Characters of Satan in John Milton’s Paradise Lost

1614 Words4 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Analysis of paradise lost by John Milton

In John Milton’s Paradise Lost, the character of Satan is arrogant and villainous, yet heroic and complex, who crafts himself as the innocent victim, even though “Satan dared to hope he could be defeated.” Milton’s romanticising of Satan highlights and articulates the alluring aspect of a central character designed by Judeo-Christian belief to being menacing. The structure of Milton’s Satan, the romanticizing of this tragic hero and the defining of the character in paralleled response to Milton’s Paradise Regained, will be approached, highlighted and emphasized in this essay. The progression of Satan from Book One to Book Five of Paradise Lost recites Milton’s own poetic divinations and portrayals of him as an epic writer, through the use of developing the characters. This articulates the particulars of and gives the main characters more heroic qualities which make them strong for an epic structure.

In Milton’s Paradise Lost, Heaven and Hell, both Judeo-Christian beliefs, are portrayed as themes of good and evil. Eden, Hell and Heaven are locations based around the introduction of sinfulness inflicted upon Adam and Eve by the lyrical, archetypal Satan. Both Adam and Eve are tricked and condemned after eating from the Tree of Life, revealing the notion of acts of sinfulness apparent within the text. The idea of Hell reveals the characteristics accentuating the grandeur of the ‘fallen angel’, the Promethean hero – a concept taken from Greek mythology – which encompasses human characteristics foreshadowed by the idea of Hell. These romanticized, humanistic qualities that conform the character of Satan include the Judeo-Christian image of the fallen angel as being manipulated and structured by sinfulness – also, this is portrayed i...

... middle of paper ...

...t. The ethos of the characters are seen through the structure of them paralleled by the idea of Hellish things, as “Satan had made a virtue of pride and ambition” . Satan encompasses the very worse of society, with sympathetic language to make him seem

Bibliography:
• Empson, William. Milton’s God. London: Chatto & Windus, 1965.
• Tillyard, E.M.W., Milton. London: Chatto & Windus, 1966.
• Wright, B.A. Milton’s Paradise Lost. London: Methuen & Co, 1962.
• Milton, John, The Poetical Works of John Milton. London: Fredrick Warne & Co, 1896.
• Bush, Douglas, John Milton. London: Weidenfeld and Nicholson, 1964.
• Daiches, David, Milton. London: Hutchinson & Co, 1957.
• Milton, John, Greatest Books of the Western World. Chicago, The University of Chicago, 1952.
Milton, John, Paradise Lost. Chicago, The University of Chicago, 1952.

Show More
Related

  • Satan, the Core of Milton´s Paradise Lost

    1302 Words  | 3 Pages

    The great debate whether Satan is the hero of Milton’s Epic Poem, Paradise Lost, has been speculated for hundreds of years. Milton, a writer devoted to theology and the appraisal of God, may not have intended for his portrayal of Satan to be marked as heroic. Yet, this argument is valid and shares just how remarkable the study of literature can be. Milton wrote his tale of the fall of man in the 1674. His masterpiece is an example of how ideas of a society change with time. This is because it wasn’t until the 1800’s during the Romantic era, that people no longer saw the hero of literary works as perfect in every way. It started to become more popular to develop the flawed character similar to the ones written in the classics. A literary criterion that is based on a protagonist, who undergoes conflict on the outside and from within and is prevented by a specific flaw to accomplish their main goal, creates an epic Hero. In Paradise Lost, God does not face conflict because he is perfect and all-knowing, and Adam’s conflict is not presented from the very start, Satan’s is. Because Satan is the main character of the work and possesses qualities that would deem him heroic, such as his determination against tough odds, his ability to lead, and his human-like nature to error, he can be seen has the Hero of the famous poem.

    Read More

  • Heroic in Paradise Lost by John Lost

    1640 Words  | 4 Pages

    Steadman, John M., Milton's Epic Characters: Image and Idol, (University of North Carolina Press: North Carolina, 1968)

    Read More

  • Satan in Paradaise Lost and Dante's Inferno

    1154 Words  | 3 Pages

    Since the every dawn of time, man has had to make swift judgements. The main point of all judgement is appearance and such this is most logical place to start. Appearance plays a rather crucial role in the works under the scope of this essay. Firstly, in Paradise Lost one should note that a reoccurring theme of: “its better to rule in Hell then be a servant in Heaven,” (Milton.I.263) makes a few significant points regarding make aspects into the neosis of Satan, but more so the appearance of Satan. The line in itself causes one to believe that he hath experienced both dominions in the physical and may further lead us to the pathogenesis and origins on this fallen Angel. However Milton gives us a contrasting view of the Devil compared to Dante. “He stood like a tower; his form not yet lost. All her original brightness, nor appeared less then archangel ruined and the excess of glory obscured.” (Milton.I.591-599) This description leads to the all important grandeur of Lucifer. Dante takes us to completely Devil, a ...

