In the XVIII-XIX centuries in Europe, such an artistic direction as romanticism was born, the name of which comes from the French word romantisme ("romance"). This trend is characterized by the image of strong passions, experiences and characters, the values of the spiritual and creative life of the human person.
One of the most prominent representatives of romanticism is the English poet Lord George Gordon Byron. Despite his short life of 36 years, he created many brilliant works. One of them is Byron's poem Prometheus.
Short biography of the poet
Lord Byron was born on January 22, 1788 in London. The family was poor: by the time the son was born, the father had lost all his fortune. The future poet studied at the gymnasium, and his academic performance was poor.
In 1801, Byron entered Harrow. At this school, he studied much better, as he became interested in literature and during the training he read the works of all English classics. It is known that Byron was famous for his nobleness: he defended the younger ones and respected his comrades.
Then the future poet studied at Cambridge University. During this period, his first book was published, entitled “Leisure Time”, after which Byron was actively engaged in poetry and over the next year wrote a large number of poems and poems.
In 1809, Byron traveled to Portugal, Albania, Greece and other countries. In 1812, after delivering an impressive speech in the House of Lords, the poem Childe-Harold was published. The subsequent years of the poet’s life were saturated: he became close to people from secular society, wrote and published his works, married and divorced, traveled to Switzerland and Italy.
Byron died of fever on April 19, 1824 in Greece.
Prometheus: the story of creation
Byron’s poem Prometheus was first published in 1816, during his life in Venice. Byron wrote this poem, inspired by the image of Prometheus from the tragedy of Aeschylus (an ancient Greek playwright who is considered the father of the tragedy genre in Europe). This fact is evidenced by the poet’s letter to the publisher that he always admired Aeschylus's work and that it always occupied his thoughts so much that it influenced not only the writing of Prometheus by Byron, but also the entire work of the poet.
Poem analysis
Prometheus is a hero of ancient Greek myths, a titan who defended the human race from cruel gods. He stole a fire from Hephaestus to give it to people and teach them how to use this gift. Upon learning of this, Zeus ordered the titan to be chained to a rock.
In his Prometheus, Byron does not attempt to copy Aeschylus or the myth itself. The poet does not focus on the very fact of heroism and punishment, but on the feelings and thoughts of the hero. Byron's poem "Prometheus" consists of three parts and is an appeal to titanium.
The main theme outlined in the first part is the confrontation of titanium and tyrant. In the second part of Prometheus, Byron develops the theme - the proud hero is not broken, despite the terrible torture. The final part designates Prometheus as an example to all people who should be just as courageous, persistent and fearless. The hero embodies the valor and rebellion typical of the works of the genre of romanticism.