The Character of Satan in Milton's Paradise Lost - Research Paper Example

Milton’s Satan as the Hero in Paradise Lost Introduction The idea of a heroic Satan in Milton’s Paradise Lost has sparked an intense debate among literary critics since its publication in 1667 (Steadman, 1976). Some critics have for the most part described Satan as a “classical villain” as opposed to a “classical hero” (Calloway, 2005, p. 82). However, Calloway (2005) takes the position that Milton’s Satan is indeed a classical hero and would be widely accepted as a hero had he “acted wholly on his own volition, with no deference to a higher authority” (p. 82). Others argue that Satan is the “villain-hero” or the “counter-hero” of Paradise Lost, portrayed as a ruined archangel and a “tragic personage” (Mishra, 1992, p. 161). It can therefore be concluded that the idea of Satan as the hero of Paradise Lost is ambiguous. The main question is whether or not Milton intended to present Satan as the hero of Paradise Lost. It is argued that Milton went to great lengths to demonize Satan, reducing him to non-human form by vilifying him to a serpent. Milton therefore intended to portray Satan as an anti-hero rather than a hero. Historical Background John Milton Paradise Lost was published at a time when literary themes were biblically “inspired” and “informed” (Porter, 2007, p. 205). At the time of publication, there was a Puritan “revolutionary fervor” brewing in England with Puritans looking forward to the second coming of Christ (Werner, 1986, p. 115). Milton’s Paradise Lost was therefore written prior to the Puritan revolution and at a time of optimistic contemplation (Werner, 1986). It therefore follows that Paradise Lost was written to inspire optimism in the divine order, and as such, Satan could not have been intended by Milton to be a hero. A heroic Satan would have compromised the Puritan optimism and the prevailing confidence in the divine order. Satan as Hero: Milton’s Intention In attempting to find any indication that Milton intended for Satan to be presented as a hero, it can be argued that on some level, Milton merely intended to present Satan as the fallen hero who becomes so intent on revenge that he ultimately progresses to the level of anti-hero. In other words, any hero status accorded Satan predates the narrative in Paradise Lost. Book I introduced the reader to Satan in his fallen state having been exiled from heaven. A confused Satan awakens in hell with his accomplices who had collectively disobeyed God and fought for control of heaven and lost (Milton, 2000). It is only in the opening passage of Book I of Paradise Lost, that it might be implied that Milton may have intended to represent Satan as a fallen hero who had revolted against the divine order, bringing about his fall. Certainly, prior to his fall, Satan was obviously of a status that was good enough to judge him and thus bring about a degradation in status (Bell, 1953, p. 863). Rather than seek to make amends and forgiveness, the fallen Satan contemplates his fate and becomes resolved in his revolt against the divine order. The reader is thus informed: All is not lost; the unconquerable Will, And study of revenge, immortal hate, And courage never to submit or yield (Milton, 2000, p. 15, Lines 106-109). Milton therefore sets the tone early on in establishing he never intended to portray Satan as anything more than an antagonist. It can be argued that the divine order comes across as entirely tyrannical and coercive and therefore deserving of the kind of revolt orchestrated by Satan. However, it must be remembered that Milton’s representation of Satan and the divine order was informed by the Bible. The Bible, despite its representations of God and Christ as decidedly autonomous, the Bible intended that God be viewed as all things just and good. Therefore, if Milton is informed by the Bible and Puritan values, he certainly did not intend God and Christ be viewed differently. By analogy, Milton would not want to present Satan as a victim of a tyrannical, and certainly not as heroic for his rebellion against and hatred for divinity. Milton’s Paradise Lost adopts a Biblical theme demonstrative of a perfect divine order (Rumrich, 1995). In this regard, Satan must be viewed as the anti-hero who poses a threat to the divine order and as such, is a villain and through his villainy relegates God to the stature of hero. It is the divine order that must triumph over a ruthless and fearless Satan bent on disrupting the divine order to the detriment of mankind. Milton makes his villainess