Satan: The Adversary
analytical Essay
831 words
In Paradise Lost by John Milton, Satan is depicted as a malicious and deceiving character who is fueled by his own ambitions to overthrow God. His role and appearance in Paradise Lost is conveyed through his envious behavior, his foolish attempts to battle God, and his cunning deceptions. Satan’s manipulative and malignant personality is also demonstrated in various verses of Scripture and CS Lewis’ The Screwtape Letters by demonstrating his spiteful behavior and self-deluded lies.
Satan, once the bearer of light, fell from heaven due to his disdainful envious behavior. He thought of himself equal to his creator, God, and wanted to aspire to his ruler. For example, in Milton’s Paradise Lost it reads, “To set himself in Glory above his Peers, / He trusted to have equaled the most high” (1). His ambitions and desire to gain the highest of authority and power reveals he is primarily motivated by his envious behavior and jealousy of God. Satan was cast into Hell because he became too proud and believed that his power was equal to God’s own power. His need for fulfilled aspirations is also illustrated in CS Lewis’ The Screwtape Lettters. Lewis’ satiric and ironic letters is about a demon, Screwtape, writing to his nephew demon, Wormwood, about how to control human emotion so that they would not follow God. In the first letter, after Screwtape discusses a successful story of eluding an atheist away from God he states, “He is now safe in Our Father’s house” (2). Their “Father’s house” is referring to Satan’s Hell and because Satan is given the title of “Father” he is set to the equal status of mankind’s Father, the Almighty. Satan’s behavior and narcissistic ego is supported in the The Screwtape Letters, his envious behavior provokes his...
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...say the truth because his natural language is lying. Milton dramatizes the power possessed by Satan, and how he takes advantage of this power in order to satisfy his own causes, which is to disobey and attack God.
Satan’s aspired manner of conduct, his absurd attempts to battle God, and his misleading craftiness construct his intriguing and vital character in John Milton’s Paradise Lost. As illustrated in Paradise Lost, The Screwtape Letters, and Scripture, Satan is a vicious baleful demon who uses deceitful strategies for his own ambitious gain. Satan’s power of manipulation, form shifting, and his own free will, led to his fall as the ruler of hell.
Works Cited
Hengeveld, Nick. BibleGateway.com. 23 January 2014. Web.
Lewis, C.S. The Screwtape Letters. London: Aslan Publishing, 1955. Print.
Milton, John. Paradise Lost. Detroit: Lucifer Publishing, 1996. Print.
In this essay, the author
- Analyzes how satan's role and appearance in paradise lost is conveyed through his envious behavior, his foolish attempts to battle god, and his cunning deceptions.
- Analyzes how satan, once the bearer of light, fell from heaven due to his disdainful envious behavior. his ambitions and desire to gain the highest of authority and power reveals he is motivated by his narcissistic ego.
- Analyzes how satan's deceiving personality enables him to strategically attack god and the heavens through deception and lies.
- Analyzes how satan's aspired manner of conduct, his absurd attempts to battle god, and his misleading craftiness construct his intriguing and vital character in john milton’s paradise lost.
- Analyzes how satan's overly prideful ego led him to believe he had the ability to battle and defeat god. his rebellion against the almighty was ludicrous and absurd, but his free will created the motivation to oppose god and defiance.
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In this essay, the author
- Analyzes how satan is a mesmerizing but revengeful figure who utilizes doubt to break the relationship established between man and god.
- Analyzes how satan aims to rule without the intrusion of god and humans. when neglected from praise, he is consumed in envy and ambition for supremacy.
- Narrates how earth felt the wound, and nature from her seat gave sign of woe,/ that all was lost.
- Analyzes how the serpent tempted eve to sin by convincing her that disobeying god would favor her, although it is otherwise.
- Analyzes how satan is deceitful. he knows that defiance will be the ultimate betrayal for god because the path established by the lord has been abandoned through sin.
- Analyzes how satan attempts to break the spiritual relationship between man and god by implanting the seed of doubt in the human mind. the serpent reverses the motives of god and uses them in his favor.
