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There are many different ways to describe and name Satan; the most common synonym today is “Devil” (a). The Gospels depict the figure Satan as a power whose presence can be felt and perceived in his effects and motions on human beings (a). Adele Reinhartz analyses the use of Satan in Jesus biopics, and how closely his portrayal in film is to his depiction in the four Gospels. Reinhartz raises many important obstacles and challenges that filmmakers face when depicting Satan. Filmmakers must decide weather or not they should include Satan as a physical being, or limit his portrayal, and portray Satan as someone who is heard but unseen (Reinhartz, 9.3). George Steven’s The Greatest Story Ever Told depicts the story of Jesus Christ from the Nativity …show more content…
For it is written, worship the Lord your God, and serve only him.’” (Matthew 4:1-10). Steven’s uses this story to represent Satan’s attempts against Jesus, and had to decide how this depiction of Satan would be translated on screen in his portrayal. The Gospels do not describe how Satan came to Jesus, so it is unclear as to what way shape or form Satan took in the events of the temptations. Stevens is presented with some leeway in Satan’s portrayal because of this, and could decide how he wanted the audience to perceive Satan. Jesus biopic versions of the Temptations of Jesus in the desert range from which Satan is presented more metaphorically, as an external power, or in which Satan is the representation of the personal troubles and “demons” Jesus faces (Reinhartz, 193). Steven’s decided to portray Satan in human form, and expresses the philosophy of the everyday viewer, by making Satan creepy and unwelcoming
Nearly everyone is familiar with the character of Christ. While understandings of Christ as a figure of faith may vary, he is universally recognized as a historical figure. The world knows that Christ was called “Son of God,” he called people to love, and he died a painful death on the cross. He has become such an important figure that images of him show up frequently in literature. Thomas Foster, author of How to Read Literature Like a Professor, outlines a wide range of characteristics common in Christ-like figures. In his list of descriptors, Foster suggests characters might be Christ figures if they have wounds reminiscent of the crucifixion, suffer in agony, or are self-sacrificing—and this is only the beginning of his list (126). Readers repeatedly identify Christ figures in literature, both because of the well-known characteristics Foster describes in his chapter on Christ figures and because readers find them through their own understandings. In Yu Hua’s
The extent of the average person’s knowledge of the Antichrist can be summed up as: a mythological satanic person associated with the number 666. An exhaustive study on end times Bible prophecy is beyond the scope of this book, but a brief description of the Antichrist is necessary.
The book, "The Shadow of the Galilean," by Gerd Theissen is based on the story of Jesus through a historical and fictional perspective. Gerd assists the readers to imagine what life was like during the time of Jesus with historical facts and with his mythical creativity. The stories that are told throughout the narrative are events from the Bible and are experiences with people who were actually recorded in the Gospels, but with a twist of fictional characters and expeditions. The main character in Theissen’s narrative is a merchant named Andreas, who had never met Jesus personally, but later couldn’t help the fact that he was always running into Jesus' "shadow" throughout his travels through Galilee. During his journeys, he encounters many people who tell him stories of Jesus and how Jesus has influenced them specifically and how they came to support and follow Him whole heartedly. Through this, he learns of the many capabilities of Jesus and how powerful He is.
Satan is an allegorical representation of God the Father. Both Satan and God are seen as Father figures; God as the Father of all that is virtuous, and Satan as the Father of all that is wicked. Just as God is the King of heaven, Satan claims himself King of Hell. God is the originator of Goodness, as Satan is the originator of Evilness. All in all, Satan is a perverse representation of God.
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.
