2.1: Hesiod's Prometheus and Shakespeare's Caliban -- Readings

Please add an introductory note about these selections, why students are reading them, what they should be looking for in the texts, etc.

 

Reading Selection 1:  Excerpt of Hesiod's Theogony and Homeric Hymns

(ll. 507-543) Now Iapetus took to wife the neat-ankled mad Clymene, daughter of Ocean, and went up with her into one bed. And she bare him a stout-hearted son, Atlas: also she bare very glorious Menoetius and clever Prometheus, full of various wiles, and scatter-brained Epimetheus who from the first was a mischief to men who eat bread; for it was he who first took of Zeus the woman, the maiden whom he had formed. But Menoetius was outrageous, and far-seeing Zeus struck him with a lurid thunderbolt and sent him down to Erebus because of his mad presumption and exceeding pride. And Atlas through hard constraint upholds the wide heaven with unwearying head and arms, standing at the borders of the earth before the clear-voiced Hesperides; for this lot wise Zeus assigned to him. And ready-witted Prometheus he bound with inextricable bonds, cruel chains, and drove a shaft through his middle, and set on him a long-winged eagle, which used to eat his immortal liver; but by night the liver grew as much again everyway as the long-winged bird devoured in the whole day. That bird Heracles, the valiant son of shapely-ankled Alcmene, slew; and delivered the son of Iapetus from the cruel plague, and released him from his affliction—not without the will of Olympian Zeus who reigns on high, that the glory of Heracles the Theban-born might be yet greater than it was before over the plenteous earth. This, then, he regarded, and honoured his famous son; though he was angry, he ceased from the wrath which he had before because Prometheus matched himself in wit with the almighty son of Cronos. For when the gods and mortal men had a dispute at Mecone, even then Prometheus was forward to cut up a great ox and set portions before them, trying to befool the mind of Zeus. Before the rest he set flesh and inner parts thick with fat upon the hide, covering them with an ox paunch; but for Zeus he put the white bones dressed up with cunning art and covered with shining fat. Then the father of men and of gods said to him:

(ll. 543-544) ‘Son of Iapetus, most glorious of all lords, good sir, how unfairly you have divided the portions!’

(ll. 545-547) So said Zeus whose wisdom is everlasting, rebuking him. But wily Prometheus answered him, smiling softly and not forgetting his cunning trick:

(ll. 548-558) ‘Zeus, most glorious and greatest of the eternal gods, take which ever of these portions your heart within you bids.’ So he said, thinking trickery. But Zeus, whose wisdom is everlasting, saw and failed not to perceive the trick, and in his heart he thought mischief against mortal men which also was to be fulfilled. With both hands he took up the white fat and was angry at heart, and wrath came to his spirit when he saw the white ox-bones craftily tricked out: and because of this the tribes of men upon earth burn white bones to the deathless gods upon fragrant altars. But Zeus who drives the clouds was greatly vexed and said to him:

(ll. 559-560) ‘Son of Iapetus, clever above all! So, sir, you have not yet forgotten your cunning arts!’

(ll. 561-584) So spake Zeus in anger, whose wisdom is everlasting; and from that time he was always mindful of the trick, and would not give the power of unwearying fire to the Melian race of mortal men who live on the earth. But the noble son of Iapetus outwitted him and stole the far-seen gleam of unwearying fire in a hollow fennel stalk. And Zeus who thunders on high was stung in spirit, and his dear heart was angered when he saw amongst men the far-seen ray of fire. Forthwith he made an evil thing for men as the price of fire; for the very famous Limping God formed of earth the likeness of a shy maiden as the son of Cronos willed. And the goddess bright-eyed Athene girded and clothed her with silvery raiment, and down from her head she spread with her hands a broidered veil, a wonder to see; and she, Pallas Athene, put about her head lovely garlands, flowers of new-grown herbs. Also she put upon her head a crown of gold which the very famous Limping God made himself and worked with his own hands as a favour to Zeus his father. On it was much curious work, wonderful to see; for of the many creatures which the land and sea rear up, he put most upon it, wonderful things, like living beings with voices: and great beauty shone out from it.

(ll. 585-589) But when he had made the beautiful evil to be the price for the blessing, he brought her out, delighting in the finery which the bright-eyed daughter of a mighty father had given her, to the place where the other gods and men were. And wonder took hold of the deathless gods and mortal men when they saw that which was sheer guile, not to be withstood by men.

