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Satan character as described in paradise lost
Milton's Paradise Lost as an epic poem
Describe satan's character in paradise lost
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In Milton’s epic poem Paradise Lost, the antihero Satan, is examined after his banishment into Hell. He is forced out of his home of Heaven due to his unruly behavior. He faces the dismal future of misery and torment with an absence of hope and happiness. He did value these things and clearly mourns their loss, yet he does eventually accept his fate. Attempting to rationalize his situation, Satan realizes he has lost all hope and happiness but he has gained the rule of a kingdom of his own and the door to an eternal war with his arch enemy, God.
Satan’s first loss is that of his original home, the Kingdom of Heaven. After his failed attempt to overthrow God, Satan is banished to dark and fiery place known as Hell. Milton describes Hell by stating, “The dismal situation waste and wild: / A dungeon horrible, on all sides round/ As one great furnace flamed” (60-62). This description serves as a dismal contrast to Satan’s former home of pure and illuminated Heaven. Being forced from his saintly home, he tries to accept his fate. Milton also describes the beginning of Satan’s punishment,...
The seat of faith resides in the will of the individual and not in the leaning to our own reasoning, for reasoning is the freedom of choosing what one accepts as one’s will. In considering the will was created and one cannot accuse the potter or the clay, Milton writes to this reasoning, as “thir own revolt,” whereas the clay of humankind is sufficient and justly pliable for use as a vessel of obedience or disobedience (3.117). The difficulty of this acceptance of obedience or disobedience is inherent in the natural unwillingness in acknowledging that we are at the disposal of another being, even God. One theme of Paradise Lost is humankind’s disobedience to a Creator, a Creator that claims control over its creation. When a single living thing which God has made escapes beyond the Creator’s control this is in essence an eradicating of the Creator God. A Creator who would create a creature who the Creator would or could not control its creation is not a sovereign God. For who would not hold someone responsible for manufacturing something that could not be controlled and consider it immoral to do so? To think that God created a universe that he has somehow abdicated to its own devices is to accredit immorality to the Creator. Since the nucleus of Milton’s epic poem is to “justifie the wayes of God” to his creation, these ‘arguments’ are set in theological Miltonesque terms in his words (1. 26). Milton’s terms and words in Paradise Lost relate the view of God to man and Milton’s view to the reader. Views viewed in theological terms that have blazed many wandering paths through the centuries to knot up imperfect men to explain perfect God.
In John Milton’s epic, Paradise Lost, the author establishes Satan as the most complex and thought-provoking character in the tale through his depiction of Satan’s competing desires. Throughout the first four books of Paradise Lost, Satan repeatedly reveals his yearning both for recognition from God and, simultaneously, independence from God. The paradox that prevents Satan from achieving his desires may be interpreted as a suggestion of Milton’s establishment of a sympathetic reading for this character, as he cannot truly find happiness. In actuality, the construction of Satan’s rivaling aspirations evince Satan’s repulsive depravity to Milton’s audience and encourage readers to condemn his character.
Milton’s Satan in Paradise Lost is a complex character meant to be the evil figure in the epic poem. Whenever possible Satan attempts to undermine God and the Son of God who is the true hero of the story. Throughout the story Milton tells the readers that Satan is an evil character, he is meant not to have any redeeming qualities, and to be shown completely as an unsympathetic figure. Satan’s greatest sins are pride and vanity in thinking he can overthrow God, and in the early part of the poem he is portrayed as selfish while in Heaven where all of God’s angels are loved and happy. Satan’s journey starts out as a fallen angel with great stature, has the ability to reason and argue, but by Book X the anguish and pain he goes through is more reason for him to follow an evil path instead. Even so, Milton uses literal and figurative imagery in the description of Satan’s character to manipulate the reader’s response to the possibility that Satan may actually be a heroic figure. As the plot of the story unfolds there are moments where the reader can identify with Satan’s desires and relate to his disappointments.
In the beginning of John Milton’s “Paradise Lost”, Satan was banished from heaven for rebelling against god himself because of his beliefs that he would be a better ruler of Heaven then god. He refused to accept God’s son as ruler because he felt like he was bound in chains by tyranny. This is a good argument for anyone to rebel, and any man put under the rule of a tyrant, feels that it is his job to make a change. Throughout the story while Satan is in hell you can feel his pain, suffering, and hopelessness from being kicked out of paradise. Satan feels like god shouldn’t be able to control the people because they’re not the same, and the people cannot relate to God. So from this point of view taking over heaven seems like the best idea and in this way the reader can sympathize with Satan.
