Revenge in Meredith’s poem Lucifer in the starlight

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Throughout history a lot of poets were writing poem about Lucifer and his fall from heaven, some of them in their poems alluded to him while they describe another character, some others narrated his story from bible and other holy books either to make readers familiar with the story, or to the didactic purpose. George Meredith in his poem Lucifer in the starlight exposed Lucifer in some respect, he focused on his fall and how he came to spread his “black planet” on earth (line 8). Meredith was influenced by john Milton’s paradise lost, but he shifted his focus from man’s disobedience to Lucifer’s revenge on human, and how he literally came to earth to take it over by his darkness as it has been set that the destiny of those who follow Satan is hell “I to such blockheads set my wit! I damn such fools! Go, go, you're bit” (swift line 21-22). The rudimentary theme of this poem revolves around revenge as Lucifer resolved to take his revenge upon human beings after his fall from heaven.
Lucifer was a former angel in heaven, when he defied God’s command by refusing to prostrate for Adam, God banished him from heaven due to his pride. He would be a denizens of hell where his name changed to Satan, in Arabic language Satan means out of God’s mercy. He stayed in the bottom of hell, on a “starry night” he feels depressed, he “upraise” which has two different connotations either he would be aware of how he had been seized in hell for “starry” probably means a decisive night to Lucifer, or he intended to revenge upon human beings forcefully “black planet shadowed Arctic snows” (line 8).
Meredith employed irony, in the first line he describes Lucifer as “prince”, yet in the third line portrayed him as “the fiend” who overwhelmingly swun...

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...to commit sin when God banished him from heaven. Besides, Meredith made use of paradox when he mentioned the darkness of Lucifer covered the whiteness of the snows “the black planet shadowed Arctic snows” (line 8). Then he invaded a “wider zones” by his darkness, while he is flying on air to spread his “black planet” he remembered his fall from heaven which “pricked his scars”. By presenting his “scars” as a physical sign, Meredith illuminated how it affected him, he could not forget it for long “old revolt”, it occurred along time ago since he remembered it. The scars may be physical and psychological since its pain is unending “In contemplation of whose ugly scars” (pope line 73). Therefore, every time he remembered the “old revolt” his hatred will be stronger than ever, it reinforces his hatred toward human beings, and make plan how to revenge to retain his loss.

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