The relationship between human and divine knowledge in Genesis and Prometheus Bound can be compared, as both texts show humans to receive knowledge from Gods, but at a cost. The text presents the relationship between human and divine knowledge as having divisive, hierarchical and consequential aspects. In the texts, human knowledge can be defined as the general conceptions and understanding that the humans possess. Divine knowledge can be defined as the portrayal of Gods and the powers they possess and utilise in the texts. These definitions can allow for the examination and categorisation of the relationships between how these types of knowledge are presented.
In both Genesis and Prometheus Bound, divine knowledge is portrayed as superior and human knowledge is portrayed as limited. This creates a divisive relationship between human and the divine knowledge in both texts. In Genesis, the all encompassing knowledge God possesses is emphasised to place God’s knowledge on a pedestal, which differentiates him from man. The diction of God ‘created’ followed by descriptions of the world prior to…show more content… This emphasises the divisive relationship between human and the divine knowledge, as the superior knowledge is used to have authority over humans. This is illustrated further through the line ‘By which Zeus tyrannically rules’ which shows Zeus to be a dictatorial ruler. Podlecki supports this point by claiming ‘the charge of irresponsibility cast at Zeus’ rule recurs throughout the play. He acknowledges no external standard of Justice, the Chorus maintains, but “rules with his own laws.”’ The sense of the division between human and divine knowledge forces the reader to appreciate and acknowledge the extent of Zeus’ divine knowledge, creating a relationship of
