In Prometheus Unbound,
Demogorgon is a spirit from the underworld who challenges and ultimately dethrones his father,
Jupiter. In literature, Demogorgon is traditionally presented as a diabolical character. Yet
Shelley, true to his radical political beliefs, makes Demogorgon a force for good, a force that
brings love and harmony to the cosmos.
Demogorgon's usurpation of his father
is anof revolutionary political change, the kind which Shelley enthusiastically endorsed.
Shelley portrays Jupiter as a vengeful, sadistic tyrant, and it's not hard to see in this
portrayal a reflection of Europe's ruling classes. Jupiter wants to keep humankind in ignorance
and fear, the better to overawe and control them. This is precisely what Shelley accused the
ruling classes of doing to the common people.
Etymologically, Demogorgon
derives part of its name from the Greek word demos, meaning
"people." (This root is also where we get the word "democracy" from). In
that sense, Demogorgon symbolizes the common folk, the poor, oppressed masses, rising up from
the depths of darkness and ignorance to overthrow the tyrannical power that has kept them in
subjection for so long.
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