The Myth of Prometheus
Transcript
Before the creation of humanity, the Greek gods won a great battle against a race of giants called the Titans.
Most Titans were destroyed or driven to the eternal hell of Tartarus.
But the Titan Prometheus, whose name means foresight, persuaded his brother Epimetheus to fight with him on the side of the gods.
As thanks, Zeus entrusted the brothers with the task of creating all living things.
Epimetheus was to distribute the gifts of the gods among the creatures.
To some, he gave flight; to others, the ability to move through water or race through grass.
He gave the beasts glittering scales, soft fur, and sharp claws.
Meanwhile, Prometheus shaped the first humans out of mud.
He formed them in the image of the gods, but Zeus decreed they were too remain mortal and worship the inhabitants of Mount Olympus from below.
Zeus deemed humans subservient creatures vulnerable to the elements and dependent on the gods for protection.
However, Prometheus envisioned his crude creations with a greater purpose.
So when Zeus asked him to decide how sacrifices would be made, the wily Prometheus planned a trick that would give humans some advantage.
He killed a bull and divided it into two parts to present to Zeus.
On one side, he concealed the succulent flesh and skin under the unappealing belly of the animal.
On the other, he hid the bones under a thick layer of fat.
When Zeus chose the seemingly best portion for himself, he was outraged at Prometheus’s deception.
Fuming, Zeus forbade the use of fire on Earth, whether to cook meat or for any other purpose.
But Prometheus refused to see his creations denied this resource.
And so, he scaled Mount Olympus to steal fire from the workshop of Hephaestus and Athena.
He hid the flames in a hollow fennel stalk and brought it safely down to the people.
This gave them the power to harness nature for their own benefit and ultimately dominate the natural order.
With fire, humans could care for themselves with food and warmth.
But they could also forge weapons and wage war.
Prometheus’s flames acted as a catalyst for the rapid progression of civilization.
When Zeus looked down at this scene, he realized what had happened.
Prometheus had once again wounded his pride and subverted his authority.
Furious, Zeus imposed a brutal punishment.
Prometheus was to be chained to a cliff for eternity.
Each day, he would be visited by a vulture who would tear out his liver and each night his liver would grow back to be attacked again in the morning.
Although Prometheus remained in perpetual agony, he never expressed regret at his act of rebellion.
His resilience in the face of oppression made him a beloved figure in mythology.
He was also celebrated for his mischievous and inquisitive spirit, and for the knowledge, progress, and power he brought to human hands.
He’s also a recurring figure in art and literature.
In Percy Bysshe Shelley’s lyrical drama “Prometheus Unbound,” the author imagines Prometheus as a romantic hero who escapes and continues to spread empathy and knowledge.
Of his protagonist, Shelley wrote, “Prometheus is the type of the highest perfection of moral and intellectual nature, impelled by the purest and the truest motives to the best and noblest ends.”
His wife Mary envisaged Prometheus as a more cautionary figure and subtitled her novel “Frankenstein: The Modern Prometheus.”
This suggests the damage of corrupting the natural order and remains relevant to the ethical questions surrounding science and technology today.
As hero, rebel, or trickster, Prometheus remains a symbol of our capacity to capture the powers of nature, and ultimately, he reminds us of the potential of individual acts to ignite the world.
Vocabulary List
foresight
(noun): the ability to think about and plan for the future
entrust
(verb): to give something to someone else for safekeeping or to do something with
glittering
(adjective): shining brightly with reflected light
scale
(noun): any of the thin plates of hard material that cover the skin of many fish and reptiles
decree
(verb): to give an order or decision that must be obeyed
mortal
(adjective): that cannot live forever and must die
inhabitant
(noun): a person or animal that lives in a particular place
subservient
(adjective): willing to obey someone else’s orders without question
envision
(verb): to imagine or picture something in someone’s mind
crude
(adjective): not refined or sophisticated
wily
(adjective): clever and cunning
conceal
(verb): to hide something so that it cannot be seen or found
succulent
(adjective): juicy and tasty
unappealing
(adjective): not attractive or pleasing
deception
(noun): the act of deceiving someone
fume
(verb): to be very angry about something
forbid
(verb): to tell someone not to do something
scale
(verb): to climb something
fennel
(noun): a tall, leafy plant with white flowers and a strong smell
stalk
(noun): the main stem of a plant
harness
(verb): to control or make use of something
forge
(verb): to make something by heating metal and then hammering it into shape
wage
(verb): to fight or carry on a war
catalyst
(noun): a person or thing that causes a change
subvert
(verb): to overthrow or undermine something
vulture
(noun): a large bird of prey that feeds on dead animals
perpetual
(adjective): lasting forever or for a very long time
agony
(noun): extreme physical or mental suffering
resilience
(noun): the ability to recover quickly from difficult or painful experiences
beloved
(adjective): greatly loved or cherished
mischievous
(adjective): playful in a way that causes trouble or annoyance
inquisitive
(adjective): wanting to know or learn about things
recurring
(adjective): happening again and again
impel
(verb): to drive or urge someone to do something
envisage
(verb): to imagine or picture something in someone’s mind
cautionary
(adjective): warning against something dangerous or harmful
trickster
(noun): someone who deceives or cheats others
Grammar Point
In this lesson, we are going to identify regular and irregular verbs in the video.
