The Death of Sin and the Sin of Satan
When discussing the fate of the fallen, be them angel or man, it is important to become acquainted with Sin and Death, the offspring of Satan. In Paradise Lost, Book 2, from lines 746 to 814, Milton offers what it is to sin and the price of sin with descriptive imagery through Sin’s words. Both Sin and Death embody and characterize their names as both allegories and personifications. With close inspection of the passage, the ideas of sin and death come to life and they live dark and tortuous lives. Milton uses Sin to describe their monstrous tale and further shows how Sin is sinful, but also how she too is fallen through the use of her language and figurative speech. Death is also described as a never
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Just as amour-clad Athena emerged from the crack in Zeus’ skull following a horrible headache, so did Sin emerge from Satan’s head. The use of this story is to further promote the idea of Sin as fallen since the pagan religions are much farther from God, and therefore association with these stories implies a distance from God and a disobedience. It could also be interpreted as the birth of Sin to be the true story and the birth of the false goddess was modeled after her instead, inspiring one of the stories of a deceptive religion. Sin also has a seductive nature since at first, after her birth “they recoiled afraid” (II.759), but after a little time “with attractive graces won” (II.762) and they became “enamoured” (II.765) with her. The language she uses in those lines are even seductive as she “pleased” (II.762) those in Heaven. As with many things seductive, they can first be seen as dangerous, but become attractive and captivating, just as Sin and the idea to disobey God captivated Satan and the other fallen angels. While Sin is seductive, and seduction can lead to sin, she also commits sin herself. Being born of the idea of disobeying God, she may naturally or inherently be vulnerable to the commitment of sin. Among her sins are that she sees God as an “almighty foe” (II.769) and includes herself as one of the rebels when she says “our part loss and rout” (II.770). Sin instead follows Satan and shines him in a …show more content…
If “Hell trembled at the hideous name” (II.788), he would have to be the most terrible creature anyone can imagine. Even though he is less human than Sin is, his description gives the impression that he is even more terrifying than the half-woman-half-serpent creature. Milton described him earlier through the eyes of Satan as being a “shadow” (II.669) and when he moved, again “Hell trembled as he strode” (II.676). The repetition between Satan’s observation of him, and Sin’s story of his birth both force the idea that Death in an immense terror. Sin’s “inbred enemy” (II.785), “son and foe” (II.804) and tormentor, Death is a never ending and inescapable terror. She “fled, but he pursued” (II.790) and when he raped her and impregnated her with the horrible beats that surround her with “ceaseless cry” (II. 795) that continually re-enter her womb to be born again as they tear their way back out of her. This is much like a foreshadowing to the punishment of painful childbearing God bestows on Eve in Book 10 after she has fallen. However, Sin’s torture is constant as she states, “That rest or intermission none I find” (II.802). The many uses of words such as “infinite” (II.797) and the repetition in “hourly conceived / And hourly born” (II796-797), Milton emphasizes the eternal punishment Sin must bear. It is important to note that Sin’s punishment of
The great debate whether Satan is the hero of Milton’s Epic Poem, Paradise Lost, has been speculated for hundreds of years. Milton, a writer devoted to theology and the appraisal of God, may not have intended for his portrayal of Satan to be marked as heroic. Yet, this argument is valid and shares just how remarkable the study of literature can be. Milton wrote his tale of the fall of man in the 1674. His masterpiece is an example of how ideas of a society change with time. This is because it wasn’t until the 1800’s during the Romantic era, that people no longer saw the hero of literary works as perfect in every way. It started to become more popular to develop the flawed character similar to the ones written in the classics. A literary criterion that is based on a protagonist, who undergoes conflict on the outside and from within and is prevented by a specific flaw to accomplish their main goal, creates an epic Hero. In Paradise Lost, God does not face conflict because he is perfect and all-knowing, and Adam’s conflict is not presented from the very start, Satan’s is. Because Satan is the main character of the work and possesses qualities that would deem him heroic, such as his determination against tough odds, his ability to lead, and his human-like nature to error, he can be seen has the Hero of the famous poem.