- Explains why it was forbidding to awe, keep ye low and ignorant, his worshipers; he knows that in the day, they will be as gods, knowing both good and evil as they know.
- Analyzes how satan sways eve into thinking that god objects to her knowledge of good and bad. satan sends his demons, screwtape and wormwood, to taint the concept of religion.
- Analyzes how satan accomplishes his purpose through his appearance. in paradise lost he is said to be a mesmerizing snake that will tempt and seduce eve.
- Analyzes how satan disguises himself as an innocent and beautiful angel that is harmless. his beauty is like a spell that will carry out the act of sin.
- Analyzes how satan is tormented by spite and revenge, driven by the destruction of humankind and faith. his character in scripture is manipulative and disguising while his actions in the screwtape letters are organized and shrewd
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In this essay, the author
- Explains that john milton's character, satan, in paradise lost, is the epic hero because of textual evidence found in all twelve books of the novel.
- Concludes that milton provides his main character as a relative, relatable man as opposed to all other characters in paradise lost. satan's disposition and behaviorism are all very human.
- Analyzes how milton's first book, paradise lost, portrays satan as a confused, resentful man who feels the need to rebel against god.
- Analyzes the second act of rebellion committed by satan in the form of a serpent as he lures eve into digesting the fruit from the forbidden tree.
- Analyzes how the reader recognizes the account of satan through a lens that is rarely used. satan was the first and one of the only men to ever be bold enough to question the most almighty figure in our world.
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In this essay, the author
- Analyzes how milton's tale of the fall of man is an example of how ideas of a society change with time.
- Analyzes how satan's unwavering passion to defeat his all-mighty creator makes him the underdog that an audience cannot help but root for.
- Opines that satan's role in paradise lost makes the reader fear him rather than see him in the traditional religious way we are expected to see. god is the distant and powerful force that will reward those who follow his command.
- Analyzes how satan's heroic character provokes readers to think of a hero. he is benevolent and asks for volunteers to help implement the strategy.
- Analyzes how satan's self pride led to his jealousy of the son of god and his deceptive plots.
- Analyzes how satan's human-like struggles keep him a hero through the eyes of readers because they can relate.
- Analyzes how milton's readers see how highly satan sees himself and his army. he thinks of them as almost untouchable.
- Concludes that satan does fit the description of an epic hero. his actions do not have to be moral, in order to see him as a character that shows immense strife, great power and apparent flaws.
1302 wordsRead More - John Miltonanalytical essaySatan, 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. In the end the image of Satan is further skewed by his own incriminating speech. Thus, the speeches of Satan, which initially draw readers to be supportive of his plight, later reveal his truly destructive character, resulting in the reader disliking Satan more than if he initially presented himself as a coward.
In this essay, the author
- Analyzes how milton's portrayal of satan is different from the devil-on-your-shoulder image people are used to seeing.
- Analyzes how satan, in paradise lost, establishes himself as a defender of freedom, which is attractive to readers.
- Opines that th’ almighty hath not built here for his envy, will not drive us hence: here we may reign secure, and in my choice to reign is worth ambition though in hell.
- Analyzes how satan's independent attitude elevates him to hero status, willing to defend what he believes in, even if it means suffering. milton uses this perception to highlight satan’s destructive attitude.
- Analyzes how as the character of satan progresses, the reader becomes less willing to accept satan’s goal of freedom of choice. in book iv satan is found reflecting on his actions and wonders if he made the right decision in rebelling against god.
- Opines that heav'n's matchless king deserved no return from him, who created what he was. pride and worse ambition threw him down.
- Analyzes how satan sees that his actions against god were not fully justified, recalling how glorious things were, and owing service to god for creating him.
- Analyzes how satan's inner battle leads the reader to become suspicious about his description of himself in earlier books, and their own interpretation of his earlier words.
- Analyzes how satan's destructive side is revealed in book ix, which corrects any leaning to the view that satan is a hero. he describes the hatred behind his plan, stealing any credibility he may have built up in readers.
