ENG308Y1 Lecture Notes - Lecture 28: Socratic Method, Tyrant, Psychodrama
Prometheus*Unbound
Psychodrama*-not*meant*to*be*performed*on*stage
Requires*a*strong*act*of*the*reader's*imagination*to*engage*
meaningfully*with*this*text
○
•
Christian*medieval*view*that*evil*is*a*privation*of*good
Jupiter*could*be*seen*as*the*primitive*mode*of*Prometheus
○
•
Nobody*dares*utter*the*horrendous*curse*that*shook*the*universe
So*a*ghost*of*Jupiter*is*called*up
○
And*Prometheus*is*cursed*by*his*own*words
○
"Were*these*my*words,*O*Parent"
○
•
To*recall* the*curse*is*the*same*as*revoking*the*curse
They*occur*at*the*same*time*because*misery*has*made*him*wise
○
Because*when*humans*view*the*universe*correctly,*it*no*longer*appears*
hostile,*it*appears*benevolent
○
•
Asia*and*Panthea*drawn*to*the*realm*of*Demogorgon
Asia*wants*to*know*basically*the*meaning*of*life,*the*name*of*the*
divine,*the*meaning*of*evil
○
•
Line*8*-Who*made*the*living*world?*God
Even*as*Shelley*recognises*that*such*power*is*beyond*linguistic*
representation,*
○
•
Line*19*-And*who*made*terror,*madness,*crime,*remorse…
•
Line*108*-about*perception,*about*mental*process
An*uncertainty*that*still*is*felt,*but*it*is*beyond*representation*in*
language
○
But*this*does*not*mean*that*it*does*not*exist
○
If*we*could*know*everything*but*the*deep*truth*is*imageless,*it*is*not*
that*the*deep*truth*does*not*exist,*but*that*is*is*beyond*representation
○
We*cannot*stretch*our*mind*around*a*capacity*for*infinity
○
•
If*these*could*be*represented,*what*would*it*even*do*for*you?
Would*you*subjugate*yourself*to*a*representation*of*a*spiritual*being?
○
"All*things*are*subject*but*an*eternal*love"**(120)
○
•
Line*121*-!!*
So*much*I*asked*before,*and*my*heart*gave
○
The*response*thou*hast*given;*and*of*such*truths
Each*to*itself*must*be*the*oracle.--
•
What%is%the%significance%of%these%lines?%How%do%they%relate%to%the%way%in%which%
Prometheus%is%presented%in%Act%1?
The*truths*that*we*seek*our*within*us,*but*we*are*scared*of*the*answers*and*
look*for*more
Prometheus*projected*an*image*of*Jupiter*to*help*him*recall*the*curse*
in*Act*1,*but*he*knew*it*all*along
○
Symmetry*between*what*we*can*recall*from*the*past*and*the*future
○
•
Socratic*method*-asks*questions*which*enable*you*to*find*the*answer*within*
yourself
Not*merely*that*you*acquire*knowledge*from*the*deep
○
Point*is*cleansed*perception,*perspective
○
Recalling*is*the*same*as*retractive*because*in*his*own*renovated*
understanding,*he*recognises*that*a*being*who*curses*is*not*who*he*is
○
•
Within*our*own*cleansed*perception*of*the*universe,*we*realise* that*our*own*
psychological*dynamic*can*affirm*truths*about*ourselves
The*difference*between*the*acts*is*that*in*Act*1,*we*have*the*conditions*
in*the*human*world*being*suggested
○
But*to*enable*our*world*to*be*coopted*by*the*tyranny,*is*to*become*a*
slave
○
Act*1*is*about*the*psychology*of*tyranny
○
•
To*have*a*cleansed*perception*of*the*world*is*to*have*a*cleansed*perception*
of*what*it*is*to*capitulate*tyrannical*forces
As*human*beings,*we*need*not*heap*evil*upon*evil
○
This*is*why*Prometheus*recalls*and*retracts*the*curse
○
This*is*what*enables*a*cleansed*perception
○
And*why*he*wishes*no*living*thing,*not*even*the*tyrant,*to*suffer*pain
○
•
What*you*have*in*Act*2*is*how*slave*psychology*can*distort*the*human*view*
of*the*universe
