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

Satan could be described in many terms, and by many people, but all can be disputed. According to my sources, Satan is displayed as the hero, while God is the evil deity, and Milton was wrong for writing Him as so. In this essay, I will show my thoughts on the subject of Satan as an evil deity, and other’s opinions on the matter. Satan is thought of as the tragic hero in Book 1 and 2 of Paradise Lost because he is shunned by God for trying to overthrow Him, and being ambitious enough to think he could be God. Satan, in my opinion, is not as much an evil individual, but more juvenile, and ignorant.

"Adam Unparadised" in The Living Milton: Essays by Various Hands, London: Routledge and Kegan Paul, 1960. Lewalski, Barbara. Paradise Lost and the Rhetoric of Literary Forms Princeton: Princeton U. , 1985, 174. Lieb, Michael. Poetics of the Holy: A Reading of Paradise Lost.

Satan, as a character, has been satirized, mocked and made foolish in our modern world. John Milton, however, presents quite a different Satan from the devil-on-your-shoulder image people are used to seeing. In Paradise Lost, Milton draws on the Bible for his source of Satan’s character, thereby creating a horrifyingly corrupt Satan. Despite this portrayal, readers often find themselves sympathizing with Satan’s cause, and his determination, viewing him as a hero for his cause, as evidenced by his long, brave speeches. Later, however Satan’s speeches begin to show signs of regret, making the reader question their initial reaction to him.

Milton goes on to describe Satan as a strong leader, someone who has the power to influence his fellow angels by using the justification that it is “Better to reign in Hell, than serve in Heav'n” (3). The fallen angel flaunts his strong-will by standing against God and refusing to stand on the same ground as his suppressor. Milton clarifies Satan’s profound ideas and questions, but at the same time he also identifies the devil’s tragic flaw as an ambitious being that does not know his own limits. In contrast to Milton’s idealization of Satan, the Bible takes on a fundamental view of the sinner as the ultimate adversary to... ... middle of paper ... ...ot be able to prevent man from turning to God in search of logic. These instances displays Milton's portrayal of Satan’s ineptitude to win against God’s supremacy.

New York: W. W Norton & Company, Inc, 2005. Print Lewis, C.S. “On God” Norton Critical Edition. Ed. Gordon Teskey.

New York, NY: Harper and Row, 1962. Raisaned, Heikki. "Revelation, Violence, and War: Glimpses of a Dark Side." In The Way the World Ends? The Apocalypse of John in Culture and Ideology, edited by William John Lyons and Jorunn Oklund, 151-165.

Oxon: Routledge Goldberg, A.(1999). Sex, Religion, and the Making of Modern Madness . New York: Oxford University Press Neaman, J. (1975). Suggestions of the Devil: The origins of Madness.

Good, by contr... ... middle of paper ... ... religious morality. The assertion of individuality is threatening to society and to God, so these entities declare selfishness and over-individuality as sinful and evil, so they are justified in punishing them. What is defined as evil is really anything that threatens authority, be it the authority of God, a ruler of some kind or the authority of the idea of society itself over individuality. Works Cited Byron: The Poetical Works of Lord Byron. The Albion Edition.

Along with this, Satan's thoughts parallel the idea of "Evil, be thou my good," (p76, line 110) which is the opposite of what G-d intends. In order to attempt to discern if Satan is a tragic hero, his character must fit a certain profile. According to Aristotle's theory, the tragic hero has the potential to be great, but is doomed to fail. The tragic hero, although fallen, still wins a moral victory. The general characteristics follow that the tragic hero is a noble, is responsible for their fate, contains a tragic flaw, and is doomed to make a severe error in judgment.

The reader no longer needs to label the morality of such a character; Satan defines himself with the use of the pronoun 'my' and the preceding definition and assessment that 'My self am hell'. Furthermore through Satan's own assessment the distancing technique by the word 'my' appears to exaggerate the notion of the definition of himself, the natural pause due to the unusual syntax further accentuates this. The use of Milton's alliteration in 'Racked with deep despair' when describing Satan's countenance only empathises this pitiful nature. However this sense of self dou... ... middle of paper ... ...ng that G-d deliberately leads Satan into greater evil. From the outset it appears that G-d and Satan remain in opposition together, an important characterisation of Milton.