(ll. 590-612) For from her is the race of women and female kind: of her is the deadly race and tribe of women who live amongst mortal men to their great trouble, no helpmeets in hateful poverty, but only in wealth. And as in thatche

ature to do evil. And he gave them a second evil to be the price for the good they had: whoever avoids marriage and the sorrows that women cause, and will not wed, reaches deadly old age without anyone to tend his years, and though he at least has no lack of livelihood while he lives, yet, when he is dead, his kinsfolk divide his possessions amongst them. And as for the man who chooses the lot of marriage and takes a good wife suited to his mind, evil continually contends with good; for whoever happens to have mischievous children, lives always with unceasing grief in his spirit and heart within him; and this evil cannot be healed.

(ll. 613-616) So it is not possible to deceive or go beyond the will of Zeus; for not even the son of Iapetus, kindly Prometheus, escaped his heavy anger, but of necessity strong bands confined him, although he knew many a wile.

 

Full text of this work is available at Project Gutenberg .

 

Reading Selection 1:  Excerpt of Shakespeare's The Tempest

 

From Shakespeare’s The Tempest:

 

PROSPERO   Shake it off. Come on,
 We’ll visit Caliban, my slave, who never
 Yields us kind answer.

MIRANDA, [rising]  ’Tis a villain, sir,
 I do not love to look on.

PROSPERO   But, as ’tis,
 We cannot miss him. He does make our fire,
 Fetch in our wood, and serves in offices
 That profit us.—What ho, slave, Caliban!
 Thou earth, thou, speak!

CALIBAN, within   There’s wood enough within.

PROSPERO 
 Come forth, I say. There’s other business for thee.
 Come, thou tortoise. When?

Enter Ariel like a water nymph.

 Fine apparition! My quaint Ariel,
 Hark in thine ear. [He whispers to Ariel.]

ARIEL   My lord, it shall be done. [He exits.]

PROSPERO, [to Caliban] 
 Thou poisonous slave, got by the devil himself
 Upon thy wicked dam, come forth!

Enter Caliban.

CALIBAN 
As wicked dew as e’er my mother brushed
 With raven’s feather from unwholesome fen
 Drop on you both. A southwest blow on you
 And blister you all o’er.

PROSPERO 
 For this, be sure, tonight thou shalt have cramps,
 Side-stitches that shall pen thy breath up. Urchins
 Shall ⌜forth at⌝ vast of night that they may work
 All exercise on thee. Thou shalt be pinched
 As thick as honeycomb, each pinch more stinging
 Than bees that made ’em.

CALIBAN  

 I must eat my dinner.
 This island’s mine by Sycorax, my mother,
 Which thou tak’st from me. When thou cam’st first,
 Thou strok’st me and made much of me, wouldst  give me
Water with berries in ’t, and teach me how
 To name the bigger light and how the less,
 That burn by day and night. And then I loved thee,
 And showed thee all the qualities o’ th’ isle,
 The fresh springs, brine pits, barren place and fertile.
 Cursed be I that did so! All the charms
 Of Sycorax, toads, beetles, bats, light on you,
 For I am all the subjects that you have,
 Which first was mine own king; and here you sty me
In this hard rock, whiles you do keep from me
 The rest o’ th’ island.

PROSPERO   

Thou most lying slave,
 Whom stripes may move, not kindness, I have used thee,
Filth as thou art, with humane care, and lodged thee
 In mine own cell, till thou didst seek to violate
 The honor of my child.

CALIBAN 
 O ho, O ho! Would ’t had been done!
Thou didst prevent me. I had peopled else
 This isle with Calibans.

MIRANDA   

Abhorrèd slave,
 Which any print of goodness wilt not take,
 Being capable of all ill! I pitied thee,
Took pains to make thee speak, taught thee each  hour
 One thing or other. When thou didst not, savage,
 Know thine own meaning, but wouldst gabble like
 A thing most brutish, I endowed thy purposes
With words that made them known. But thy vile race,
 Though thou didst learn, had that in ’t which good natures
 Could not abide to be with. Therefore wast thou
Deservedly confined into this rock,
 Who hadst deserved more than a prison.

CALIBAN 
 You taught me language, and my profit on ’t
 Is I know how to curse. The red plague rid you
 For learning me your language!

PROSPERO  

Hagseed, hence!
 Fetch us in fuel; and be quick, thou ’rt best,
 To answer other business. Shrugg’st thou, malice?
 If thou neglect’st or dost unwillingly
 What I command, I’ll rack thee with old cramps,
Fill all thy bones with aches, make thee roar
 That beasts shall tremble at thy din.

CALIBAN   

No, pray thee.
 [Aside.] I must obey. His art is of such power
 It would control my dam’s god, Setebos,
And make a vassal of him.

PROSPERO   So, slave, hence.
Caliban exits.