In*Asia's*long*history,*we*have*the*consequences*of*human*bondage
The*implications*of*human*bondage
§
○
•
Asia*needs*to*remember*that*everything*is*subject*to*chance*and*mutability*
except*for*love
She*knows*this*already
○
That*is*an*enlightenment*about*the*self
○
The*experience* that*Asia*has*occurs*simultaneously*with*the*experience*
of*Prometheus
○
•
Psychology*of*tyranny*but*also*the*psychology*of*freedom
Slave*psychology*distorts*the*human*view*of*the*universe
○
But*also*moments*of*cleansed*perception*which*cleanse*the*universe
○
•
In*Act*3,*we*have*the*regeneration*of*Prometheus*and*the*universe
Prometheus*retracts*the*curse
○
Asia*learns*that*each*truth*to*itself*must*be*the*oracle
○
And*Jupiter*is*dragged*down*into*the*depths
○
Each*of*these*occurs*in*unison
○
•
Pg.*830,*Line*164
A*throne-less*world,*a*prison-less*world
○
We*are*not*self-enslaved*to*human-made*structures*and*hierarchical*
divisions*which*enslave*us
○
The*earth*has*been*placed*in*a*renovated*moral*psychology*that*
enables*a*self-governance
○
•
Line*180
Not*that*we*are*other*than*what*we*are,*it*is*that*the*mask*that*is*a*
perversion*of*what*we*are*has*fallen
○
Merely*a*revelation*of*good,*not*an*invention*of*one
○
•
Line*198
A*regenerated*humanity*is*not*sterile/fixed/stagnant*in*one*moment*in*
time
○
We*are*not*passionless
○
Self-understanding*is*the*key*to*understanding*the*universe
It*is*a*way*of*having*a*cleansed*perception*in*which*we*recognise*
how*we*have*enslaved*ourselves
§
○
But*we*are*free*form*guilt*or*pain
We*once*had*it*because*our*will*suffered
§
○
The*intense*inane*-a*dim*point*in*the*extreme*of*empty*space
○
•
A*human*being*is*not*suddenly*immortal
Still*has*to*contend*with*the*vicissitudes*of*passion
○
Still*weighted*down*by*the*clogs*like*death,*mutability,*the*
encountering*of*impediments
○
We*are*still*defined*by*our*humanity
○
No*magical*release*into*an*ultimate*transcendence
○
We*are*not*released*from*time
○
Because*we*would*be*nowhere*if*we*were
○
Integrity*of*human*worth
○
•
Apocalyptic*vision*which*he*offers*affirms*first*and*foremost*that*we*remain*
in*time,*subject*to*death,*grounded*in*a*world*without*which*we*would*be*
lost*in*space
A*transcendental*vision*will*not*save*us
○
Our*inner*psychology*is*what*redeems*us
○
An*apocalyptic*triumph*is*not*one*in*which*we*transcend*our*humanity
○
We*are*human*in*our*full*actuality
○
We*are*still*subject*to*death*and*time
○
•
In*Act*4,*we*have*an*extended*celebration*where*Asia*and*Prometheus*go*to*
a*cave*in*the*forest
The*prospect*of*a*world*becoming*perverted*from*its*own*essential*
goodness,*remains
○
•
He*made*captivity*captive
Christian*reference
○
•
We*are*affirmed*in*our*gentleness*that*these*lessons*must*be*learned*and*
relearned*continually
○These*are*the*spells*to*set*things*right
○We*need*to*keep*in*check*the*corruption*of*morality,*the*perversion*of*
good
○A*redeemed*humanity*is*still*a*recognisable*humanity
○This*makes*contact*with*a*political*humanity
○For*which*the*real*existence*of*a*threat*must*always*be*acknowledged
•
A*Defense*of*Poetry
•For*Shelley,*language*and*poetry*are*tricky*capacities
○They*enable*us*to*establish*a*self-understanding*and*alienate*ourselves*
from*a*self-understanding
•"Their*language*is*vitally*metaphorical"*(858)
○Metaphor*offers*principle*of*equivalence*between*two*unlike*objects
