Prometheus Learns Forgiveness

Worship Leader: Bob Harrington

To suffer woes which Hope thinks infinite;

To forgive wrongs darker than death or night;

To defy power, which seems omnipotent;

To love, and bear; to hope till Hope creates

From its own wreck the thing it contemplates:

This verse from Percy Shelley’s poem Prometheus Unbound is the inspiration for my talk on Sept 14.  

The topic for the month is forgiveness so I will discuss it in  the light of this poem.  

The poem is based on the ancient myth where Prometheus a saviour for mankind teaches humanity the uses of fire.  For this Zeus is enraged as he despises humanity and strives to ignore us.  Angered he chains Prometheus to a mountain top where each day an eagle comes and eats out his liver. This is a metaphor for humanity’s helplessness in being unable to overcome anxiety, fear, frustration, hatred and all the evils we are subject to.  Prometheus with his power to endure evil shows us the way to learn forgiveness.