Prometheus was a Titan. Son of Iapetus and Clymene. He and his brother, Epithemeus, fought along side the gods to take the heavens for their own. As reward they were gifted the task of creating life on earth.

Prometheus was the creator and protector of mankind. He was said to have forged the first human from clay. He made them in the image of the gods, but was ordered to leave them mortal.

He thought that they deserved more.

When Zeus asked for a sacrifice from the mortals,Prometheus decided to trick him by placing succulent flesh under the ox's grotesque stomach, while in the other pile, he dressed up the bones artfully with shining fat.

When Zeus realized what Prometheus had done, he was furious. He took the gift of fire from the humans. This left them to freeze and to eat their food raw.

Prometheus then decided that he needed to protect his creation. He stole fire from Zeus and carried it in a hollow fennel stalk down to the mortals. This acted as a catalyst for human progression. They were now able to heat their food, forge weapons, and keep theirselves warm.

Once Zeus realized what Prometheus had done, he sentenced him to a lifetime of punishment. He was to spend an eternity chained to a mountain. Every day his liver would be pecked out by a vulture only to regenerate the night day.

Prometheus spent thousands of years suffering this punishment, having his flesh devoured by a ferocious bird. It is said that he was chained to the mountain for so long that he eventually became one with the rock; all the while he looked on in agony as his creations, mankind, suffer the plagues that were released from Pandora’s box.

Even though his sentence was miserable, Prometheus never once regretted his decision to help the humans. He was proud of his creation and he knew it was the right thing to do.

In the book, Frankenstein, by Mary Shelley, Dr. Victor Frankenstein sews a man together and brings him back to life using alchemy and chemistry. At first he thinks he has created something beautiful, but soon realizes he was wrong.

Frankenstein describes the monster as 8 foot tall and hideously ugly, but sensitive and emotional. He rejects the creature which turns him into a monster. In all reality, the monster only wanted to be accepted and loved.

Frankenstein relates to the story of Prometheus because both of them are creating life. They both are ultimately victims of their own creations and they become the source of their torture.

The Enlightenment Period

In the enlightenment period, scientists believed that if they could find a way to bring people back to life, that there would be no need for a god. Similarly, Prometheus defied Zeus to give mortals the power they needed to survive without the gods. Furthermore, Dr Frankenstein brought life to his creature which removes the need for God.