○Poetry*functions*on*equivalence
○It*marks*the*relationship*between*things*in*the*universe*that*otherwise*
seem*unrelated
○If*poetry*is*vitally*metaphorical,*then*that*means*that*poetry*is*
essentially*moral,*because*it*has*the*ability*to*perceive*connections*in*
the*universe
•Pg.*862*-"The*great*secret*of*morals*is*Love"
○Love*is*a*going*out*of*our*own*nature*and*an*identification*of*ourselves*
with*the*beautiful
○Love*is*a*principle*of*equivalence*that*poets*use*in*metaphor
○It*is*essentially*metaphoric
○Recognising*an*identification*of*ourselves*with*the*other
§By*recognising*the*relations*of*things
§The*way*in*which*we*can*identify*ourselves*with*the*goodness*in*
another
○Evil*is*the*circumscribing*of*imagination
○"The*great*instrument*of*moral*good*is*the*imagination"
§Vitally*what*Prometheus*Unbound*was*trying*to*show
•Pg.*863*-"Poetry*strengthens*that*faculty*which*is*the*organ*of*the*moral*
nature*of*man"
○If*you*read*a*lot*of*poetry,*you*are*in*the*habit*of*going*out*of*your*own*
nature*and*recognising*and*identification*of*ourselves*which*exists*in*
thought*and*action*which*is*not*our*own
○Just*as*exercise*strengthens*a*limb,*we*become*stronger*in*our*moral*
nature
○This*is*the*capacity*of*our*imagination*in*a*world*that*seems*diverse,*
but*is*really*vitally*connected
§And*that*is*moral
○Poetry*is*essentially*a*moral*force
○If*you*can*imagine*intensely*and*comprehensively,*it*means*you*are*
identifying*with*another
Lecture*28
Monday,*January*30,*2017
11:17*AM
Prometheus*Unbound
Psychodrama*-not*meant*to*be*performed*on*stage
Requires*a*strong*act*of*the*reader's*imagination*to*engage*
meaningfully*with*this*text
○
•
Christian*medieval*view*that*evil*is*a*privation*of*good
Jupiter*could*be*seen*as*the*primitive*mode*of*Prometheus
○
•
Nobody*dares*utter*the*horrendous*curse*that*shook*the*universe
So*a*ghost*of*Jupiter*is*called*up
○
And*Prometheus*is*cursed*by*his*own*words
○
"Were*these*my*words,*O*Parent"
○
•
To*recall* the*curse*is*the*same*as*revoking*the*curse
They*occur*at*the*same*time*because*misery*has*made*him*wise
○
Because*when*humans*view*the*universe*correctly,*it*no*longer*appears*
hostile,*it*appears*benevolent
○
•
Asia*and*Panthea*drawn*to*the*realm*of*Demogorgon
Asia*wants*to*know*basically*the*meaning*of*life,*the*name*of*the*
divine,*the*meaning*of*evil
○
•
Line*8*-Who*made*the*living*world?*God
Even*as*Shelley*recognises*that*such*power*is*beyond*linguistic*
representation,*
○
•
Line*19*-And*who*made*terror,*madness,*crime,*remorse…•
Line*108*-about*perception,*about*mental*process
An*uncertainty*that*still*is*felt,*but*it*is*beyond*representation*in*
language
○
But*this*does*not*mean*that*it*does*not*exist
○
If*we*could*know*everything*but*the*deep*truth*is*imageless,*it*is*not*
that*the*deep*truth*does*not*exist,*but*that*is*is*beyond*representation
○
We*cannot*stretch*our*mind*around*a*capacity*for*infinity
○
•
If*these*could*be*represented,*what*would*it*even*do*for*you?
Would*you*subjugate*yourself*to*a*representation*of*a*spiritual*being?
○
"All*things*are*subject*but*an*eternal*love"**(120)
○
•
Line*121*-!!*
So*much*I*asked*before,*and*my*heart*gave
○
The*response*thou*hast*given;*and*of*such*truths
Each*to*itself*must*be*the*oracle.--
•
What%is%the%significance%of%these%lines?%How%do%they%relate%to%the%way%in%which%
Prometheus%is%presented%in%Act%1?
