How we cite our quotes: (Line)
Quote #4
CHORUS. One would have to be made of stone and have a soul of iron, Prometheus, not to share the distress of your affliction. I would not have wished to see it, and now that I have seen it, I am pained to the heart. (242-245)
Again, the Chorus says that everyone on earth should feel compassion for Prometheus's position. But what good is all this compassion to Prometheus? Could the Chorus's repeated statements of this belief simply reflect their sense of powerlessness? (Everyone knows what happens to uppity nymphs. They get turned into trees.)
Quote #5
OCEANUS. I share the pain of your misfortunes, I assure you; our kinship, I feel, compels me to do so, and quite apart from that, there is no one to whom I would pay greater respect than to you. (284-297)
Uh-huh. Excuse us if we're not convinced by all this compassion. Notice that Oceanus feels "compelled" to do it. We're thinking that he doesn't feel much compassion at all—he just likes to stick his nose where it doesn't belong.
Quote #6
CHORUS. I groan, Prometheus, for your terrible fate: I let fall a flow of tear-drops from my tender eyes, and moisten my cheek with their watery stream […]. And every land is now crying out in grief, lamenting the privileges, magnificent and time-honoured, of yourself and your brethren: all the mortals who dwell in the inhabited abodes of holy Asia suffer together with your great and grievous sufferings […]. (398-401, 407-414)
In general, the Chorus sticks by Prometheus—right until they split at the end, when Zeus starts throwing lightning bolts around. But it's worth noting that they're just a teeny bit self-interested. If they're sad about the "privileges" that the gods are losing, doesn't that include themselves, as well? If so, does this make their sympathy with Prometheus seem more or less sincere?