Hybris till havs: Den förbjudna kunskapen. En studie av intertextualitet och Prometheusmytens omskrivning i The Lighthouse (2019)

Sammanfattning

This thesis examines how the Greek myth of Prometheus is intertextually rewritten and represented in Robert Eggers’ film The Lighthouse (2019). The aim is to analyse the film´s relation to the myth and how its themes and symbols are reinterpreted within a modern cinematic context.This study has provided a semiotic analysis of three selected scenes based on the theory of adaptation and intertextuality as the theoretical framework, strengthened by Roland Barthes concepts of denotation and connotation, with the myth as a reference point. Light and punishment are analysed as key symbols, highlighting the film’s exploration of themes such as hubris and the human pursuit of forbidden knowledge. Their denotative and connotative meanings are examined to show how the film reinterprets Prometheus’s mythological symbols within a modern cinematic context. The analysis demonstrates that The Lighthouse does not function as a direct adaptation of the Prometheus myth, but rather as an intertextual rewriting in which mythological symbols are transformed and embedded within a new narrative structure.