In my exploration of the Greek myth of Prometheus (and of Pandora) in Frankenstein, The Handmaids Tale and Westworld I have only mentioned very briefly the brother of Prometheus and the husband of Pandora, Epimetheus.
According to Plato and his application of the old myth in his Protagoras (320d–322a), the twin Titans were entrusted with distributing and assigning the traits among the newly created animals the appropriate powers and abilities. Epimetheus it is told begged his brother to be allowed sole responsibility for giving a positive trait to every animal, but when it was time to give man a positive trait, lacking foresight he found that there was nothing left. Prometheus decided that humankind’s attributes would be the civilizing arts and fire, which he stole from Hephaestus and Athena. In the context of Plato’s dialogue, Epimetheus, is the being in whom thought follows production. Thought only comes after he has created these beings.
Where Prometheus was known as ‘forethought’ the translation of Epimetheus is ‘afterthought’ a fitting combination and as human in its defining capacity as you can get and the obvious reason why Promethean fire was also used first, as a metaphor for reason.
It is very reminiscent of Dr. Frankenstein who desperate to be the sole creator of a new race executes…
