PROMETHEUS' CAVE AS THE IVORY TOWER OF POETRY: A MYTHO-ARCHETYPAL READING OF SHELLEY'S PROMETHEUS UNBOUND[PROMETHEUS UNBOUND (1819) DE SHELLEY MET EN SCÈNE UN HÉROS RÉVOLUTIONNAIRE QUI, UNE FOIS DÉLIVRÉ]

Abstract

Shelley's Prometheus Unbound (1819) portrays a revolutionary hero who, upon being unchained, embarks on a journey that progresses eastward and backward. This article examines Shelley's depiction of specific locations, particularly Prometheus' cave, in relation to Akkerman's myths of the Garden and the Citadel, as well as biblical parables such as the Garden of Eden and the Tower of Babel. The focus is on exploring the correlation between Prometheus' cave and the Tower of Babel, symbolizing the ivory tower of poetry. By portraying this isolated and solitary place and repressing his communal self, Shelley fashions his poetic identity as an alienated ivory tower poet, whose poetry emanates from the realm of the ivory tower rather than the garden. To realize his vision of the perfect garden of poetry, Shelley posits the need to replace his alienated self with his communal self as the foundation for the myth of the Garden, which also represents the garden of poetry. A thorough analysis of Shelley's play reveals how his depiction of the Elysian place ultimately becomes an excluded non-Elysian realm that aligns more with the myth of the Citadel and the Tower of Babel, separating the poet from human society and his communal self. © 2025 University of Montenegro. All rights reserved.