Promethies

Promethies

For as long as humans have been able to speak they have been telling each other stories. Some stories are funny while others tell information like where we came from or past wars. But the best stories are the ones that have meaning and lessons built into them. Hesiod’s telling of Pandora is one such story because it conveys traditions, myths, moral and ethical norms and beliefs of ancient Greeks.
It is very important to analyze Pandora and the myth at large, as it is depicted by Hesiod, since often it is compared to Genesis and different creation myths in other cultures. At the same time it is also noteworthy because it provides a lot of information about the role of women in ancient Greek society and how they were traditionally perceived. Also it is noteworthy to trace some personal traits of character that are critically depicted by Hesiod and that the image of Pandora organically incorporated.

The myth about Pandora
First of all, it is necessarily to briefly discuss the myth about Pandora in order to better understand the role of her actions, her motives and her personality at large, as well as her role as a representative of women for the future of the whole mankind as Hesiod, being a representative of ancient Greek culture, perceived or interpreted it.
Initially, as soon as Pandora was created, she was sent to Epimetheus by Zeus as a punishment for Prometheus disobedience when he brought fire to people and in such a way rebelled against Zeus. In fact, it was a kind of revenge of Zeus to Prometheus and all people since Pandora’s creation was purposeful and she should be a punishment, notably, in his speech the main God of ancient Greeks underlines: “you are glad that you have outwitted me and stolen fire – a great plague to you yourself and to men that shall be. But I will give men as the price for fire an evil thing in which they may all be glad of heart while they embrace their own destruction” (Hesiod 1983, 55). Obviously it was Pandora that should...