Friday, October 3, 2008
That Satan
As we discussed in class, Milton initially conceived of Paradise Lost as a tragedy. As a character, Satan is certainly intriguing. Although we have touched on this in class, what makes him so interesting? How do you feel about Milton's Satan--not about any other Satan you might be thinking about? Also, what dramatic elements are there in the poem?
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What makes Satan so interesting is that even he had doubts on what he was doing. People might always percive him as pure evil, never having a doubt in his mind about the destruction that he has or will put against man. Milton goes against this and portrays him as almost as like a victim of the story. Satan questions his acts of evil when the light of the sun reminds him of what he had in heaven or when he sees the beauty in Adam and Eve when he goes to the garden. Milton's Satan is shown as more than just evil, that he could change if he really wanted to but deep down he knows that he is evil.
Satan really is a very interesting character in Milton's Paradise Lost. At first, he seems evil and uncaring. He has sex with his own daughter and produces incestuous offspring. His child/grandchild then rapes his own mother to produce more hellacious offspring. A very twisted circle. Satan tries to overtake God and fails. Then he decides to get back at God for condemning him to hell, so he tempts Eve and causes mankind to fall. However, throughout all of this horrible acts, Satan has moments of what appears to be sanity. He sees Eden and is reminded of whe life he threw away in Heaven. He feels sorry for the things he has done and even wonders whether it would be better to repent now and see how God takes it. Then his evilocity creeps back in and he figures that even if God did forgive him, he would probably end up wreaking havoc again at some point. It truly does show that no person is entirely good or entirely evil. Both qualities can be found in anyone, even the devil.
As far as dramatic elements go, I'm not exactly sure what this means. Perhaps I already answered it.
Milton's Satan has more character and seems more...human...than what we would expect just from reading the Bible. We mentioned that in the Bible he basically just gets Eve to eat the apple and that's it. Not once would we consider what was going through his mind before, during, and after the act.
I kind of feel sorry for Satan in this story because he has doubts and he also feels like he has given up something that he can never have back. Another thing is that he seems so confused about what he wants and even he says that if he was given the chance to return in God's good graces, he would just mess it up again.
He obviously feels like there is something missing and he wants more...more what exactly? In this way I can relate to him because he is bored with what he has and gives it up but then realizes what he lost...only knowing that he still wouldn't be completely satisfied if he got it back. I don't really like comparing myself to the devil of all people (?), but I kind of understand his feelings when he truly thinks about things.
As for dramatic elements, I don't really know. I'm kind of lost on this question. I guess one dramatic element could be the unexpected portrayal of the devil. Also when we take a deeper look at Adam and Eve we can see that there was more to them than just two naked people blissfully walking around in the Garden of Eden. There is a lot of character development in the story and a lot of suspense as we watch the events fall into place inevitably leading up to the final act of deception and the fall of man.
Erin,
First off, I am amused by the fact that I posted mine a minute after you posted yours...I was a little confused because I wasn't expecting it.
Anyway, wow we both talked about totally different things! I like that you mention the evil and twisted side of the devil and I focused on the more humane side of him. I also like that you mentioned that nobody is truly good or evil.
And it makes me happy knowing that I'm not the only one who was confused about the last question. :)
I was rather intrigued with Milton's Satan because of his authenticity throughout Paradise Lost. Milton developed his character well enough that he was able to evoke pity from some readers. For the first time (that I can remember), I sympathized with a satanic character in knowing that he was initially and eternally set up for doom. On multiple occasions, Satan realizes that what God has done is good, but he knows that there's no going back. That's where the sympathy 'kind of' ends because it's almost as if he still has a choice to correct his wrongs. But, understanding God's omnipotence, we all know that Satan won't and cannot inherently repent.
Milton's Satan embodies a character that is very atypical of a 'normal' Satan. He seems to show human tendencies at times, revealing that he is not all he's cracked up to be--but he does have to live up to his reputation.
I think what makes Satan so interesting is the fact that he is the most 'human' of all the characteres. He is flawed and shaky, he constantly second guesses himself, he wants what he cannot have, he is controlled by pride and power. He is, for lack of a better word, human. I think that's what makes him so interesting.
Compared to other Satan's I think Milton's is the most wounded. In other texts he is fully evil, a large beast of a man with no capacity to feel. Milton's Satan is not this montrous beast, but a more identifiable character.
As far as drama is concerned, Paradise Lost is full of it. From the civil war of the angels to the loss of paradise, Milton has made some pretty heavy pictures.
Paradise Lost, if transposed to modern times, would make a great lifetime movie due to its heavy content. As well as the fact that it holds love, antifeminist men, lust, rape, incest, war, angst, and the end of paradise. Just like their other movies.
Claudia, I just read your response and I'm so happy I'm not the only one that sees Satan as human. I was thinking as I was writing that it might come out a little... wrong but if I'm not the only one thinking it, it can't be too bad right? I really like how you pointed out how he was bored with what he had and then when he lost it he missed it. Isn't there a saying that goes with that? I don't remember.
Claudia, you have mentioned that the biblical Satan was presented with a lot less detail and probably less characterization as well. I believe that this is the reason why so many of us could sympathize with Milton's Satan. He's a part of two of the most important dramatic elements of the poem: conflict and climax. Even though his role in the climax (man's fall) is not really one that would make us pity him, his inner conflict does. Several times he questions his motives and appears to reconsider, and in those brief moments, I think we can all relate to his challenging decision. I just hope that most of us here would not choose to go through with it ; )
Satan is the kind of character that every writer wants to be able to create. He is multi-dimensional and very complicated. His meanness and evil nature seems to be a mere covering or mask that is slowly taking over his good nature. He starts out (post-fall from heaven) as being confused on whether or not he wants to be evil, as evidenced by his constant questioning of himself. The tragic part about Satan is that in the end, his evil side totally takes over his good side and is in complete control over him. But of course, all of this is because Satan is Satan and there is no such thing as a "good-natured" Satan.
Lashawnda,
I totally agree with your comment and I would like to add that Milton's Satan reminds me of one of those terminally ill people that have given up on life and resolved their self to death even though their doctor just gave them news that there might be a cure for their disease. Even though there is a chance of hope, the patient is already so far gone that every word of reason and encouragement from the doctor falls on deaf ears. I don't know, that is just how I see Satan in this poem.
Martin,
Your comment focuses on what was definitely going to happen to Satan, or rather how his evilness prevails. We know it, God knows it, Satan himself knows it. You comment that "he was initially and and eternally set up for doom." "he knows that there's no going back." "we all know that Satan won't and cannot inherently repent." And finally, "he does have to live up to his reputation." Does this mean that you believe in the idea of predestination; God, all-knowing and infinite, making the decisions for mankind for all of eternity? Or is there an element of free will in there? God knows what he wants to happen as opposed to what is going to happen, but he has given us the free will to make those choices ourself?
I know it's steering a little bit away from the blog, but i was just wondering your personal opinion, at least in context with Paradise Lost.
Satan at the beginning of Milton's story is a character that you feel sympathy for. I was hoping that he would repent and be let back into heaven. To hear him and the other falling angels talk about how glorius heaven was and now they have lost that you feel sorry for them. Satan is interesting because he wavered in his thoughts of taking on God and I believe was on the verge of maybe repenting after their meeting on ways to attack God and they decided it would not work and them he found out aut about a new creation. He probably was upset, since he was God's favorite angel and he didn't know about man, so he decided this is how he would get back at God by attacking man.
Lacey, i must agree with you when you say that Satan has human characteristics. Milton shows that like man, Satan isnt perfect like he wants to be or even thought he could be. Maybe this is Milton's roundabout way of saying that no one is perfect.
Lashawnda
I agree that Satan could have and probably thought about repenting and asking God for forgiveness, but the evil in him wouldn't allow him to do that. Milton does portray him as the victim and you kind of feel sorry for him or want to anyway. This was a great story and it had me worried, because I know the KJVB was written around the same time frame who got the story from who? One of those thing that make you say ummmm.
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