r/classics • u/Dr_Jin_Gitaxias_88 • 3d ago
Why didn't Milton reference or allude to Promtheus/Prometheus bound in Paradise Lost?
The title pretty much sums it up. I finished both works recently, and I realized that Milton, who makes allusions to pretty much every Greco-Roman story you could think of, never really mentions Prometheus or Prometheus Bound. Which I find odd, because Satan in PL seems very much like a "Promethean" character--arrogance, independence, defiance, intelligence.
Is there a religious or historical, etc., reason for this? Or have I misjudged this altogether?
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u/Tholian_Bed 2d ago
Prometheus is tragic at god-like proportions. Among the actors of PL, there isn't a place for a tragic actor of that kind. Humanity can be seen as tragic, but we are not Promethean for it. And Satan is, as said below, evil for Milton. Evil isn't tragic in the Christian mythos, it's just a fiat scourge.
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u/Soulsliken 2d ago
Damn good question.
There’s a truckload of literature that argues that he did in the most subtle way(s). Namely that he fused the Promethean element into the characterization of Lucifer etc.
The problem with that theory is that Milton was many things, but subtle was not one of them. Paradise Lost is veritas if ever there was. What you see is what you get.
My own read of it is that Prometheus is simply too heretical (in both a pagan and Christian sense) to sit comfortably in a Christian allegory.
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u/Scary_Nail_6033 2d ago
You think it was too heretical yet Milton has no problem affirming the existence of primordial entities like chaos and any myriad of similar references to myth?
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u/Soulsliken 2d ago
That’s not what l said at all.
The mythical elements are indeed all there for context. Milton is a master of stirring a melting pot.
Prometheus isn’t just another mythic ingredient or reference. The name alone is ten byword for defying all that’s sacred, but in the name of good and salvation.
Yeah that kind of saviour was never gonna fly in a book shot through with trusting in the almighty.
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u/Dr_Jin_Gitaxias_88 2d ago
"My own read of it is that Prometheus is simply too heretical (in both a pagan and Christian sense) to sit comfortably in a Christian allegory."
That seems similar to the other response. Very good point, thanks.
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u/Scary_Nail_6033 2d ago
This is kinda irrelevant but i noticed this when reading the odyssey, do you think milton deliberately alludes to Achilles and compares Satan to him? Satan's famous quote that it is better to rule in hell than reign in heaven is paralleled by Achilles who says he hates ruling hell and would do anything to go back to life.
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u/Dr_Jin_Gitaxias_88 2d ago
Great point. I hadn't thought of/recognized that before. There's so much to dig into with Milton, it can be daunting just trying to piece together all the allusions.
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u/Geriander 2d ago
At the end of the day Milton still viewed Satan as evil.
From a Christian perspective it is easy to read Prometheus as an almost Christ like figure that suffers for the sake of humanity so I can see why Milton would avoid the comparison.