In John Milton’s, The Paradise Lost, Milton’s representation of Satan makes us uncomfortable due to the recognition of his humanizing and relatable reaction to what happened to him. The reader expects Satan to be an evil, and malevolent figure who does evil acts because he loves it and there is no defense for it. While these aspects are prevalent in his character in the poem, Satan does not come across as a completely wicked person but instead, a victim. The representation of Satan has a personifying quality that any of us may have and do not want to admit. In book one, Milton’s portrayal of Satan makes us uneasy because we relate to his actions, which are ordinary human responses to similar situations. It is troubling to say that in this particular poem, Satan resembles humans. However, our human nature is to have an instant reflex to justify our actions without taking any responsibility, which resembles the way Satan justifies his mischievous acts in this poem. Most of the time, we would never think of Satan as a victim; yet, we find ourselves discovering our human nature in Satan’s rationalizations. So, what humanizes this monstrous figure? After thoroughly reading book one, there are many instances when Satan justifies what he has done to make sense of it. Satan believes that God deceived him because he did not know how much power he possessed. According to Satan, God did unjust things that justified his actions. Satan has a whole rationale that God had arbitrary power that caused Satan to become the way he is in the poem. This perception serves as Satan’s foundation on behalf of his justification, which we all can relate to because he does not take responsibility but pr...
This epic simile portrays shockingly disgusting imagery of war and death, which are both consequences of eating the fruit of knowledge. Sin and Death, Satan’s daughter and son (who is also his Grandson) take full advantage of the Fall of Man and construct a bridge between Hell and Earth through Chaos, constructed of anything ‘Solid or slimy’. This allowed death, sin and disease to enter the world, similar to the great Greek Myth of Pandora’s box, where a woman named Pandora unleashed all the negative emotions from their captivity inside a box. Thus, showing both Milton’s classical influences and education at Christs College, Cambridge and how attitudes to women have remained constant through many centuries, from the period of the Ancient Greeks to the 1600s. Man’s disobedience would be the sole point of blame for all the wrongs in the world to Milton’s audience, not only was this a story but the events transpired. This was an easy way for the Church to explain the mass destruction caused by the Great Plague from 1665
Paradise Lost is an epic poem portraying John Milton’s theological standpoints. The theme is knowledge and the fall of man. Milton uses his poem to state some of his theological beliefs and his personal reflections. Milton wrote Paradise Lost in the 17th century but uses influence from classic poets. Milton’s epic is an extremely important piece of literature. The excerpt used in this commentary takes on the subjects of sin and the punishment with regards to the atonement from God’s point of view. Milton’s states many of his own theological opinions but wants the reader to know that God is justified in everything that he does, and also wants them to know that man has free will.
Although Satan can never reconcile his two rivaling desires, his attempts for autonomy and recognition from God result in catastrophic circumstances, both for Satan and humanity. As previously established, Satan travels to Eden in order to tempt mankind. In order to do this, Satan persuades Sin and Death to allow him to pass through Hell’s gate. The immediate result of this is that Satan also releases Sin and Death who paved a path:
...people did to be placed in that circle of hell but it does not show a progression of evil, if there was one, or how they got to that point. As for Milton’s Satan, the choices that he makes that ultimately transform him into this radically evil being are described. Milton definitely uses some of Dante’s ideas when it comes to describing the landscape of hell or the transformation into serpents or even the gigantomachy and perhaps repeated themes in Paradise Lost that follow a cyclic pattern similar to that of the cyclic pattern of Hell in the Inferno but I think that Milton created his own ideas when it comes to the major idea of evil and the character of Satan because those are drastically different. So when it comes to the idea of evil and Satan, Dante’s influence is minimal and almost contrasting to what happens in with the idea of evil and Satan and the Inferno.
Milton’s Satan in Paradise Lost is a complex character meant to be the evil figure in the epic poem. Whenever possible Satan attempts to undermine God and the Son of God who is the true hero of the story. Throughout the story Milton tells the readers that Satan is an evil character, he is meant not to have any redeeming qualities, and to be shown completely as an unsympathetic figure. Satan’s greatest sins are pride and vanity in thinking he can overthrow God, and in the early part of the poem he is portrayed as selfish while in Heaven where all of God’s angels are loved and happy. Satan’s journey starts out as a fallen angel with great stature, has the ability to reason and argue, but by Book X the anguish and pain he goes through is more reason for him to follow an evil path instead. Even so, Milton uses literal and figurative imagery in the description of Satan’s character to manipulate the reader’s response to the possibility that Satan may actually be a heroic figure. As the plot of the story unfolds there are moments where the reader can identify with Satan’s desires and relate to his disappointments.