The*truths*that*we*seek*our*within*us,*but*we*are*scared*of*the*answers*and*
look*for*more
Prometheus*projected*an*image*of*Jupiter*to*help*him*recall*the*curse*
in*Act*1,*but*he*knew*it*all*along
○
Symmetry*between*what*we*can*recall*from*the*past*and*the*future
○
•
Socratic*method*-asks*questions*which*enable*you*to*find*the*answer*within*
yourself
Not*merely*that*you*acquire*knowledge*from*the*deep
○
Point*is*cleansed*perception,*perspective
○
Recalling*is*the*same*as*retractive*because*in*his*own*renovated*
understanding,*he*recognises*that*a*being*who*curses*is*not*who*he*is
○
•
Within*our*own*cleansed*perception*of*the*universe,*we*realise* that*our*own*
psychological*dynamic*can*affirm*truths*about*ourselves
The*difference*between*the*acts*is*that*in*Act*1,*we*have*the*conditions*
in*the*human*world*being*suggested
○
But*to*enable*our*world*to*be*coopted*by*the*tyranny,*is*to*become*a*
slave
○
Act*1*is*about*the*psychology*of*tyranny
○
•
To*have*a*cleansed*perception*of*the*world*is*to*have*a*cleansed*perception*
of*what*it*is*to*capitulate*tyrannical*forces
As*human*beings,*we*need*not*heap*evil*upon*evil
○
This*is*why*Prometheus*recalls*and*retracts*the*curse
○
This*is*what*enables*a*cleansed*perception
○
And*why*he*wishes*no*living*thing,*not*even*the*tyrant,*to*suffer*pain
○
•
What*you*have*in*Act*2*is*how*slave*psychology*can*distort*the*human*view*
of*the*universe
In*Asia's*long*history,*we*have*the*consequences*of*human*bondage
The*implications*of*human*bondage
§
○
•
Asia*needs*to*remember*that*everything*is*subject*to*chance*and*mutability*
except*for*love
She*knows*this*already
○
That*is*an*enlightenment*about*the*self
○
The*experience* that*Asia*has*occurs*simultaneously*with*the*experience*
of*Prometheus
○
•
Psychology*of*tyranny*but*also*the*psychology*of*freedom
Slave*psychology*distorts*the*human*view*of*the*universe
○
But*also*moments*of*cleansed*perception*which*cleanse*the*universe
○
•
In*Act*3,*we*have*the*regeneration*of*Prometheus*and*the*universe
Prometheus*retracts*the*curse
○
Asia*learns*that*each*truth*to*itself*must*be*the*oracle
○
And*Jupiter*is*dragged*down*into*the*depths
○
Each*of*these*occurs*in*unison
○
•
Pg.*830,*Line*164
A*throne-less*world,*a*prison-less*world
○
We*are*not*self-enslaved*to*human-made*structures*and*hierarchical*
divisions*which*enslave*us
○
The*earth*has*been*placed*in*a*renovated*moral*psychology*that*
enables*a*self-governance
○
•
Line*180
Not*that*we*are*other*than*what*we*are,*it*is*that*the*mask*that*is*a*
perversion*of*what*we*are*has*fallen
○
Merely*a*revelation*of*good,*not*an*invention*of*one
○
•
Line*198
A*regenerated*humanity*is*not*sterile/fixed/stagnant*in*one*moment*in*
time
○
We*are*not*passionless
○
Self-understanding*is*the*key*to*understanding*the*universe
It*is*a*way*of*having*a*cleansed*perception*in*which*we*recognise*
how*we*have*enslaved*ourselves
§
○
But*we*are*free*form*guilt*or*pain
We*once*had*it*because*our*will*suffered
§
○
The*intense*inane*-a*dim*point*in*the*extreme*of*empty*space
○
•
A*human*being*is*not*suddenly*immortal
Still*has*to*contend*with*the*vicissitudes*of*passion
○
Still*weighted*down*by*the*clogs*like*death,*mutability,*the*
encountering*of*impediments
○
We*are*still*defined*by*our*humanity
○
No*magical*release*into*an*ultimate*transcendence
○
We*are*not*released*from*time
○
Because*we*would*be*nowhere*if*we*were
○
Integrity*of*human*worth
○
•
Apocalyptic*vision*which*he*offers*affirms*first*and*foremost*that*we*remain*
in*time,*subject*to*death,*grounded*in*a*world*without*which*we*would*be*
lost*in*space
