His original disobedience is the reason that Adam and Eve fall; lured by Satan’s seemingly reasonable words, Adam and Eve disobey God as he did. It is this recurring theme of disobedience which shapes the course of Milton’s poem; firstly Satan disobeys God, then, because of Satan, Adam and Eve disobey God. Both the Humans and the Angel are exiled from Paradise and lose their perfect life as a result of
Milton’s poem is written from the point of view of Satan and in such a way that he appears to be the heroic figure of the tale. Satan is given lines to uplift the demons of hell, seeming to empower them and as he sets off to derail the lives of Adam and Eve, the insight the reader has into the thoughts of the Devil almost make him appear to be the hero. The Satanic character of Milton’s Paradise Lost is shown to be primarily motivated by revenge against God, the creation of chaos, and the gain of power yet somehow he is stilled viewed as the hero to the reader and the other fallen angels in the story. As Satan and his followers were thrown from the heavens by God, during the poem, the fallen Angel seeks his revenge by creating another revolt against the Lord. At the beginning of the poem the Angels who have been cast down to hell speak of the actions they should next take, whether they should seek revenge or should be peaceful and submissive to the lot they have been given.
Satan rebelled against God when He chose His son, Jesus, to be the ruler of the world. Satan couldn't except this, he was the most beautiful and the most powerful next to God. He got other angels to rebel with him in hope of taking over heaven. Satan failed and along with other angels they were sent to hell. When God creates Adam and Eve, He puts them in The Garden of Eden, also known as Paradise.
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.
In addition, Satan showed the reader a large amount of anger and destructiveness when he planned his revenge on God (Milton 62). Satan even found pleasure in the pain and destruction of other people and things, "To do aught good never will be our task, / But ever to do ill our soul delight" (qtd.
Seeing paradise only reminds Satan of what he lost as a result of his fall from Heaven. Satan comes to the conclusion that he is the very embodiment of hell, bringing it everywhere he goes : “The Hell within him, for within him Hell /He brings, and round about him, nor from Hell/One step no more then from himself can fly (20-22).” Compared to the Bible, we actually get to see the torment Satan suffers as he lives his life as God’s adversary. Satan actually takes responsibility for his fall , pointing out the flaws that led to it: “Till Pride and worse Ambition threw me down” ( 40 ) . Unlike the Satan in Genesis and Job, Milton’s Satan clearly understands why he has fallen. As Satan continues to ponder his situation , he realizes that even if there was a chance for his redemption, he would never be comfortable being God’s servant.
He got mad, and lost his spot that he once held. “Arms to try what may be regained in Heav’n” (1: 270) These followers want to plot revenge by corrupting the human race and turning them against our lord. They use the two human’s god created, Adam and Eve, to do this deed with. Because of this, we will always have to deal with the anger and jealousy Satan creates. Throughout this story, there is a prominent motivation to get revenge against god because he chose his son against the highest angel being Satan.
Satan position as an empowered rebel is illustrated through his infernal mind, and it’s craving for authority; accordingly, Satan urges the shattered forces to “Receive thy new possessor” (line 252). Satan reveals his envious determination and desire to rule when blatantly declaring that it is “Better to reign in Hell, then serve in Heav’n” (line 263). Since his fall from Heaven, Satan no longer considers the location of his kingdom to be of monument importance; instead, it is one’s perspective that “Can makes Heav’n of a Hell, Hell of a heav’n (line 255). He believes that individuals create their own authority and control; it is a matter of perception. Satan driven by his envy of God’s position and power manipulates his fellow fallen “to confirm his words, out-flew millions of flaming swords, drawn from the thighs of mighty Cherubim,” soon they will erect Satan’s personal Kingdom in Hell (lines
Milton is able to do this because it is always worse, and more shocking to see a liked individual reveal himself to be bad, than to always know a bad individual to be bad. Thus, the initial support that Satan gains from readers is designed to alienate him further when his evil side prevails. As the character of Satan progresses, the reader becomes less willing to accept Satan’s goal of freedom of choice. This is... ... middle of paper ... ...n. Satan’s goal of freedom of choice has been lost in his hate. This aspect of Satan serves as the final stage in a reader’s transition from viewing Satan as the brave leader of a just cause, to viewing him as a lowly coward.
After being banished from heaven, Satan reflects on his evil deeds and considers the option of redeeming himself before God. However, he realizes that he has come too far in his desire to become God’s equal and he commits to his evil ways. He is constantly confronted with choices throughout Paradise Lost and enacts his free will in rejecting God, accepting evil, and striving to become equally powerful over his own