Adam and Eve are the parents of all. They started off perfect, but that all changed with the single bite of a forbidden fruit. That one bite changed the world forever. In Milton’s “Paradise Lost” he fills in the literary and theological gaps of Genesis chapter three. Milton’s job in Book IV is to separate Adam and Eve whenever Eve gets tempted. He does so by making them have a debate about splitting up to tend to the garden. Eve argues that she will be okay while Adam argues that she should stay with him so he can protect her.
Although the epic poem centers around the story of the fall of man, it is interesting that Milton intertwines in this story the fall of Satan from heaven and the consequences it has not only for Satan himself, but for Adam, Eve, and the world as a whole. Milton allows the reader to see the fall from the point of view of Satan, God, as well as Adam and Eve. Because Milton gives insight into these characters feelings regarding the fall, it is no surprise that he uses “eternal providence” in conjunction with the stories of Satan, Adam, and Eve. The providence being described here is the knowledge of good and evil. However, ev...
In episode IX of Paradise Lost by John Milton, Milton begins Adam and Eve’s act of disobedience towards God. The story begins with Satan’s return to the Garden of Eden the night after Raphael’s departure. Satan considers what disguise he should take on, and chooses to become a snake. Satan thinks that Earth is more beautiful than Heaven ever was, and becomes jealous of Adam and Eve. The next morning, Adam and Eve are preparing for their usual work load. Eve suggests that they work separately, Adam does not necessarily like the idea. He fears that if they are alone they can be more easily tested by Satan. Eve, however, wants to have her strength tested. Adam finally agrees. Satan, finds Eve alone and begins flattering her. Eve is amazed that
Helen Gardner addresses this notion, claiming how “Satan is, of course, a character in an epic, and he is in no sense the hero of the epic as a whole. But he is a figure of heroic magnitude and heroic energy, and he is developed by Milton with dramatic emphasis and dramatic intensity” (Baker/Helen, 208). Satan is without a doubt the antichrist, or “villain” in the biblical scriptures, however one must take into consideration his alternative and more ambiguous portrayal in Paradise Lost. In this paper, I will analyze Satan’s actions, physical portrayal and speeches in Book I of Paradise Lost, and argue that from the textual evidence, these aspects of Satan are ultimately ambivalent, thus Satan cannot be categorized as either the extreme hero or the extreme villain, but rather as a dramatic figure with both heroic and villainous characteristics. The preliminary depiction of Satan’s actions in Paradise Lost appears after Milton describes God, his kingdom of heaven, and his children Adam and Eve.... ...
Criticism. The. New York: Norton, 1975. Fox, Robert C. "The Allegory of Sin and Death in Paradise Lost." Modern Language Quarterly 24 (1963): 354-64. ---.
In John Milton’s Paradise Lost, Satan seeks revenge against God and causes the fall of man. He deceives Adam and Eve and gets them to disobey God. God ends up seeming cruel because of the way He punishes Adam and Eve but, He’s not. God could have killed them for disobeying him, instead He’s giving them a second chance with life, its just going to be a harder life. God is just doing what He has to by sending them out of the Garden. He is the high and almighty God, He made Adam and Eve, He made the world, He can do whatever He wants and if you disobey him you will get punished. It’s the same thing with Satan, Satan rebelled, and God had to do what he had to do and that was to send him out of heaven to hell.
...to this seduction because she wishes for an alternate world, a world where she would understand her identity, shed her naïveté, and gain independence from Adam. God and Adam try to conquer Eve by imposing rules and ownership upon her, but this does not work. The mother of all mankind falls from her state of grace and innocence when she perceives that she will gain from her seduction by Satan and by disobeying God and Adam.
Paradise Lost is one of the finest examples of the epic tradition in all of literature. In composing this extraordinary work, John Milton was, for the most part, following in the manner of epic poets of past centuries: Barbara Lewalski notes that Paradise Lost is an "epic whose closest structural affinities are to Virgil's Aeneid . . . "; she continues, however, to state that we now recognize as well the influence of epic traditions and the presence of epic features other than Virgilian. Among the poem's Homeric elements are its Iliadic subject, the death and woe resulting from an act of disobedience; the portrayal of Satan as an Archillean hero motivated by a sense of injured merit and also as an Odyssean hero of wiles and craft; the description of Satan's perilous Odyssey to find a new homeland; and the battle scenes in heaven. . . . The poem also incorporates a Hesiodic gigantomachy; numerous Ovidian metamorphoses; an Ariostan Paradise of Fools; [and] Spenserian allegorical figures (Sin and Death) . . . . (3)