ABSTRACT

Giovanni Boccaccio's humanistic interpretation of the Prometheus myth truly paved the way for a revaluation of Prometheus at the Renaissance, when Humanism blossomed. It is also important to note that according to Boccaccio, the notion of Prometheus's guilt disappeared, since he retreats to the Caucasus of his own free will. Among the great humanist thinkers who were directly influenced by Boccaccio were Marsilio Ficino and Giovanni Pico della Mirandola, who developed similar interpretations of the myth, whilst differing in their conclusions. The mythical attributes of Prometheus are faded out to emphasize the figure of an artist who appears as human, and very possibly as a mise en abyme of the artist. Piero di Cosimo's original interpretation of the Prometheus myth fully exploits the symbolic use of the Titan inaugurated by Villani, through a mise en abyme of the artist's figure. The interpretation of Prometheus from a social perspective flourished during the Enlightenment.