You, why are you so afraid of war and slaughter? Even if all the rest of us drop and die around you, grappling for the ships, you’d run no risk of death: you lack the heart to last it out in combat–coward!

Homer
About This Quote

You, why are you so afraid of war and slaughter? Even if all the rest of us drop and die around you, grappling for the ships, you’d run no risk of death: you lack the heart to last it out in combat—coward! This quote is almost certainly from Euripides' play Prometheus Bound. In this play, Prometheus is punished by Zeus for interfering with humanity's unending battle for survival. Prometheus begs to be let off his chains so he can fight for humankind. However, Zeus refuses because Prometheus would not live up to his word that no one would be harmed.

Instead, Zeus hits him with a rock that is supposed to kill him instantly. Instead, Prometheus survives despite being hit by the rock. Zeus then orders Hephaestus to build a special cage that will hold Prometheus forever.

However, Prometheus still refuses to live in peace and continues to fight his fate with words like "coward!"

Source: The Iliad

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