When a person hears Satan, a streak of fear, and the thought of evil, arises. People fear Satan, and think of him as evil, but in John Milton’s Paradise Lost, he displays a thought of the Father being the evil being, and Satan a tragic hero. In Paradise Lost, Book 1 and 2, the minor areas where God is shown, He is displayed as hypocritical. He contradicts himself by creating the humans to be of free will, but when Satan displays free will, he is shunned. Satan can be described in many terms, and by many people, but all can be disputed.
Milton's introduction of Satan shows the reader how significant Satan is to Paradise Lost. He uses Satan's heroic qualities to his followers, and his ability to corrupt to show the thin line between good and evil. Satan was one of the highest angels in Heaven and was know as Lucifer, meaning, light bearer. This shows he was once a good angel. Milton makes the reader see him as a leader and a strong influence to all in his presence. He best describes Satan's ways when stating, "His pride/ had cast him out from Heaven, with all his host. / Of rebel angels, by whose aspiring/ To set himself in glory above his peers" (Milton Book I). Satan's pride was the main reason that God banned him from heaven. Satan always tried to be number one and a leader, instead of following in God's shadow. He would of lived a life in Paradise forever, but he had to follow his feelings as he states, "Better to reign in Hell than serve in Heaven" (Milton 31). This shows how strongly he felt about not being above everybody else.
Milton held strongly antipathetic views with regard to tyrannical authorities. He created numerous pamphlets to protest the regime of unjust rulers such as King Charles I. Blake suggested that Milton’s opposition to tyranny was also applicable to the authority of God. Both Satan and Milton expressed similar rebellious sentiments. In Paradise Lost, Satan speaks of God’s unjust rule, which parallels Milton’s philosophy regarding tyrannical princes and kings of his day. For example, Satan says to his followers that “All is not lost; the unconquerable Will / And study of revenge, immortal hate / And courage never to submit or yield” (106-108).
Seeing paradise only reminds Satan of what he lost as a result of his fall from Heaven. Satan comes to the conclusion that he is the very embodiment of hell, bringing it everywhere he goes : “The Hell within him, for within him Hell /He brings, and round about him, nor from Hell/One step no more then from himself can fly (20-22).” Compared to the Bible, we actually get to see the torment Satan suffers as he lives his life as God’s adversary. Satan actually takes responsibility for his fall , pointing out the flaws that led to it: “Till Pride and worse Ambition threw me down” ( 40 ) . Unlike the Satan in Genesis and Job, Milton’s Satan clearly understands why he has fallen. As Satan continues to ponder his situation , he realizes that even if there was a chance for his redemption, he would never be comfortable being God’s servant. Sooner or later, the same feelings of inferiority and the desire to overthrow God would rise. Satan becomes bitterer as his soliloquy goes on and resolves that his fate is sealed : “So farwel Hope, and with Hope farwel Fear,/ Farwel Remorse: all Good to me is lost;/Evil be thou my Good;”( 108-110). He then goes on to continue his revenge plot on God. Angry with God for putting him in the position to fall , Satan sees the same potential for failure in Adam and Eve. He then explains that it is in fact God’s fault that he must corrupt them and tells them to “ Thank him
The intent behind making Satan the protagonist of Paradise Lost could have very well been Milton wanted people to sympathize with Satan. People are all flawed in some way or another. This text is Milton 's explanation of why people aren 't and can 't be perfect. Adam and Eve yielded to the temptation of Satan so now we all have a little of the devil inside of us. Because of the evil inside of us all we are able to relate to Satan more than God. Satan in
...nowing (Satan is just hunk of mass with no free will) and that Satan is our epic hero (Satan is head the rebel angels). Satan also loses because of the fact that due to his trickery he would be a snake forever, and that The Son was going to come down to earth and die to save Adam & Eve, so that Satan’s action would be eliminated. Break down Paradise Lost to it bare essentials, removing all religious overtones, and all that remains is an epic poem. The hero of this poem is a man named Satan who is banished for challenging the leadership of the clan. This man Satan makes a vow to destroy or corrupt anything created by the clan. This Satan was resourceful, making the best of what he had, very little, and accomplishing his goal. Satan may just be the nonconformist who could not abide by what was considered normal. In any case, one must show their admiration for Satan in his unwillingness to serve in Heaven, and then in the way he accepted his resulting role in Hell.