intentions for Satan clear by letting Satan inform the readers of his anti-hero persona as follows: To do aught good never will be our task, But ever to do ill our sole delight, As being the contrary to his high will Whom we resist. If then his Providence Out of our evil seek to bring forth good, Our labour must be to prevent that end, And out of good still to find means of evil (Milton,2000, Lines 159-165). Milton therefore sets the stage for a generic good versus evil biblical theme. There is no question that Milton intended that Satan represented evil, as he permits Satan to give expression to this theme. In doing so, Satan unequivocally identifies with evil and emphatically informs that he is defiant in his evil intentions. Milton’s Paradise Lost has been described for the most part as both a representation and an expansion of the Bible’s Adam and Eve tale. As such, Milton’s Paradise Lost commemorates mankind giving into temptation with Satan’s encouragement and mankind’s subsequent fall for disobeying the divine order (Bell, 1953; Waddington, 1972). Thus Satan’s does not save mankind and overcome adversity inflicted by outside sources. In fact, he is intent on destroying mankind and any adversity he suffers is self-inflected. Satan’s adversity is self-inflected because it is brought about as a result of his own thirst for power. In assessing the text and Milton’s intention relative to Satan’s heroic status it is important to recall Milton’s own Puritan ideology. As Riggs (1972) informed, Paradise Lost was meant to convey Milton’s Puritan values. In particular, Riggs (1972) maintained that Milton’s Paradise Lost emphasizes the significance of man and his individual conscience and conjures up the image of a man who holds the Bible in one hand and has God in his heart. Such a man will “come to his own terms with the universe” (p. 2). William Blake in his 18th century work Marriage of Heaven and Hell demonstrates how Satan can be relegated to the status of hero in Milton’s Paradise Lost. According to Blake (1975) Milton’s divine order is intensely oppressive with a God that imposes his will on reluctant subordinates. These subordinates are forced to suppress their own wills and desires and one must conclude that only those who have no will or desire are able to supress them in favor of the will and desires of another. According to Blake (1975), Milton’s God, “usurps its place & governs the unwilling” (Plates 5-6). For those who are gradually suppressed, they become “passive” with the result that all that is left is “the shadow of desire” (Blake, 1975, Plates 5-6). In Milton’s Paradise Lost, the Messiah suppresses the will and wishes of his servants reducing those emotions to mere shadows of themselves (Blake, 1975). Blake’s interpretation of Milton’s Paradise Lost is consistent with Blake’s own view of the divine order and not Milton’s. As Pierce (2000) observed, in Blakes work Milton Blake clearly and consciously construed and perpetuated the self-serving and self-righteous Puritans who preached mortality but were otherwise corrupt, patriarchal and materialistic (Pierce, 2000). Thus for Blake, Milton like all Puritans were hypocritical and promoted a divine order that was tyrannical and coercive in nature (Pierce, 2000). Therefore, Blake’s reading of Paradise Lost as expressed in his work the Marriage of Heaven and Hell does not take account of Milton’s own thinking and Puritan ideology. Instead, Blake was merely expression his own view of the Bible and Puritan values. Milton had an entirely different perspective and thus Blake’s interpretation of Paradise Lost with God as the villain and Satan as the hero is in no way a reflection of Milton’s intention. Milton did not perceive the divine order as oppressive but merely an instrument of establishing order. Guided by Puritan values, recognized and accepted that there were consequences for those who disobeyed the divine order. Moreover, even if Milton shared Blake’s view of the divine order, he certainly went to great lengths to establish the anti-heroic status of Satan. Satan was not presented as a man who challenged God’s manner of rule, but rather a man who wanted to take God’s place at the head of the kingdom. Thus there was nothing noble about Satan’s resistance or rather revolt. Milton intended for his hero in Paradise Lost to be the Son of God who is a divine creation with divine powers handed to him by God his father. These powers provide the Son of God with the power that is attributed to the classic hero and is necessary for him to function against the destructive forces that threaten mankind and the divine order. With the powers of God vested in him, the Son of God must pass judgment on Adam and Eve and must take on the rebellious and ruthless Satan. It therefore follows that Milton intended that Satan would take on the role of anti-hero as he was positioned as a formidable obstacle to God’s work in establishing and maintaining the divine order. There is little doubt that Milton’s God and the Son of God who acts as God’s agent is entirely judgmental and appears to be unforgiving. He is also prepared to go to war against Satan. An objective observer with no reference to Milton’s own religious ideology and with disregard for the inspirational intent of biblical themes during the time of publication could easily conclude that Satan is a victim of an oppressive divine order. However, it is even difficult to maintain this position when one reads Satan’s own dialogue, the evil attributed to him is juxtaposed against Milton’s representations of God as pure, good and powerful. His power is used against those that do not adhere to his will, yet, Milton does not present this as an abuse of power, but merely a necessary use of the power to maintain the divine order. The devil who comes across as entirely evil and conspires to destroy God’s rule and the divine order is deserving of the use of God’s power. Thus by distinguishing between good and evil, Milton clearly intends to distinguish between the heroism and anti-heroism. This distinction is obvious when the devil, disguised as an angel appears before Uriel. The following excerpt from Paradise Lost demonstrates Milton’s division between good and evil and hero versus anti-hero: So spake the false dissembler unperceived; For neither man nor angel can discern Hypocrisy, the only evil that walks Invisible, except to God alone, By his permissive will, through heav’n and earth; At wisdom’s gate, and to simplicity Resigns her charge, while goodness thinks no ill Where no ill seems: which now for once beguiled Uriel, though regent of the sun, and held The sharpest-sighted Spirit of all in heav’n (Milton, 2000, Lines 680-685). Thus, God is not only good, but He is also wise and can see through Satan’s chicanery. Satan on the other hand is as cunning as he is evil and can deceive the innocent, God fearing man in circumstances where he cannot deceive God. Milton’s message is therefore that Satan is capable of misleading and corrupting mankind and indeed he does so with respect to Adam and Eve. As a cunning, deceptive and ruthless being, Satan is a danger not only to God’s kingdom, but mankind in general and thus the exercise of God’s power against Satan is for the greater good of heaven and earth. Therefore, from Milton’s perception, Satan is not the hero of Paradise Lost, he is a foil to God’s plans for the divine order and as such Satan is the consummate villain and anti-hero. Milton’s Satan is hungry for power and from Milton’s perspective, Satan is evil and he must not be permitted to obtain power. In all likelihood Satan’s power would not only corrupt him, but all of mankind. This was demonstrated by Satan’s use of his power of persuasion over Adam and Eve in Paradise Lost. Adam and Eve’s fall are directly a result of Satan’s manipulations. Murphy (2011) informed that Adam and Eve’s fall, influenced by Satan represented the corruption implicit in inherited power. Satan promised the couple the power of knowledge. Thus Adam and Even inherited power from Satan and it is that power that contributed to their fall. Previously, Adam and Eve were uncorrupted and decidedly good and pure. With Satan’s influence, the couple becomes corrupt and as such it is difficult to attribute hero status to Satan. Milton’s Paradise Lost however, is much less focused on the propriety or impropriety implicit in Adam and Eve’s narrative and more concerned with Satan’s conduct. Satan’s conduct is necessary for Milton’s defense of the divine order and God. In defending God and the divine order, Milton often focuses too sharply on Satan and this emphasis may have contributed to some of the speculation that Satan can be looked upon as the hero of Paradise Lost. As Summers (1962) observed, in the first two books of Paradise Lost, Milton spins such a complicate conundrum of pure evil that it can remind readers of their “own existence and confusion” and thus elevate Satan to heroic status (p. 72). Moreover, as an epic poem, readers automatically expect that the character placed at the center of the narrative is undoubtedly the hero (Forsyth, 2003). With Milton placing Satan at the center of