    Read More

  • The Role Of Satans Competing Desires In John Milton's Paradise Lost

    969 Words  | 2 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • Dante’s Inferno in Milton´s Paradise Lost

    1317 Words  | 3 Pages

    Many arguments have been made that Dante’s Inferno glimmers through here and there in Milton’s Paradise Lost. While at first glance the two poems seem quite drastically different in their portrayal of Hell, but scholars have made arguments that influence from Dante shines through Milton’s work as well as arguments refuting these claims. All of these arguments have their own merit and while there are instances where a Dantean influence can be seen throughout Paradise Lost, Milton’s progression of evil and Satan are quite different from Dante. Dante’s influence on Milton is noted by many scholars and is very apparent in several instances throughout Paradise Lost, however, Milton shows a progression of evil through his own vision of Satan and creates a Hell that is less meticulously constructed than Dante’s and more open to interpretation.

    Read More

  • Paradise Lost: Is Satan a Tragic Hero?

    1458 Words  | 3 Pages

    Reichert, John. Milton's Wisdom: Nature and Scripture in Paradise Lost. Ann Arbor, The University of Michigan Press. 1992

    Read More

  • Milton's Satan

    1953 Words  | 4 Pages

    Milton, John. Paradise Lost. The Norton Anthology of English Literature. 8th ed. Vol. A. gen

    Read More

  • Theme Of Eternal Providence And Free Will In Paradise Lost

    1181 Words  | 3 Pages

    Although the epic poem centers around the story of the fall of man, it is interesting that Milton intertwines in this story the fall of Satan from heaven and the consequences it has not only for Satan himself, but for Adam, Eve, and the world as a whole. Milton allows the reader to see the fall from the point of view of Satan, God, as well as Adam and Eve. Because Milton gives insight into these characters feelings regarding the fall, it is no surprise that he uses “eternal providence” in conjunction with the stories of Satan, Adam, and Eve. The providence being described here is the knowledge of good and evil. However, ev...

    Read More

  • John Miltons's Paradise Lost: Is Satan a Villain or Hero?

    2016 Words  | 5 Pages

    Carey, John. “Milton’s Satan.” The Cambridge Companion to Milton. Ed. Dennis Danielson. ???. 1989. 131-145. Print.

    Read More

  • Satan As An Epic Hero In John Milton's Paradise Lost

    736 Words  | 2 Pages

    John Milton’s Paradise Lost continues the epic tradition developed by the ancient Greek and Roman poets. Composed in exact imitation of its predecessors, the work depicts all characteristics of a traditional epic poem—including the epic hero, a powerful embodiment of societal values. Milton presents his hero in a most unpredictable form: Satan. Despite the unorthodox oddity, the former archangel exhibits the conventions of an epic hero. Milton’s forced perception of Satan as the hero of the poem reflects his stated purpose for writing the piece. By placing Satan in a traditional heroic role, Milton illustrates his manipulative and cunning nature, which anyone can easily fall prey to, and resultingly fashions Satan into an antihero.

    Read More

  • The Fallen Angels in John Milton's Paradise Lost

    2066 Words  | 5 Pages

    Milton's 'Sin': Addenda to the "Sin'" Philological Quarterly 42 (1963): 120-21. Johnson, Samuel. The.

    Read More

  • Satan is No Hero in John Milton's Paradise Lost

    1717 Words  | 4 Pages

    There have been many different interpretations of John Milton's epic, Paradise Lost. Milton's purpose in writing the epic was to explain the biblical story of Adam and Eve. Although the epic is similar to the Bible story in many ways, Milton's character structure differs from that of the Bible's version. Through-out the epic Milton describes the characters in the way he believes they are. In book II of Paradise Lost, Milton portrays Satan as a rebel who exhibits certain heroic qualities, but who turns out not to be a hero.

    Read More

  • Satan: The True Hero of Paradise Lost by Milton

    1622 Words  | 4 Pages

    MacCaffrey, Isabel. "Satan’s Voyage". Modern Critical Views: John Milton . Bloom, Harold, ed. Chelsea House Publishers: New York, 1986.

    Read More

  • Epic Characteristics of Milton's Paradise Lost

    3232 Words  | 7 Pages

    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)

    Read More

  • Fall of Man in John Milton’s Epic Poem, Paradise Lost

    930 Words  | 2 Pages

    In conclusion, Paradise Lost can be seen through a historically contextual lens that allows us to see the parallels between Milton’s life and experiences during the reign of Charles I, and the predominant themes in his epic poem. Many of the themes in Paradise Lost, from the broader situational occurrences to the behavior of individual character’s and their attitudes toward the situations in which they find themselves can be seen as directly influenced by Milton’s time as a Parliamentarian in 17th century England.

    Read More

More about Characters of Satan in John Milton’s Paradise Lost

Open Document