etheus is up against Zeus, leader of the Gods. This head to head contest is very unevenly matched (as are Faustus and Lucifer). Zeus is never seen in Aeschylus play, but we have a fair indication of how Aeschylus wants the audience to view him. Strength and Violence treat the fallen Titan akin to a mere mortal Why do you not hate a God who is an enemy to all the gods12 . Aeschylus uses the introduction of Oceanus and Io to develop the core drama of the play - Prometheus defiance to Zeus and as Nietzsche puts it, his Ubermensch13 tendencies. Io also serves to illustrate the might and cruelty of Zeuss immense power Tormented in ever restless exile by the cruelty of Hera14 . Hera is merely an extension of Zeuss all encompassing power. During these scenes Prometheus is silent, he has turned his attention away from the outer world and is concentrating on his inner one: turn your thoughts elsewhere; now is not the time to speak15 . Meditation on his far off salvation appears to be his only comfort. Faustuss conflict stems from his pride and he subsequently refuses to recognise the mercy of God ; But Faustus offence can never be pardoned16 . As Douglas Cole states the Doctors hyperbole is a measure of his despair17 . He is suffering from the spiritual loss of power. His inability to accept Gods redemption becomes his poena damni18 . Marlowe has exploited this irony in the dramatic terms of the play; the hero although faced with the two supreme powers Good and Evil is rendered impotent due to his own lack of human spirit and therefore this renders his salvation impossible. We can see Prometheus as a socialist figure waging a battle for the common man. Faustus nearly achieves this status; he is in danger of sounding like Lenin when he exclaims to the academics Ive seen what is better. Instead he metamorphosis into a bourgeois capitalist, fighting for himself and only himself. Faustus and Prometheus do however, share the similarit...
