Paradise Lost and Beowulf - Essay Example

Paradise Lost and Beowulf From the text Paradise Lost, Satan is the main character after his fall from heaven. Satan had initiated a rebellion against heaven, and had a considerable backing of a third of the heaven against God (Milton & Johnson 21). God punishes him for his rebellion by sending him to the burning lake for nine days, after which he takes Death and Sin crossing Chaos from his way from hell. From a personal view, Satan has credit as a significant figure because he put up a fight that he knew he would not win but never gave up, but considering him a hero of the Paradise Lost is definitely incorrect.

Tracing through his past, Satan was Lucifer, one of the mighty angels in heaven. He used to be second in command from God, but he is now a fallen angel due to his rebellion and self-proclaimed hate for God. He leads the fallen angel, and is condemned to burn in hell for eternity. Hell, considered as the lost paradise, is a place that God created for Satan and his followers to torture them for their rebellious actions. In the beginning books, the reader may admire Satan, or even consider him a hero, for his desire of independence.

Satan proclaims that he would rather reign in hell and be free, than be under God’s authority in heaven. This reflects Satan as a leader who is willing to defend what he believes in no matter the consequences. His fight for freedom gains him the reader’s support. Satan’s physical appearance also degenerates or regresses throughout the text. These changes in shapes occur in line with degeneration of his characters. In the first instance, Satan takes the shape of a cherub, a lesser angel, when speaking to Uriel (Milton & Johnson 56).

Then he transforms to a ravening cormorant, an animal but capable of flying, in the special tree of life. He then changes to a tiger and a lion, beasts of prey in earth, nevertheless still magnificent. In the end, Satan changes to a toad and a snake, highlighting his ugly and disgusting appearance to the changes in his characters. The transformation from an angel to a disgusting reptile is not heroic in the least. Comparing the Paradise Lost to Beowulf, the main characters of evil (Satan and Grendel respectively) are encompassed with hate.

Satan self-declares his hate for God, saying that he would rather suffer in hell than be under God’s command. Grendel, on the other hand, envies and hates the happiness he sees in Heorot. Grendel’s actions are similar to those of Satan. Just like Satan’s jealously for Adam and Eve’s happiness in the Garden of Eden, Grendel is jealous of the happiness and joy in Heorot. Grendel, just like Satan, is an adversary of God. He also lives in the underworld, much like Satan. Satan’s heroic statements are not enough to grant him a heroic status.

Despite his persistence for a fight he knows he can never win, which is foolish not heroic, he does not display any other characters of a real hero. Ultimately, his show of concern only displays his heroic sense of misguidance, and a wicked art of raising his followers’ spirit of success in a battle that they are destined to loose. Satan’s words are full of hate, and only preach violence and evil. A hero, even in the lowest of the ranks, does not preach hate and violence. He advocates for peace and understanding.

In conclusion, Satan does not strike me as a hero in any context. Work cited Milton, John & Johnson, Samuel. Paradise Lost: With Notes Selected from Newton and Others, To Which is Prefixed, The Life of The Author, With a Critical Dissertation, on The Poetica, Volume 1-2.