gravity, he automatically engages the readers’ imagination and attention. However, when Milton’s Paradise Lost is read by reference to Milton’s own intention and his ideology, the epic tradition is lost. It becomes clear that Milton intended nothing more than to heighten awareness of an enemy as old as recorded history and to have his readers experience Satan from Milton’s own perspective. Milton’s resurrection of Satan however, is so strikingly real and so profoundly human that it is impossible for readers not to identify with Satan on some level. God and his agents on the other hand are so remote in comparison and so powerful that it is difficult for readers to form a human attachment with those characters. Thus it is understandable why some readers and critics would harvest the idea that Satan is the hero of Paradise Lost. However, when the reader takes account of Milton’s own intention, these connections and disconnections with the characters in Paradise Lost are virtually meaningless. Milton’s neglect of God and his emphasis on Satan can be viewed as a tactical mistake rather than a conscious effort to influence a disconnection with the divine order and a connection with Satan. The fact that the reader may be unable to identify with the powerful and remote divine power is a by-product of Milton’s tactical error. In defending God and the divine order, Milton focused more intently on the evil that drove God’s design of the divine order and by doing so, permitted readers a rare opportunity to view Satan’s responses from Satan’s perspective. Even so, by focusing on Satan, Milton intended that the reader come to an understanding of the evil that God was forced to cope with. Conclusion A reading of Milton’s Paradise Lost can lead to different perspectives on Satan’s hero status. Certainly, anyone familiar with and believing in the teachings in the Bible will automatically agree that Satan is the anti-hero. The divine order and the methods used by God to maintain influence and authority are perceived as necessary for the preservation of mankind and the Kingdom of God, a place where followers anticipate spending eternity in the afterlife. For those who are either unfamiliar with the Bible and its teachings and those who are not followers or believers, God comes across as tyrannical and ruthless in that He liberally rules and commands compliance with the divine order. In this regard, God can be seen as the anti-hero and Satan as the hero who resists God’s tyranny. However, when attempting to determine the hero status of Satan in Paradise Lost, it is necessary to examine Milton’s own intention. These intentions are inferred from Milton’s own religious ideologies, the time when Milton published Paradise Lost together with a close reading of the text. When each of these factors are taken together it is impossible to escape the conclusion that Milton intended for Satan to emerge as the villain and anti-hero of Paradise Lost. Works Cited Bell, M. “The Fallacy of the Fall in Paradise Lost”. PMLA, Vol. 68(4): 863-883. Blake, W. The Marriage of Heaven and Hell. Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press, 1975. Calloway, K. “Beyond Parody: Satan as Aeneas in Paradise Lost”. Milton Quarterly, (2005) Vol. 39(2): 82-92. Forsyth, N. The Satanic Epic. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 2003. Milton, J. Paradise Lost. London, UK: Penguin Books Ltd., 2000. Mishra, K. S. The Tragic Hero Through Ages. New Delhi, India: Northern Book Center, 1992. Murphy, E. “Paradise Lost & The Politics of 'Begetting'.” Milton Quarterly, (2011), Vol. 45:25-49. Pierce, J. B. “Rewriting Milton: Orality and Writing in Blake’s “Milton””. Studies in Romanticism, (Fall 2000), Vol. 39(3): 449-470. Porter, S. E. Dictionary of Biblical Criticism and Interpretation. Oxon, UK: Routledge, 2007. Riggs, W. C. The Christian Poet in Paradise Lost. Berkeley, CA: University of California Press, 1972. Rumrich, J. “Milton’s God and the Matter of Chaos.” PMLA, (Oct. 1995) Vol. 110(5): 1035-1046. Steadman, J. M. “The Idea of Satan as the Hero of ‘Paradise Lost’”. Proceedings of the American Philosophical Society. (Aug. 13, 1976) Vol. 120(4): 253-294. Summers, J. H. The Muse’s Method: An Introduction to Paradise Lost. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 1962. Waddington, R. B. “The Death of Adam: Vision and Voice in Books XI and XII of ‘Paradise Lost’”. Modern Philology, (Aug. 1972) Vol. 70(1): 9-21. Werner, B. C. Blake’s Vision of the Poetry of Milton: Illustrations to Six Poems. Cranbury, NJ: Associated University Presses, 1986. Read More