Archetypes In Prometheus

Isabella Hall

Professor Hairston

EH 242-W06

04/25/2023

Prometheus: The Consequences of Ego

In the scope of Jungian interpretations of myth, Jung himself postulated that stories, much like dreams, are symbolic of the aspects of self that occur as a result of the collective unconscious trend and the process of individualization, or the completion of the awareness of self. These stories can be used to understand the aspects of an individual’s mind in the form of the archetypes—which each embody an aspect of the collective unconscious mind—made up of the persona, the shadow, the anima/animus, and the self. In the case of Prometheus, the narrative is a critique of the process of individualization and the use of emotional decisions. The Grecian trickster

Even in Ovid’s Metamorphoses, which puts much more importance on the character, Prometheus and his actions are still debated; however, the Greek culture’s regard for the god as a “…supreme benefactor…” of humanity. The trickster is often regarded as having tricked Zeus in order to give humans the meat which was meant for his sacrifice and in retaliation, Zeus withholds fire, a metaphor for knowledge. As a result, Prometheus decided to steal the fire from the gods and give it to the humans without consulting his brother, Epimetheus or “Afterthought”, creating civilization and invention. However, Zeus then punished both Prometheus and the humans by introducing the first woman, Pandora unto the world. Zeus then as further punishment then binds Prometheus to a rock to have his liver pecked out every day by an eagle, a symbol for Zeus. However, after allowing Prometheus to suffer, Zeus then decides to allow his son, Heracles, to free him in order to increase Heracles’ fame (Thury and Devinney 516-522). This myth is representative of human ambition and the risk that is taken in the thirst for innovation

It should be noted, however, that Prometheus is only the dreamer in relation to that of the self-actualization needs of the humans, or the shadow within this story, as he allows his ego and desire to reject the rule of society, or the persona, and instead appease the hidden desires of humanity, to have what was forbidden to the self, the knowledge and possessions of the gods. Unlike many of the Grecian myths, the story of Prometheus displays a view of the gods as in direct opposition to that of humanity, as Prometheus was seen as a villain in Hesiod’s more god-centric view on creation, while he was seen as the tragic hero and father to humanity in Ovid’s and various other stories, which prioritize the understanding of the mechanisms of the world, while viewing the gods as analogous to these processes. As such, the shadow within this myth is the humans, which the self, or Prometheus, is largely subject to the whims of in the effort to deny the persona, or Zeus, of the power of dictating reality. The persona then in itself becomes an overinflated ego which is unable to reconnect with the unconscious