A regular verb is a verb that follows a predictable pattern when switching between tenses.
The past tense of a regular verb is formed by adding the suffix “-ed” or “-d” to the end of the verb.
This applies to both the simple past tense and the past participle.
For example, the verb “walk” becomes “walked” in the simple past tense and “walked” in the past participle.
An irregular verb is a verb that does not follow the regular pattern for forming the past tense and past participle.
For example, the verb “run” becomes “ran” in the simple past tense and “run” in the past participle.
Before the creation of humanity, the Greek gods won a great battle against a race of giants called the Titans.
won = irregular verb (win, won, won)
called = regular verb (call, called, called)
Most Titans were destroyed or driven to the eternal hell of Tartarus.
destroyed = regular verb (destroy, destroyed, destroyed)
driven = irregular verb (drive, drove, driven)
But the Titan Prometheus, whose name means foresight, persuaded his brother Epimetheus to fight with him on the side of the gods.
persuaded = regular verb (persuade, persuaded, persuaded)
As thanks, Zeus entrusted the brothers with the task of creating all living things.
entrusted = regular verb (entrust, entrusted, entrusted)
To some, he gave flight; to others, the ability to move through water or race through grass.
gave = irregular verb (give, gave, given)
Meanwhile, Prometheus shaped the first humans out of mud.
shaped = regular verb (shape, shaped, shaped)
He formed them in the image of the gods, but Zeus decreed they were too remain mortal and worship the inhabitants of Mount Olympus from below.
formed = regular verb (form, formed, formed)
decreed = regular verb (decree, decreed, decreed)
Zeus deemed humans subservient creatures vulnerable to the elements and dependent on the gods for protection.
deemed = regular verb (deem, deemed, deemed)
However, Prometheus envisioned his crude creations with a greater purpose.
envisioned = regular verb (envision, envisioned, envisioned)
So when Zeus asked him to decide how sacrifices would be made, the wily Prometheus planned a trick that would give humans some advantage.
asked = regular verb (ask, asked, asked)
planned = regular verb (plan, planned, planned)
He killed a bull and divided it into two parts to present to Zeus.
killed = regular verb (kill, killed, killed)
On one side, he concealed the succulent flesh and skin under the unappealing belly of the animal.
concealed = regular verb (conceal, concealed, concealed)
On the other, he hid the bones under a thick layer of fat.
hid = irregular verb (hide, hid, hidden)
When Zeus chose the seemingly best portion for himself, he was outraged at Prometheus’s deception.
chose = irregular verb (choose, chose, chosen)
Fuming, Zeus forbade the use of fire on Earth, whether to cook meat or for any other purpose.
forbade = irregular verb (forbid, forbade, forbidden)
But Prometheus refused to see his creations denied this resource.
refused = regular verb (refuse, refused, refused)
denied = regular verb (deny, denied, denied)
And so, he scaled Mount Olympus to steal fire from the workshop of Hephaestus and Athena.
scaled = regular verb (scale, scaled, scaled)
He hid the flames in a hollow fennel stalk and brought it safely down to the people.
brought = irregular verb (bring, brought, brought)
Prometheus’s flames acted as a catalyst for the rapid progression of civilization.
acted = regular verb (act, acted, acted)
When Zeus looked down at this scene, he realized what had happened.
looked = regular verb (look, looked, looked)
realized = regular verb (realize, realized, realized)
Prometheus had once again wounded his pride and subverted his authority.
wounded = regular verb (wound, wounded, wounded)
subverted = regular verb (subvert, subverted, subverted)
Furious, Zeus imposed a brutal punishment.
imposed = regular verb of (impose, imposed, imposed)
Prometheus was to be chained to a cliff for eternity.
chained = regular verb of (chain, chained, chained)
Each day, he would be visited by a vulture who would tear out his liver and each night his liver would grow back to be attacked again in the morning.
visited = regular verb of (visit, visited, visited)
attacked = regular verb of (attack, attacked, attacked)
Although Prometheus remained in perpetual agony, he never expressed regret at his act of rebellion.
remained = regular verb (remain, remained, remained)
expressed = regular verb (express, expressed, expressed)
His resilience in the face of oppression made him a beloved figure in mythology.
made = irregular verb (make, made, made)
Of his protagonist, Shelley wrote, “Prometheus is the type of the highest perfection of moral and intellectual nature, impelled by the purest and the truest motives to the best and noblest ends.”
impelled = regular verb (impel, impelled, impelled)
His wife Mary envisaged Prometheus as a more cautionary figure and subtitled her novel “Frankenstein: The Modern Prometheus.”
envisaged = regular verb (envisage, envisaged, envisaged)
Common Expressions
on the side of someone
But the Titan Prometheus, whose name means foresight, persuaded his brother Epimetheus to fight with him on the side of the gods.
The phrase “on the side of someone” can have a few different meanings, depending on the context.
– Literally: It can mean that you are physically standing next to someone. For example, you might say “I was standing on the side of my friend while she was giving a speech.”
– Figuratively: It can mean that you are supporting or agreeing with someone. For example, you might say “I’m on the side of the protesters in this case.”