Titanic Resistance: Immobility and Use of Space in Ronconi's Production of Aeschylus' Prometheus Bound

Abstract

Aeschylus' Prometheus Bound is an exemplary case study for the use of theatrical space in ancient drama. The static presence of Prometheus throughout the play affects the perception of space at various levels and determines Prometheus' own relation with the inhospitable surroundings, as much as his interaction with the other characters. This paper explores the use and the dramatic significance of the theatrical space in a production of Prometheus Bound (Prometeo incatenato) staged under the direction of Luca Ronconi in Syracuse, Sicily in May 2002. Although I shall refer to the main scholarly debate on a number of staging issues, my focus will be mostly on the modern performance. Prometheus Bound has often been dismissed by the critics as a 'static play' (Conacher 25). However, in Ronconi's production the immobility of Prometheus is counterbalanced by the dynamic entries of the other characters and by an apt use of both the vertical and the horizontal theatrical spaces.