Satan Ambiguous Character

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In John Milton’s Paradise Lost, Satan is an ambiguous character that puts a twist on this retelling of the Biblical villain. Milton forces the reader to look at evil and the antagonistic Satan in a more complex light in contrast to the unsympathetic figure referenced in other texts. As the fallen archangel, Satan is a struggling hero fighting against an oppressor, the devil that tempts man to their downfall, and the rebel that involuntarily does God’s bidding. Many of Satan’s attributes are complex and contain contradictory dualities. Satan is determined and believes in his own righteousness when he sees God as a dictator that uses his creations as amusement. Satan finally acknowledges God’s true nature and wants to be different. He is earnest …show more content…

Beelzebub, another of Satan’s many aliases, means “lord of the flies” (Matthew 12:14). Satan is describe here as the ruler of an insect that is commonly known as the carrier of many diseases to represent the disastrous power of the devil. He is also a serpent that crawls into people’s heart using his shrewdness to trick mankind. In 1 Peter 5:8, Satan is a roaring dragon that is a destructive threat to God. Satan’s power does not necessarily come from his strength, but from his appearance. Even with these powerful images, Satan’s power is no where equal to his Creator. Instead, Satan takes full advantage of the power to transform which becomes the ultimate weapon that allows him to appeals to the “ lust of the flesh, and lust of the eyes, and the pride of life” (1 John 2:16). Satan exploits the man’s knowledge of evil to divert their faith and stray them from the light. Furthermore, in The Screwtape Letters by C.S. Lewis, Satan extends his grasp by allowing his followers to become a part of the “ordinary” (1) in a person’s life. As creatures of the dark, the devils appear as the reflection of man weaknesses of materialistic satisfaction. Milton recounts Satan’s illusion of grandeur, as he relentlessly challenge God using his ever changing appearance, to reveal the gradual degradation of Satan’s goal of

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