A*transcendental*vision*will*not*save*us
○
Our*inner*psychology*is*what*redeems*us
○
An*apocalyptic*triumph*is*not*one*in*which*we*transcend*our*humanity
○
We*are*human*in*our*full*actuality
○
We*are*still*subject*to*death*and*time
○
•
In*Act*4,*we*have*an*extended*celebration*where*Asia*and*Prometheus*go*to*
a*cave*in*the*forest
The*prospect*of*a*world*becoming*perverted*from*its*own*essential*
goodness,*remains
○
•
He*made*captivity*captive
Christian*reference
○
•
We*are*affirmed*in*our*gentleness*that*these*lessons*must*be*learned*and*
relearned*continually
○These*are*the*spells*to*set*things*right
○We*need*to*keep*in*check*the*corruption*of*morality,*the*perversion*of*
good
○A*redeemed*humanity*is*still*a*recognisable*humanity
○This*makes*contact*with*a*political*humanity
○For*which*the*real*existence*of*a*threat*must*always*be*acknowledged
•
A*Defense*of*Poetry
•For*Shelley,*language*and*poetry*are*tricky*capacities
○They*enable*us*to*establish*a*self-understanding*and*alienate*ourselves*
from*a*self-understanding
•"Their*language*is*vitally*metaphorical"*(858)
○Metaphor*offers*principle*of*equivalence*between*two*unlike*objects
○Poetry*functions*on*equivalence
○It*marks*the*relationship*between*things*in*the*universe*that*otherwise*
seem*unrelated
○If*poetry*is*vitally*metaphorical,*then*that*means*that*poetry*is*
essentially*moral,*because*it*has*the*ability*to*perceive*connections*in*
the*universe
•Pg.*862*-"The*great*secret*of*morals*is*Love"
○Love*is*a*going*out*of*our*own*nature*and*an*identification*of*ourselves*
with*the*beautiful
○Love*is*a*principle*of*equivalence*that*poets*use*in*metaphor
○It*is*essentially*metaphoric
○Recognising*an*identification*of*ourselves*with*the*other
§By*recognising*the*relations*of*things
§The*way*in*which*we*can*identify*ourselves*with*the*goodness*in*
another
○Evil*is*the*circumscribing*of*imagination
○"The*great*instrument*of*moral*good*is*the*imagination"
§Vitally*what*Prometheus*Unbound*was*trying*to*show
•Pg.*863*-"Poetry*strengthens*that*faculty*which*is*the*organ*of*the*moral*
nature*of*man"
○If*you*read*a*lot*of*poetry,*you*are*in*the*habit*of*going*out*of*your*own*
nature*and*recognising*and*identification*of*ourselves*which*exists*in*
thought*and*action*which*is*not*our*own
○Just*as*exercise*strengthens*a*limb,*we*become*stronger*in*our*moral*
nature
○This*is*the*capacity*of*our*imagination*in*a*world*that*seems*diverse,*
but*is*really*vitally*connected
§And*that*is*moral
○Poetry*is*essentially*a*moral*force
○If*you*can*imagine*intensely*and*comprehensively,*it*means*you*are*
identifying*with*another
Lecture*28
Monday,*January*30,*2017 11:17*AM
Document Summary
Psychodrama - not meant to be performed on stage. Requires a strong act of the reader"s imagination to engage meaningfully with this text. Christian medieval view that evil is a privation of good. Jupiter could be seen as the primitive mode of prometheus. Nobody dares utter the horrendous curse that shook the universe. So a ghost of jupiter is called up. And prometheus is cursed by his own words. To recall the curse is the same as revoking the curse. They occur at the same time because misery has made him wise. Because when humans view the universe correctly, it no longer appears hostile, it appears benevolent. Asia and panthea drawn to the realm of demogorgon. Asia wants to know basically the meaning of life, the name of the divine, the meaning of evil. Even as shelley recognises that such power is beyond linguistic representation, Line 19 - and who made terror, madness, crime, remorse .