The question of whether Satan is the hero or the villain of John Milton’s Paradise Lost has been largely debated by scholars over the centuries. The ones who believe Satan is the villain of the epic, more commonly known as the Anti-Satanists, tend to argue that Satan is too foolish to be considered a hero, as his “hostility to Almighty power” is ultimately a futile endeavour (as God’s power is omnipotent) (Carey, 135). C.W. Lewis, also an anti-Satanist, goes as far as to claim that to “admire Satan, then, is to give one’s vote not only for a world of misery, but also for a world of lies and propaganda, of wishful thinking” (Lewis, 203). The ones who claim Satan is the hero of the epic, the Satanists, perceive him as the rebellious angel who rises up and defies God’s monarchy and “the tyranny of Heav’n” (174).They choose to focus on Satan’s “nobler qualities, his loyalty in leadership, fortitude in adversity, unflinching courage and splendid recklessness” (Satan/Promo, 3). While these two positions are both valid, this paper will be focusing on a third position; the individuals who believe that Satan is neither the hero nor the villain of the epic. Helen Gardner addresses this notion, claiming how “Satan is, of course, a character in an epic, and he is no sense the hero of the epic as a whole. But he is a figure of heroic magnitude and heroic energy, and he is developed by Milton with dramatic emphasis and dramatic intensity” (Baker/Helen, 208). Satan is without a doubt the antichrist, or “villain” in the biblical scriptures, however one must take into consideration his alternative and more ambiguous portrayal in Paradise Lost. In this paper, I will analyze Satan’s actions, physical portrayal and speeches in Book I of Paradise Los...
Satan, can be viewed as the protagonist of this poem, because he deals with the constant struggle of overcoming one of his biggest enemies, himself. HE must come to terms with his doubts and weaknesses in order to become his own hero. Milton creates a character in Satan, one so seductive, that it causes us to resonate with him, sympathize his mistakes, even if it is against our own ideals. Milton’s creation of Satan is a metaphor for evil’s abilities to lure us in, even when we don’t realize it. He does however possess a complex character, a reflection of ourselves, making his role in the epic understandable and much more relatable. Satan represents human error, and his character embodies our own feelings of envy and despair. Satan is a dynamic individual that requires a closer look at ourselves, in order to begin his evaluation. Now Milton’s God, in Paradise Lost, is a underdeveloped character, simply a bundle of vast ideas. He is not a character that can be related to, lacking emotion. He is Flat, a 2 dimensional static individual with no depth whatsoever. He narrates, explains why things occur the way they do. God allows the bad to exist by offering his Son as sacrifice. The son is the connection between God and Milton’s
John Milton’s Paradise Lost is an epic poem that describes the fall of Satan and the expulsion of Adam and Eve from Paradise. Satan is the protagonist of Paradise Lost and has several characteristics in which readers may identify with him. Throughout the poem, Satan is not only a tragic hero but also the key character that drives the plot and portrays many flawed human qualities. As an angel fallen from the high esteem of God and a possessor of hubris that leads to his downfall, he represents a tragic hero but also a character in which readers may identify with. Following the standards of classic tragic heroes, Satan is a determined leader with an extreme amount of hubris.
It could be argued that the flaws in Satan’s character is such that we should feel no admiration toward him and neither fear or pity him but he can be seeming to inspire these emotions. Clearly this is seen when Milton states Satan’s tragic flaws such as envy, pride, and his ambition towards self-glorification. Satan’s pride is stressed throughout Paradise Lost. The important part to remember here is that Satan knows his weaknesses and flaws in his character through out the book. In Heaven, Satan’s pride convinces him that he is equal to God and thus sparks his ambition to defy God and challenges him for a democracy, while being envy at God’s appointment of his Son, this gives Satan the final excuse to challenge God’s
Paradise Lost is one of the finest examples of the epic tradition in all of literature. In composing this extraordinary work, John Milton was, for the most part, following in the manner of epic poets of past centuries: Barbara Lewalski notes that Paradise Lost is an "epic whose closest structural affinities are to Virgil's Aeneid . . . "; she continues, however, to state that we now recognize as well the influence of epic traditions and the presence of epic features other than Virgilian. Among the poem's Homeric elements are its Iliadic subject, the death and woe resulting from an act of disobedience; the portrayal of Satan as an Archillean hero motivated by a sense of injured merit and also as an Odyssean hero of wiles and craft; the description of Satan's perilous Odyssey to find a new homeland; and the battle scenes in heaven. . . . The poem also incorporates a Hesiodic gigantomachy; numerous Ovidian metamorphoses; an Ariostan Paradise of Fools; [and] Spenserian allegorical figures (Sin and Death) . . . . (3)