"Prometheus Unbound"

Paper Summary:

This paper discusses how one of the major themes in Percy Bysshe Shelley's "Prometheus Unbound" relates to the role of the imagination. Shelley distinguishes between reason and imagination and shows that imagination is the only way people can expand their thinking and overcome their situation to move forward. It explains how Shelley suggests that imagination is man's greatest source of power, while reason can limit a person and lead to making the wrong decisions. The major way this theme is expressed is through the events involving Prometheus's downfall, punishment, and his ability to release himself from that punishment.

From the Paper:

"Before considering how the theme of imagination as man's greatest source of power is expressed, it is necessary to consider what Shelley means by imagination. Shelley is not referring to imagination in the modern sense of the word. Instead, Shelley is referring to the ability to think independently and to be able to expand thinking to consider things that are outside of the normal range. In this way, imagination becomes the opposite of rational thinking, since rational thinking is constrained and imagination is unconstrained. In this context, imagination is referring to unlimited thinking that is capable of thinking beyond any limitations."

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