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Paradise lost figure11/14/2022 ![]() In Paradise Lost, Satan has a complex character, worthy of a hero. The first one is Satan’s actions the second is his appearance, and, thirdly, Satan’s character will be given attention. In establishing the heroic status of Satan, three separate elements will be analysed. Furthermore, these critics also take into consideration what happens to Satan after books I and II, in which Satan’s ethical and moral decline becomes apparent: as the story advances he experiences a strong regression and all his seemingly heroic traits are reduced to nothing. They generally find Satan’s speeches pompous and ridiculous and his behaviour despicable. There were also critics, nowadays referred to as Anti-Satanists, who disagree with this. Romantic critics such as William Blake and Lord Byron argue that Satan is indeed the hero of the work, especially when taking into consideration books I and II of Paradise Lost. This third chapter will analyse whether or not Satan can be the epic hero of Milton’s work. The most likely character to be the hero would be Satan. If Paradise Lost is an epic, then the work should contain an epic hero. Furthermore, some attention will be given to the authors themselves and their works. Both works can be regarded as epics and this chapter will give information on epics in general, the epic in the Renaissance and on the epic hero.Īlso, this chapter will discuss the epic conventions which can be found in both La Divina Commedia and Paradise Lost. The second chapter of this essay will provide background information on John Milton and his Paradise Lost and Dante and his La Divina Commedia. English translations of Italian quotes from La Divina Commedia have been taken from Singleton’s translation. New Jersey: Princeton: University Press, 1970. In finding out what kind of hero Satan might be, Peter Thorslev’s The Byronic Hero has been most helpful. The translation is very good, but more importantly, Singleton added extensive notes and commentaries in separate volumes. Singleton’s translation of Dante’s La Divina Commedia is used throughout this paper1. Another work which provides relevant information on the history of the devil is Jeffrey Burton Russel’s Lucifer: The Devil in the Middle Ages, which gives an elaborate analysis of the position of the devil in society and literature. Lewis’ The Discarded Image, which is very suitable in obtaining background information on both La Divina Commedia and Paradise Lost. A book which gives an excellent insight in the medieval world view is C. Basil: The Genesis of Sin and Death” and “Milton and Mazzoni: the Genre of the Divina Commedia” have been particularly relevant. To give some examples, John Steadman has written many articles on John Milton and Paradise Lost, of which “The Idea of Satan as the Hero of Paradise Lost” and “Milton and St. However, some articles and books have been very useful in writing this essay. With the books and articles written on Paradise Lost and La Divina Commedia, one could fill a library. Order custom essay Satan as the Hero of Paradise Lost Satan’s heroic status owes a lot to the Renaissance world view. Milton’s Renaissance perspective is different form Dante’s medieval outlook. And if not, whether or not he can be another kind of hero? The descriptions of the devil in Dante and Milton are strongly influenced by their respective world views. This essay will try to answer the question whether or not the devil can be an epic hero. He is motionless, frozen in ice and represents a passive evil. One of the greatest earlier works that gives us an image of the devil is Dante’s La Divina Commedia, also a work of epic proportion.ĭante’s Commedia will be used in this essay as a contrast to Milton’s epic: Dante’s Devil seems to be the complete opposite of Milton’s Satan. Milton’s description of Satan stands in a long tradition of representations of the devil in European literature. However, this idea does not last for long when one reaches Book III, the favourable image of Satan as a heroic freedom fighter deteriorates and in the end he is transformed into a beast. When reading the work, after a few pages, the reader may indeed get the impression that Satan is an epic hero. Milton’s Satan is brave, resourceful and powerful and an excellent leader as well. Introduction Can the devil be an epic hero? This seems to be the case in John Milton’s Paradise Lost, the great epic from the English Renaissance. MacDonald 06-03-2009 Doctoraalscriptie Engelse Taal- en Cultuur Faculteit der Letteren Rijksuniversiteit Groningen Wordcount: 17. Satan as the Hero of Paradise Lost Satan Arousing the Rebel Angels, William Blake (1808) Leontien Kouwenhoven 1260707 Supervisor: Dr. ![]()
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