:
Alas, I looked forth twice, but will no more.
Ione:
What didst thou see?
Panthea:
A woeful sight: a youth
With patient looks nailed to a crucifix.
In the above passage, as well as other instances of the motif in Prometheus Unbound, the suffering of Jesus Christ features as the primary point of comparison: Prometheus, chained to a rock, endures similar pain to Jesus, "nailed to a crucifix." Shelley's decision to juxtapose the two is an unconventional one. The comparison implies that the God of Christianity caused Jesus to suffer unjustly, just as Jupiter's suffering at the hands of Zeus could be considered oppressive. Furthermore, this motif creates a line of comparison between religious institutions and government institutions, implying that God, like the monarchy, can become corrupt. Like Milton before him, Shelley would have invited accusations of heresy and atheism by criticizing institutions in this manner.
Related Themes:
Explanation and Analysis—A New Beginning:
At the beginning of Act 2, Scene 1, Asia personifies spring, addressing it as a "child of many winds." The description of the joy of Spring that follows is intended as a form of imagery, paralleling her emotional state:
O Spring!
O child of many winds! As suddenly
Thou comest as the memory of a dream,
Which now is sad because it hath been sweet;
Like genius, or like joy which riseth up
As from the earth, clothing with golden clouds
The desert of our life …
This is the season, this the day, the hour;
At sunrise thou shouldst come, sweet sister mine …
Too long desired, too long delaying, come!
While Asia had once lost hope, now she believes a new beginning is on the horizon—one that ends with her reuniting with her husband.
The concept of Spring as a new beginning emerges as a motif, representing hope throughout the poem. Take this comment in Act 1 from Panthea, who remarks on the uplifting voices sent to aid Prometheus:
Look, sister, where a troop of spirits gather,
Like flocks of clouds in spring’s delightful weather,
Thronging in the blue air!
The troop of spirits and spring both represent the happy prospect of Prometheus's freedom, and perhaps a new beginning for humanity.
Related Themes:
Act 2, Scene 1
Explanation and Analysis—A New Beginning:
At the beginning of Act 2, Scene 1, Asia personifies spring, addressing it as a "child of many winds." The description of the joy of Spring that follows is intended as a form of imagery, paralleling her emotional state:
O Spring!
O child of many winds! As suddenly
Thou comest as the memory of a dream,
Which now is sad because it hath been sweet;
Like genius, or like joy which riseth up
As from the earth, clothing with golden clouds
The desert of our life …
This is the season, this the day, the hour;
At sunrise thou shouldst come, sweet sister mine …
Too long desired, too long delaying, come!
While Asia had once lost hope, now she believes a new beginning is on the horizon—one that ends with her reuniting with her husband.
The concept of Spring as a new beginning emerges as a motif, representing hope throughout the poem. Take this comment in Act 1 from Panthea, who remarks on the uplifting voices sent to aid Prometheus:
Look, sister, where a troop of spirits gather,
Like flocks of clouds in spring’s delightful weather,
Thronging in the blue air!
The troop of spirits and spring both represent the happy prospect of Prometheus's freedom, and perhaps a new beginning for humanity.
Related Themes:
