![]() From Milton’s use of epic similes, this is a figure that is not only physically imposing, but is one that’s as revered as God. If we were to disregard his mental state, Satan is described as something even greater, “…his ponderous shield ethereal temper, massy, large and round…the broad circumference hung on his shoulders like the moon…His spear, to equal which the tallest pine hewn on Norwegian hills, to be the mast of some great ammiral” (Milton 1502-3). To his followers, his humble, often diplomatic display of moving forward makes him heroic. This may help to “ and the different senses of heroism and heroic virtue” (Steadman 254), because Satan’s virtue is to contribute to a society that he and his followers believe will do the most good for the world, or in this case, evil. God and Satan are practically at war with each other, but while God was dictatorial in the Old Testament, Satan was democratic among his followers. evil as not so much as a moral dilemma, but one that is two sides of the same coin. Milton’s use of description help identify the concept of good vs. The poem starts when he’s cast out of Heaven by God, and he takes his “fallen angels” to create a new following and hopefully spread evil throughout God’s newest creation: humans. Through these events, it is heavily implied how heroic Satan’s actions actually are, but not in a traditional way.īefore delving into the vital events that shape Paradise Lost, we must first dissect Satan. ![]() Over the course of the epic poem, we see him devolve from a spearhead of evil to a patron of madness, as his process of decision-making interferes with his and his followers’ personal agenda. Satan seems like a character that is impossible to sympathize with, but in Paradise Lost, author John Milton makes it so we can be able to with not just the hero that is Satan, but his overall character. If we as readers need anything for a central character in a story to develop and build our sympathetic trust for them, we need them to accomplish something when faced with dire odds. The Self in 15th and 16th Century Dramatic Literature.Translations and How They Change the Meaning of Medieval Texts.Fixers and Their Roles in Translations of Medieval Texts.Allegory in the Middle Ages and the 18th Century.A Brief History of Allegorical Literature.Ars Moriendi and the Early Modern Period.Kissing in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight.Kissing in Medieval Literature- Brooke Zimmerle.The Environment from the Middle Ages to Early Modern Period.The Reformation and the “Intellectualization” of God.Mysticism and Miracle in Catholic Europe.God, Literature, and Religious Denomination in a Changing Christendom.Medieval Mysticism: A Space For Women’s Authority.The Devil As Sympathetic: Human Qualities in Paradise Lost. ![]()
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