Paradise lost book 1 summary3/24/2023 These parallel phrases also contain illogical contradictions, such as "immortal hate" which shows the juxtaposition between their previous angelic, immortal nature and their now immortal anguish. Whilst these lines are blank verse, the rhetorical parallelism in the repetition of "And" make his statement that more impressive is one again to mask his despair. The rhetoric in lines 106-109 add to this bold nature. Satan is said to speak "with bold words", and it is thought Milton did not intend this to be a virtue, but actually a sort of arrogance, speaking with words such as "dubious battle" and "tyranny of Heaven" that are unjustified claims which Satan has no authority to make. However, there are of course other aspects of Satan's character which are also unappealing. However, these actions cannot be justified solely by his curiosity, and there must be supplementary sources of evil within him. Satan had doubts and questions just like any human, and the hateful and rebellious nature he, admittedly, does have, only comes after his exile. Whilst Satan obviously does not reach his goal, he still acknowledges the reality of his circumstances: "Better to reign in Hell than serve in Heaven" and this acceptance of conditions is, however, moving towards the heroic. If he was merely curious, his curiosity could be satisfied with a conversation with God, and the jump from curiosity to attempting to overthrow God shows a non-heroic flaw in his character. He (and by connection Milton) offers the legitimate question: is it wrong for humans to think they are equal to God, since we were after all made in God's own image? This questioning does imply arrogance and self-pride, but it makes Satan's motivation separate from his subsequent actions. Satan's intention was to make him and the world better, and even gives a voice to what we think ourselves. The dactyl on "Heaven on" and the feminine ending of the line makes Satan's speech stumble at this point, portraying his lack of conviction in his own words. It still has five stresses, but the feet are not iambs and therefore the line steps out of this speech-rhythm and the line is harder to read. However, the second line stops this iambic rhythm. However, when analysing the above quotation we see that the first of these lines is iambic pentameter, and is said with ease. This makes Satan's pride and subsequent challenge of God in Heaven not deceptive but an act of curiosity. What matter where, if I shall be the same". Satan's flaw is that he is misguided, and follows what he believes to be true: "The mind is its own place, and in itself/Can make a Heaven of Hell, a Hell of Heaven. Whilst this task is impossible, it is also one that he is persistent in, and this is where his heroic qualities originate from.Īristotle's theory of hamartia (an injury committed against another person in ignorance) can be applied to the traditional heroic archetype, and therefore show that heroes can have flaws whilst having the right intentions. One of the causes for Satan's fall from Heaven and subsequent despair was his pride, and attempt to "equal the most High" an impossible task. With Satan on the other hand we are immediately meant to identify with his desires and disappointments, and notice that Satan is "Vaunting aloud, but racked with deep despair." In fact the very title "Paradise Lost" is focusing on Satan's loss of Heaven and his success of tricking Adam and Eve into losing Eden, and not God's grace and attempt to combat this. This is obvious from the start, with Milton stating his aim to "justify the ways of God to men." This makes God the opposition, and sets up Paradise Lost as a theodicy to justify God, not to adore or worship him. Milton realises this tension between evil and heroism, and plays with it, portraying Satan in some ways as a very admirable character and God as a wrathful and distanced one. To see Satan as a hero we must see him as more than simply an evil and antagonistic monster. However, when taking a typical descri ption of a hero (the chief male character in a book, play, or film, who is typically identified with good qualities, and with whom the reader is expected to sympathize1, for example), it can be argued that God does not fulfil this criteria, and the Satan we are introduced to in Book 1 of Paradise Lost is far more suited to be given this title. In a poem narrating the fall of Satan, the creation of the world and the subsequent fall of man, one would be justified in assuming the hero is God. Paradise Lost is an epic poem and therefore it is assumed that it contains a heroic figure. What impression do we gain of Satan in Paradise Lost: Book 1?
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