- Opines that the more they see pleasures bout them, so much more i feel torment within them; all good to them becomes bane, and in heav'n much worse would be my state.
- Analyzes how satan's words, which may have allowed readers to view him as a hero, disappear in this speech. his goal of freedom of choice is lost in his hate.
- Analyzes how milton's desire to create a strong hatred of satan is achieved best by highlighting satan’s good points first. the reader is appalled at the actions of their “hero”.
1139 wordsRead More - Distinguishing Between Bad and Evilanalytical essayIn Paradise Lost Milton creates Satan’s character with intricate conflicting dualities, ultimately creating him as both good and bad. Milton’s careful and complex development of Satan’s character both establishes and revokes the idea of Satan being good and bad. He uses this tension between Satan’s appealing attributes and bad qualities allowing the reader to be able to relate to Satan on some level. He is also using this tension to tempt the reader to give into Satan’s alluring speeches and challenging them to resist it. Satan is a great speaker; he knows exactly what everyone wants to hear. His speeches are so convincing that even the reader is tempted to fall into the notion that they are all just innocent victims: “Me though just right, and the fixed laws of heaven Did first create your leader, next free choice, with what besides, in counsel or in fight, Hath been achieved of merit, yet this loss” (ln 18-21) Even though Satan’s speeches are intriguing and sound wonderful they are embedded...
In this essay, the author
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- Analyzes how milton creates satan's character with intricate conflicting dualities, ultimately creating him as both good and bad.
- Analyzes how milton has reconstructed satan in such a malicious manner that there leaves no room for question whether satan is bad or evil. his speeches are no longer alluring and infectious instead they reek with toxic flow.
- Analyzes how the speaker's speeches are so convincing that even the reader is tempted to fall into the notion that he only wishes to help the young girl even though they know his true intentions.
- Analyzes how milton constructs satan to teach the reader that they should be disgusted with the envy and familiarity they had for satan in paradise lost.
- Analyzes how milton uses the power of speech to teach his readers that one should not be fooled by charm, wit, and take notice to manipulation.
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In this essay, the author
- Analyzes how milton's epic, paradise lost, portrays satan as a rebel who exhibits heroic qualities and corrupts to show the thin line between good and evil.
- Analyzes how milton shows how skilled satan is in his choice of words, and why the others look up to him as their leader.
- Analyzes how milton shows the reader this side of satan to make them think before assuming that satan is the hero of the epic.
- Analyzes how milton's portrayal of satan as a rebellious hero deteriorates as the epic continues.
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In this essay, the author
- Analyzes how milton's paradise lost has been studied by many people and comprehended in many different fashions.
- Analyzes how milton uses the whole rebellion scene, when put together with the battle in heaven, to show heroic qualities in satan.
- Analyzes how milton shows how skilled satan is in his choice of words and why the others look up to him as their leader.
- Analyzes how milton shows the reader this side of satan to make them think before assuming that satan is the hero of the epic.
- Analyzes how milton's portrayal of satan as a rebellious hero deteriorates as the epic continues.
1587 wordsRead More - Paradise Lost by John Miltonanalytical essayIn John Milton's Paradise Lost, we learn of Milton's epic poem that deals with the entire story of man's fall from grace, including background for Satan's motives. In Book 1 of the poem, a brief introduction mentions the fall of Adam and Eve caused by the serpent, which was Satan, who led the angels in revolt against God and was cast into hell. The scene then opens on Satan lying dazed in the burning lake, with Beelzebub, next in command, beside him. Satan assembles his fallen legions on the shore, where he revives their spirits by his speech. They set to building a palace, called Pandemonium. There the high ranking angels assemble in council.
In this essay, the author
- Analyzes john milton's epic poem, paradise lost, which deals with the entire story of man’s fall from grace.
- Analyzes how satan returns to earth, where he chooses the serpent as his best disguise. adam and eve go forth to their gardening tasks, but eve suggests they go in separate directions.
