PROMETHEUS MYTH IN THE POEMS OF LORD BYRON AND CAN YÜCEL

Abstract

This paper explores the employment of the myth of Prometheus as a representation of the rebellious feelings of human life and an expression of the meaning of the universe in the poems, Prometheus by Lord Byron, the British romantic and Prometeus, A Thief by Can Yücel, the Turkish poet, the translator and the critic. With this purpose, the paper concentrates on how Byron and Yücel employ their mythical background in these challenging poems. The study also responds in specific to the approach of mythical criticism that establishes the prominence of myths and examines its relationship to the themes of two poems grounded on the idea that the myths are reflected in literary works by passing through changes. While highlighting the poems, it gets impetus from the concept of ‘collective unconscious’, which was introduced by the Swiss psychologist, Carl Gustav Jung. The paper develops gradually by analyzing Byron and Yücel’s reshaping of myth to evaluate specific political views and humanistic values in the personification of the god, Prometheus.