A Literary Analysis of Jose Lacaba’s Prometheus Unbound

From the first word, the prologue of the poem down to its very last words, the poem was

the embodiment of a struggling being going against the power of a tyrant, on the level of a god.

Written during the times wherein the command of a dictator is better than the humanitarian law,

words to be seen as absolute truth. Even the thought of attempting to publish something like

Prometheus Unbound, is like standing on the edge of a ravine with sure death to follow.

However, with the government and the puppet military, all of humanity is pushed to the edge of

this ravine. Those in power threaten the people with fear and violence; no matter where you look

death is the endgame for everyone. One may cower in fear for one’s life but one can become a

martyr and speak out against the atrocities and inhumane treatment they are served with. What

can a civilian do to fight against those who wield weapons tarnished with blood? A man has his

wits and his magic to write, to start a cry of revolution.

And that’s what the enigma of the man, Ruben Cuevas did, like no one else did before

him, he wrote a masterpiece that would forever be etched in the history of the Philippines, both

for its mastery and influence during the Martial Law era up till now, even if it costed the

precious life he had.

A year after Proclamation 1801, the Martial Law, a man dared, and was successful, to

smuggle a seemingly unrelated poem about Greek mythology but actually a cry of waging a war

against the tyrannical government. The funny yet brave thing about this is that, it went under the

nose of inspectors and careful eye of media censorship to be published under Focus Magazine, a

publishing right under the control of the government. This brave man, the champion of the

Heaven’s slaves, was not Prometheus nor Ruben Cuevas, it was Jose F. Lacaba.
 For Lacaba, writing this poem was just a deadly game, a gamble. Working underground

and being active on protests, Lacaba knew that every day was a gamble under the close

inspection of the constabulary. He was already a wanted man yet still risked his life in order to

send this poem out to everyone. Initially, sending this to the Varsitarian, University of Sto.

Thomas’ official publication, Lacaba was rejected as publishing houses are afraid to produce

something that will anger the dictator. However, Lacaba was fortunate that Focus Magazine

wasn’t as keen as they thought they were with the compendiums they release. Maybe it was

because, the way Lacaba wrote the poem, was the epitome of how a Marcosian era literary piece

should be, aligned to a set of rules a writer would never dare disobey or it will end in torturous

nights, naked and silenced by death.

This poem as what superficially Lacaba intended it to be, was a continuation story, or an

after look, on Prometheus after he was bound on Mt. Olympus for eternity as punishment for

going against Zeus. Prometheus like many radical men of the Marcos regime, was put under

miserable circumstances, suffered an eternal punishment, for his liver to be eaten by a vulture at

day and for his organ to grow again at night, perennially. This speaks volumes for those who had

suffered various torture methods in the hands of military personnel during the martial law, those

who are lucky enough to be granted freedom, must still be scarred for life after such nightmare.

Yet, those who were not given such luxury in times of horror, still didn’t get the justice and

peace they fought for as we see that to this day, four decades after the darkest time of Philippine

history, no Marcos was sent to jail to pay for all the atrocities their family is responsible for.

Lacaba’s take on Prometheus Unbound was patterned on the likeness of conventional

classical or romantic poetry that the Marcosian era was in favor of. It was neat, simple, and not

that hard to understand especially if one is knowledgeable on the Myth of the titan, Prometheus
who once helped the gods in their goals for the development of the universe. What set this poem

apart was not only its metaphorical representation of martyrs but also the acrostic that shook the

Philippine society.

Now, looking closer at the poem, one does not throw away its contents as to see that the

only significant part of it was the acrostic. It would be a great mistake to forgo the message

Lacaba wittingly delivered to the Filipino mass.

Analyzing the structural format of the piece, many classical literary conventions can be

seen used throughout the poem. The poem is a lyrical poetry as if written by Prometheus himself.

The four-sextet stanza slices the acrostic into MARCOS/HITLER/DIKTAD/ORTUTA.

Each of the four stanzas contain sexains or sestets which follow a rhyme scheme of

AA/BB/CC. This was typical of classical poems to follow a consistent rhyming scheme

compared to modern creations more and more movements opted to adapt free verse schemes to

break free from conventional metered and rhymed pieces. There wasn’t inner rhyme schemes or

alliterations of such but the poem seems to contain a lyrical rhythm of Prometheus’ thoughts

while suffering in Mount Olympus.

The poem also favors the use of caesura and enjambment conventions in order to create

its desired rhythm. A clear use of caesura was within the line,

“Orion stirs. The vulture

Retreats from the hard, pure

Thrust of the spark that burns,”

After a complete pause in the middle of the line, it was followed by the masterful

continuous use of enjambment. Another use of enjambment in the poem,

“Licks at the chains that mock

 Emancipation’s breath,”

The diction of the poem was also quite simple to understand, the use of vernacular words

was evident and grandiose or highfalutin words were minimized. The reason is to somehow

appeal to the common people and not only to scholars of literature as we remember that Lacaba

was trying to connect to the people in the only way he can, through words. He was talking to the

mass not to the elite percentage of the population, the choice of words was only fitting.