- Explains that in paradise lost both books are derived from biblical root, and offer interpretations of man's fall through eve’s motives, her attitude toward adam and her sin.
- Analyzes how adam and eve wept for the loss of innocence, but were hopeful for their new lives. eve concluded that adam was strong and had a brain designed to dream and mold.
- Concludes that milton's paradise lost was written in a more religious time in which the fall of man would seem to be great sin.
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In this essay, the author
- Explains that mankind lives in a physical, tangible, material world influenced by the invisible, spiritual world around us. the old and new testaments provide us with the most factual information regarding satan.
- Explains that satan is a fallen angel that is frequently referred to in the bible. there are numerous ideas about his evil spirit.
- Explains that satan is more often referred to as the devil. the term was used in the greek translation of the bible, the septuagint, not to refer to human beings, but rather to translate the hebrew ha-satan.
- Explains that the confusion about satan comes from an incomplete understanding of what the bible reveals. christ frequently encountered satan and his evil spirits during his ministry.
- Explains that satan is a complex and misinterpreted individual, but his origin can easily be understood. god created angels to carry out his words not only on earth but also in the garden of eden.
- Explains that they were the seal of perfection, full of wisdom, and perfect in beauty. the workmanship of their timbrels and pipes was prepared for them.
- Explains that satan's anointed cherub was created as a wise, beautiful and powerful angel, but his wisdom was corrupted because of his pride in his beauty.
- Analyzes how the scriptures do not define the trade satan was engaged in, but it clearly tells us that because of the abundance of his trade, he sinned.
- Explains that satan turned one-third of the angelic host against god through his slander and 'gossip' in the garden of eden.
- Explains that the bible reveals that satan and some of his demons were not confined to hell after their initial expulsion from heaven.
- Analyzes how satan and his demons were cast out after christ returned to heaven after his crucifixion and resurrection.
- Narrates how michael and his angels fought against the dragon, but they were defeated and there was no place for them in heaven.
- Explains the time sequence established in revelation 12 clearly indicates that satan's ejection from heaven is after the first coming of christ and before his second coming at the end of his age.
- Explains that the new testament records instances where evil spirits possessed and took up residence within human beings. satan appears to have the ability to rouse the dead from their ordained sleep.
- Concludes that the bible gives quite a bit of information about satan. other demons under satan have authority over the various nations of the earth.
1529 wordsRead More - The Social History of Satananalytical essayThe essay written by Elaine Pagels, "The Social History of Satan," illustrates the transformation of Satan from his depiction in the Hebrew Bible to the Gospel's vision of him as a Prince of Darkness who brings about the struggle between good and evil. In her essay, Pagel illustrates the concept of an evil entity and its functions.
In this essay, the author
- Analyzes how elaine pagels' essay, "the social history of satan," illustrates the transformation from his depiction in the hebrew bible to the gospel's vision of him as a prince of darkness.
- Explains that satan, or the devil, plays various evil roles in ancient and modern literature and in jewish, christian, and muslim religious traditions.
- Explains that in the jewish religion, they identified their enemies who were unfaithful as satan. satan is not seen as animal or monster but one of god's angels.
- Explains that satan appears in the hebrew bible as a dissenter to god and one of god's servants in numbers and job.
- Compares the hebrew version of satan with job's description of satan as a supernatural messenger.
- Analyzes how satan is seen as terrifying and harming a person, like the angel of death, but he remains as an obedient servant to god.
- Analyzes how satan plays a different role of speaking for the vain group against another. satan also takes sinister qualities as he did in king david's story.
- Explains that satan became one of the most important figures in most religious stories. he became god's antagonist in christianity religion.
- Explains the second version of satan came from genesis. god established heaven and earth, mated with a human woman, and produced half human and half evil offspring.
- Analyzes how pagels illustrates that the most dangerous enemy did not originate as an outsider but rather someone close.
- Analyzes how elaine pagels illustrates that although there are many versions to the creation of satan, they are all linked by one similarity that satan is an intimate enemy.
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