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Fate In Io's Prometheus Bound

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This scene, in which Io, plagued by the love of Zeus, enters and asks Prometheus about her fate, contains extensive descriptions of her future wanderings and the world that she will be wandering through. This world, despite all the gifts Prometheus has given it (439-506), is not a pleasant one, and this somber fact is emphasized by Io’s dread at the titan’s tales. Stephen White takes up this problem in “Io's World: Intimations of Theodicy in Prometheus bound”, where he writes, “Nowhere on her journey will she find anything remotely resembling Greek conceptions of civilized society: no cities, no laws, no sacred rites, scant traces of family life, and precious little kindness” (116). Among other vicious groups, Io will meet the Chalybes in Europe, …show more content…

Just now, we have seen that Zeus’s moderated pity for mortals, if we may indeed suppose he has any, fuels a plan that will ultimately improve their condition. In addition to this, pity functions as an outlet of misery for those who receive it, allowing them to bear their misfortune more comfortably. Prometheus is comforted throughout the tragedy by the pitying presence of the Oceanids. And when Oceanus appears, Prometheus’s question, “did you wish to come to see my misfortunes and share in my sorrows?” can be read not only as a sarcastic jab but also as a desperate plea for the sympathy he needs in order to bear his struggle (302-303). Alluding to this also is Prometheus’s comment to Io, “to weep and bewail misfortune then, when one will get a tear from the listeners, is worth the effort” (637-639). Pity can both strengthen the bonds of community and lighten the loads of the suffering, even if it does not directly address the cause of that suffering. Furthermore, the lack of pity for poor, wandering Io displayed by the hostile European tribes she will encounter is manifestly inhuman and base, and the sacrifice of the Oceanids for Prometheus at the end of the drama (1058-1079), motivated at least in part by pity, is noble even if misguided. Certain forms of pity are dangerous or destructive in Prometheus Bound, but certain others are quite the

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