The tone then sets for an enraged persona, someone with a burning desire to overcome

oppression which gives the readers a sympathetic yet powerful feeling to throw an uprising

against those in power who declare themselves as gods. The image of a forsaken Prometheus left

to die for eternity in Mount Olympus gives us the cathartic feeling of a tragedy; there was both

pity and terror. The overall sound of the poem, I’d say is a mixture of euphonic and cacophonic

sounds. However, the sense of hearing plays with the readers ears that you hear a Prometheus

raging, and proclaiming,

“I am rage! I am wrath! I am ire!”

The former line also uses the tool of repetition in order to emphasize that the persona in

the poem was in such an intense emotion. This intensity was repeated with the line,

“Reeks of death, death, death”.

From the opening cut from the original Prometheus Unbound of Aeschylus, the author

made it clear that a martyr like him, like Prometheus, would rather be chained and to be punished

for eternity than to give service to a someone like the pompous and self – absorbed Zeus.

Now to look at that images and allusions used in the poem, there was quite many to exhaust as

the poem was a product of an intertextual merging of literary works from different millennia

which seems to work for both milieus.

 As what was mentioned earlier, Lacaba saw this poem as a game, a gamble wherein his

life was at stake, and he was certainly playful when the first line on a closer inspection is a pun

on, “Martial Law tonight”.

Mars symbolizes war and rage and was representative of how the poem is about a

revolutionary rage. The second line made a mention of Artemis, the symbol of a good hunt and

fertility, yet she was, “out of sight”, conveying that these truths were seen nowhere during this

regime.

The vulture by the second stanza was the symbol used for those who feast on the

trampled and bounded. These vultures take delight in mocking the chained and in seeing

Prometheus suffer. Emancipation then was personified in terms of hearing its cry for air, the

mere act of breathing, was as painful as death itself. Freedom was at the cost of death.

The third stanza gives more focus and calls out to Death itself. The persona was

determined to overcome even death itself through the “flaming sword of love”. Despite the

hatred raging inside this martyr, what actually fuels him is the love for the cause he is willingly

suffering for because he sees that humanity deserves better than to be worshippers of an arrogant

god. Above hate is love, love for the people so dear to him that he cannot bear witness to them

being trampled upon.

Another mythological character was mentioned and it was Orion, the light of heaven but

also the one who chased after the Taurus, “the bull of heaven.” In the final stanza and its last

line, the god that was mentioned wasn’t the mighty Zeus, it was Prometheus “who dared to

resist”.

The entirety of Prometheus Unbound was full of powerful imagery which represents the

situation of the Filipino people who relentlessly fought for democracy and to end tyranny. This
poem is like a letter to us, the mass, to stand up, raise our fists and resists. Enough of bowing

down to self – proclaimed leaders who actually does not serve anyone but himself. The audacity

of this poem to criticize a government whose hands are bloody is truly laudable and must be

celebrated to this day where de factor martial law once again threatens the freedom of the people.

This is a timeless tale of the continues struggle of the likes of Prometheus wo had been subjected

to mental and physical torture over and over again yet still choose to fight for what humanity, for

what the people deserves.

The power of this poem if powerful on its day of release 40 years ago, is still as powerful

as it is today. “MARCOS HITLER DIKTADOR TUTA,” now a mantra that can still be heard to

modern day acts of protest never really left the heart of Filipino uprising. Since that day, Lacaba

solidified a hymn for those who fight against the oligarchical power of the corrupt Marcos

family. This poem rattled the seemingly iron wall of media censorship back in the day. This is a

commemoration of the power the writers possess if their skill prowess was used to something as

deadly yet brave as this. To simply just move on from this nightmare is an insult to the sacrifices

these martyrs made, it belittles the hardships they had to go through in order to fight for those

who are afraid, to those who doesn’t care. Never again. Never forget.

References
Lacaba, Kris Lanot. 2015. "The Torture of My Father and Other Stories." September 21. Accessed
September 23, 2019. https://opinion.inquirer.net/88718/the-torture-of-my-father-and-other-
stories.

Melendez, Paulo Enrico. 2018. "The Marcos-era Resistance Poem that Smuggled a Hidden Message into
State Media." Metro Manila: Esquire Magazine Philippines, September 11. Accessed September
23, 2019. https://www.esquiremag.ph/long-reads/features/the-marcos-era-resistance-poem-
that-smuggled-a-hidden-message-into-state-media-a1508-20180911-lfrm2.