Essay On The Character Of Satan In John Milton's Paradise Lost

Decent Essays
John Milton’s epic poem “Paradise Lost” has been enjoyed by readers because of the different point of view in which he depicts Satan. People generally know Satan as the bad guy who opposes God and corrupts mankind, but Milton gave everyone a new perspective in which to look at Satan. Satan shows promise as a protagonist as he commands the world of Hell but also at the same time people still think of him as the embodiment of evil and all bad things. However, as the story progresses the readers begin to see some of the characteristics that make Satan who everyone makes him out to be. By not being prejudiced of the Bible audiences can see that Satan begins to tend more towards the evil/antagonistic character in “Paradise Lost” as he progresses …show more content…
He begins by writing about how Satan has taken command of Hell and acts to leave Hell and make his plan of messing with Earth come to fruition. He also talks about how Satan demonstrates antagonistic qualities because he is wants to cause pain to things and get in the way of the protagonist. This article helps to strengthen that Satan is portrayed as an antagonist because he wants to foil the protagonist’s plan.
Steadham, John M. "The Idea of Satan as the Hero of "Paradise Lost"" Proceedings of the Philosophical Society 120.4 (1975): 253-94. JSTOR [JSTOR]. Web. 6 July 2015. Mr. John M. Steadham writes in his article about Satan in “Paradise Lost” that Satan is a hero because he displays heroic qualities, such as going where no one wants to go, being the center of the poem, and embarking on a journey to stop the antagonist from fulfilling his plan. He argues that the general public cannot look at Satan objectively enough to discern him from hero or villain. The viewing of Satan as a hero rather than a villain does not support the thesis but the article does show that audiences do not look at Satan

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