Hope and Fear in Dr. Faustus and Paradise Lost

The reader’s distaste for Satan is strengthened by Satan’s shift in motives. The conquering of humans, which he originally presented as a rebellion against God and his authoritative rule, later came to be about pure corruption and hate. It’s therefore possible to say that if Satan had never given up on his original reasoning, he would still be the hero of Paradise Lost. Works Cited # Milton, John. “Paradise Lost.” The Norton Anthology of English Literature.

Of course when this phrase was used it was just to say that that person was evil, not that they actually let Satan purchase their soul. That would be ridiculous, correct? Well that is exactly what happened in Faust's case. Due to his own flaw of not being satisfied with life itself, he strayed from the Lord and traded his soul for a higher form of entertainment. "Thinking's done with, for ever so long Learning and knowledge have sickened me....Bring on your miracles..." It is tragic when someone feels that they understand so much, or try to ignore so much to the point where they think that they should give their soul away with no fear of eternal damnation.

He is hoping that God wants them to realize this and will allow them back into heaven for admitting that He is superior. Belial's argument is the complete opposite of Moloch's in that he believes in repentance, not revenge. Mammon disagrees totally with Belial's argument. He thinks that because they have been banished from heaven and become so obviously hideous, there is no longer any place for them there. He believes that they are forever banished to Hell and they should make the most of their situation.

In his exile Satan is regressed from a high Angel to a lowly mongrel, alienated from even the Demons who accompany him; his disobedience, and temptation of disobedience, help in connecting Milton’s work as a whole, and because of his envious quarrel with God, he unknowingly gives God a way to save Mankind-through the sacrifice of the Son. Once Mankind places itself aside, even in a deeply religious text, the revelation that others suffer suddenly appears; perhaps man is victim to his own arrogance, just as much as Satan was victim to his own

When Paradise Lost begins, the vainglorious actions of Satan have resulted in his removal from heaven and placed him on the path to exact revenge against those who have done so. Though, the reader is hardly able to experience any distaste when reading about this man who opposes the consented force of good. He is are charming, dark, fanatical and desperate in his attempts. It is from these characteristics, that the reader may be swayed into viewing him as the protagonist (or even the hero) of the tale. Even C.S.

Much like Satans arrogance and thirst for knowledge in Paradise Lost. He wants to mess up everything for God, so he sets out for Eve and her emotions ¨His words replete with guile into her heart too easy entrance won¨ (Milton 9.733-4). This guile or craft is much like Victors creation, it is a distraction from the real world to feed his curiosity, like Satans curiosity of Eves emotions, but losing their innocence in return. On the other hand, the Monsters loss of innocence comes from the knowledge literature has to offer. The book that strikes him the most is, you guessed it, Paradise Lost by Milton.

Despite all those traits, Satan is seen as having glimpses of remorse throughout the story, even doubts as to his own behaviour. He thinks about repenting more than once and it is those doubts that raise the question of Satan’s humanity. After all, a creature of pure evil would never show hesitancy, and even less remorse. After seeing the sun for the first time after being cast out of Heaven, Satan has a moment of self-awareness in which he acknowledges that he created his own misery, which leads him to think about repenting (Russell, chap.12, p.55). He does reject the idea quickly, but it’s those little moments of self-reflection that make Milton’s Satan the intricate character that he is.

Sometimes it is easier not to know what you are missing, than to realize what you had once it is taken away. The monster of Frankenstein suffered endless trails of bitter rejection which lead to his final rejection of Victor. His original lack of knowledge ignited a curiosity which played a pivotal role in his downfall. Satan, though a prideful character, also suffered a rejection that drove him to seek revenge on his creator. Curiosity enabled Satan to tempt Adam and Eve to turn away from God.

These instances displays Milton's portrayal of Satan’s ineptitude to win against God’s supremacy. Although Satan is a dark figure that everyone wants to escape from, Milton maximizes the devil’s qualities to portray him as the oppressed fighter for freedom. Milton also humanizes Satan’s attributes by displaying his weaknesses and defeats in the face of the all knowing Creator. Then he is the absolute enemy that deceives and enchants man to succumb to their weaknesses. Milton deliberately creates a reason why Satan is necessary to God by examining the Scripture and was further elevated by C.S.

Satan states: "How such united force of gods, how such /
As stood like these, co... ... middle of paper ... ...pportive of him, later reveal his truly destructive character, resulting in the reader disliking Satan. Accordingly, when the character of Satan is followed throughout Paradise Lost, Milton`s reason behind the order of development can be realized. Milton’s desire to create a strong hatred of Satan is achieved best by emphasizing Satan’s good points first. Then, when Satan’s real character begins to surface, the reader is shocked by the actions of their ‘hero’, causing them to dislike him more than if he had always been a bad character. The reader’s dislike of Satan is strengthened by Satan’s shift in motives.