Prior to open practice of Satanism, the Roman Catholic church used Satanism as a label for individuals and groups who held views or ideologies that conflicted with those of the church. This was an attempt to delegitimize their opponents and to strengthen the Church’s following. While these accusations were initially harmless and limited to heretics, they became increasingly frequent and extreme. These wild accusations spread to rumors of violent rituals claimed to be performed by Satanists which built up to widespread fear and panic. Ultimately, this would result in events like the Salem Witch Trials where innocent people were put to death due to false suspicion of individuals performing witchcraft and becoming possessed by the Devil. Ironically, while the church merely intended to bolster both its image and following with these accusations, the widespread panic that resulted put Satanism on the map, and “several scholars identify fundamentalist Christianity as one of the major influences shaping and driving the” onset of the Satanist movement (Underwager and Wakefield, 281). This sheds light on the true relationship between the conflicting belief systems of Christianity and Satanism. Although the two are at odds on even the most basic levels, their relationship is largely codependent. Christianity uses the fear surrounding Satanism and the
middle of paper ... ... Not only is he a heroic figure, but he also possesses characteristics of which mankind can identify with. Satan also doubts himself, has jealousy, confidence and does not know he is wrong when he is; all of which a reader can identify with. Satan is in the same position as human beings under an omnipotent God who has foreseen their fate and yet argues that they possess free will.
This document gives a history into the image of Satan and a light anthology of him. This text will instrumental in the metaphysical discernment of this essay.
Wicked, dishonorable, corrupt, villainous, malicious, and vicious all have one thing in common: they define evil. A person or a group of people that display these qualities are often to be defined as evil beings or creatures. Two people that have many of these characteristics developed within them are Iago from Shakespeare’s Othello and Lucifer from the Bible. Both Iago and Lucifer are developed with many “evil” qualities woven intricately into their character development. The representation of each “evil” characteristic gives them something they have in common allowing the description and portrayal of both Iago and Lucifer in literature show the audience they share common “evil” characteristics and that they lead to chaos and downfall.
Satan frequently characterizes “the tyranny of heaven” and employs negative diction in his depictions of both heaven and God (I.124). His negative portrayals of God and his kingdom highlight his utter dissatisfaction with being subservient to God and, from that, his desire for autonomy. In the exposition of the text, Satan’s emotions toward God make themselves apparent when Satan “throws his baleful eyes / That witnessed huge affliction and dismay / Mixed with obdúrate pride and steadfast hate” (I.56-58). Satan reveals himself to be furious with his continued subjugation to God as well as his inability to truly revenge himself against his subsequent punishment. According to Satan, God’s dissimulation of his power tempted Satan and others to rise
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.
The delicate way in which he holds the character of Satan. poised between heroic and villainous acts during his physical ascent and spiritual fall. makes use of the full gamut of poetic devices, including allusion, metaphor, and a variety of other forms. hyperbole, diction, and more a tricky juggling act of character development, until he. is ready to let the ball drop. Bibliography Bradley, S.A.J. (1992)
Helen Gardner addresses this notion, claiming how “Satan is, of course, a character in an epic, and he is in 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 Lost, and argue that from the textual evidence, these aspects of Satan are ultimately ambivalent, thus Satan cannot be categorized as either the extreme hero or the extreme villain, but rather as a dramatic figure with both heroic and villainous characteristics. The preliminary depiction of Satan’s actions in Paradise Lost appears after Milton describes God, his kingdom of heaven, and his children Adam and Eve.... ...
Ask anyone to draw Satan and you 'll get a red snake-like figure with horns and a pitchfork. Satan, as introduced in the Hebrew bible is an unworthy adversary of God. His longing to be like God is quickly recognized and dealt with. God banishes him from Heaven and sends him to Hell. That 's the last we see of him until he talks with God about his faithful servant Job. In each interaction we see Satan in, we get only a glimpse of who he really is. Satan 's motive is not developed and we assume he does evil simply because he is evil
Temptation is a vast topic. The bible is filled with temptation from cover to cover, mostly about how God dealt with our problem of sin and giving us victory. God deals with temptation and we deal with it too. It is reality that everybody gets tempted from time to time by the devil. Jesus also was tempted but never sinned , temptations goal is to lure you away from God. There are a lot of ways the devil can tempt you, just make sure to stay focused and filled with the Spirit. And understand the goals of the devil to want to send temptation to us.