The Theory of Greek Tragedy 29 
was there in condemning Prometheus to torture for his benefits 
to humanity in defiance of a tyrant, usurper, and parricide, whose 
highest title to consideration would seem to consist in the fact 
that he was able to command the services of Kratos and Bia? 
That this question, which is obviously the question raised by 
the drama, is answered in a thoroughly decisive and satisfactory 
manner, it would be idle to maintain in the face of all the con- 
flicting interpretations of which the play has been the subject. At 
the same time I believe that even as far as it goes, the drama 
does answer the question partially, and answers it in accordance 
with the general principles of Attic tragedy. That Aeschylus sym- 
pathized with Prometheus, is pretty clear. No doubt the audience 
sympathized with him too. But notwithstanding the representa- 
tions of modern criticism I venture to think that he was not to the 
Greek the purely sympathetic character which he has become 
for the modern. As far as bare intention goes, he was properly 
an object of pity in his distress, after the usual fashion of the 
tragedy in which he figured. At the same time his sacrilege, 
which has lost its sting for us, must have made him for the Greeks 
an object of horror equally. Either so; or the feelings by which 
Aristotle defines the impression of his tragedy, must be so indefi- 
nite and diffused as to make his statement altogether pointless— 
an apercu rather than a definition. That Aeschylus makes no 
attempt to gloze his protagonist’s fault, ought to be decisive. 
Unmistakably as he sympathizes with Prometheus, it is significant 
that he carefully refrains from justifying him. On the contrary 
he appears on one occasion at least to have put an admission of 
guilt into his mouth—ypaprov, otk apvycoua. Nor does it matter 
particularly how jpaprov be translated in this connection; to err 
or even mistake in these matters was for the Greek, as I have 
pointed out, none the less a sin. In so far, then, Aeschylus keeps 
the idea unobscured. Prometheus suffers; but then Prometheus 
has violated the law for Titan as for man, and to that extent his 
punishment is just. 
And yet while this is true, it must be conceded in excuse of 
another range of interpretation that Aeschylus shows a little 
reluctance to trancher the question. It is as though the matter 
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